SoundbiteLearning, the edtech company behind the multi-award winning digital content and revision platform GCSEPod, has been officially presented with the UK’s most prestigious business award.
Lord Lieutenant of Tyne and Wear, Mrs Susan Winfield, formally presented the company with the Queen’s Award for Enterprise 2021 at a special ceremony held at the firm’s headquarters in Newcastle.
“This is truly a very well-deserved award,” said Winfield. “I am just so pleased that there are companies in this part of the world who achieve things because the North-East is a great place and we want to ensure that good companies like this get recognised in such a distinguished way.”
Founded in 2006 by North-East entrepreneurs Anthony Coxon and Ian Thompson, the company has been honoured in the international trade category, celebrating GCSEPod’s work in the global education stage and especially within the ongoing events of Covid-19 and remote working.
Providing access to more than 1 million students around the world, GCSEPod has played a major role in assisting with learning throughout the pandemic.
They were also recognised for their innovation, sustainable development, and promotion of opportunity through social mobility.
Since 2018, SoundBiteLearning has seen subcriptions double year-on-year, with more than 1,600 schools in 39 countries using its resources. The international estate now makes up over 10% of GCSEPod’s schools.
Ian and I are incredibly proud that the company we launched in 2006, underpinned by the idea there has to be a better way for young people to learn in an audio-visual way, has won such a globally recognised honour that is effectively a royal seal of approval for UK businesses – Anthony Coxon, co-founder and director of SoundbiteLearning
“But winning the award isn’t just down to Ian and I. It’s a testament to the hard work and diligence shown by every member of the company over a long period of time and is a fantastic boost to everyone as we continue to ensure that students both in the UK and internationally have the chance to unlock their academic potential.”
GCSEPod covers over 28 GCSE and IGCSE topics, created to assist students in learning and revising for exams through smart devices.
The subscription-based platform helps teens to engage with highly concentrated three-to-five minute clips of audio-visual, teacher-written, professionally-narrated learning, known as Pods.
They also provide ready-made exam-style assignments with an in-built ‘check and challenge’ assessment system.
Students who use the platform have been shown to achieve 0.7 more Progress 8 points on average than those who don’t.
GCSEPod has expanded its international profile significantly within the last decade, becoming a member of both the Council of British International Schools (COBIS), and British Schools in the Middle East (BSME).
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