Bookmark wins the AWS Breaking Barriers Hackathon with AI literacy tool
One in four children in England leave primary school unable to read at the expected standard. Too many young people face barriers that can affect their futures – especially those in disadvantaged communities. At Bookmark, we know these struggles with literacy can be tackled from an early age, when children have access to the right tools, resources and support to develop a love of reading.
We’re thrilled to share that we’ve won the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Breaking Barriers Hackathon. This three-day event brought together students, industry experts, and AWS specialists to explore how generative AI for education can help solve real-world challenges.
Using AI to support children’s literacy
During the hackathon, our team worked together to create a proof of concept – an AI-powered reading support platform aimed at helping children who are struggling with literacy. By responsibly using AI reading support, we can provide personalised, scalable literacy interventions, reaching children in schools and communities that may lack access to traditional reading resources.
As Frankie Smith, our Chief Finance and Operations Officer, said:
“After a fantastic few days at the Breaking Barriers event, we are delighted to have been selected as winners and to receive AWS’s support to harness the power of AI to tackle the UK literacy crisis.
The power of AWS’s generative AI solutions has shown that we can utilise this technology to build a scalable solution to support the 1 in 4 children leaving primary school this year who are unable to read at the expected standard.
We look forward to working on this exciting project as the National Year of Reading begins. Through this solution, we can provide critical, life-changing literacy support to transform the life stories of children across the UK.”
Rising to the challenge
The AWS Breaking Barriers Hackathon allowed us to explore how generative AI can enhance literacy support, complementing volunteer-led programmes to support even more children. This approach highlights how technology and innovation can create learning experiences that are effective, engaging, and empowering for children.
Maggie Philbin, CEO of TeenTech and hackathon judge, highlighted the impact of our solution:
“The team’s use of generative AI wasn’t just technically impressive; it showed a deep understanding of how vulnerable children can feel, and how responsible technology can offer support without shame.”
Our volunteer-led reading programme
Our incredible volunteer base continues to be at the heart of our work – providing encouragement, mentoring and one-to-one support that builds confidence and a love of reading. By developing a tailored AI tool, with carefully defined parameters, we can extend the reach of our volunteers, scaling literacy support and making it more accessible to even more children.
Looking ahead
This hackathon win is an exciting step for our One-to-one Reading Programme. The project is still in its early stages, but we’re looking forward to exploring next steps for our proof of concept, developing it further to reach more children, provide personalised literacy support, and combine the best of AI with volunteer mentoring.
By using AI as a supportive tool we can extend our reach, close the literacy gap, and help more children develop the skills and confidence to read. Together, innovation and compassion can unlock potential and transform lives.
