Show My Homework, a tool for teachers to set, grade and monitor homework has raised £2.4 million in seed extension funding in a round led by venture capital firm LocalGlobe. Show My Homework is the flagship product of edtech business Satchel, which was specifically created so that the company can replicate Show My Homework’s success in new areas.
Show My Homework, created by former assistant head teacher Naimish Gohil, is on track to be used in 50 per cent of all UK state secondary schools within the next 18 months. It is already used in half of London’s secondary schools. The platform, which can be used on a laptop, desktop, tablet or smartphone, is designed to combat traditional challenges schools face in teaching and learning, such as keeping tabs on homework and supplementing classroom learning.
The company expects to more than double their revenue in the next year by expanding Show My Homework and introducing new learning products in the edtech space.
Under the new Satchel brand, the business is also moving into the rapidly growing market for private one-to-one tutoring which analysts suggest could be worth as much as £10 billion a year. In the UK today, finding and using a tutor is unregulated and largely delivered through cash-in-hand arrangements between parents and tutors, often without the input or knowledge of schools. Satchel Tutoring aims to add structure to supplementary tutoring, allowing schools to work closely with tutors so that students get the most out of the curriculum.
Gohil founded the edtech business while working in an inner city secondary school, realising that homework is a real friction point between parents, teachers and pupils, when it shouldn’t be. And while homework is the only frequent interaction three of these key stakeholders (schools, parents and students) have. Yet homework is essentially ineffective as a learning tool because of the lack of visibility and communication between all parties, according to Gohil. “Show My Homework puts an end to this uncertainty and shifts the focus back to the quality of work set and submitted,” he said.
“A common misconception with homework is that more is better and that really isn’t the case and certainly not what we encourage. By introducing time-saving features teachers can focus more on what they’re setting and why and this helps put them on the path to achieving outstanding results for all children.”
The funding from LocalGlobe will fuel Satchel’s expansion plans. The company currently employs over 80 people in its London office, and also plans to open an office in Dubai, the fastest growing market for international schools.
