The Scanning Pens Local Authority Pilot Program is your LA’s chance to see the real-world reading impact of our grade-saving reading pen technology, risk-free, for 60 days!

That’s 30 days more than a standard reading pen pilot, meaning that your Local Authority gets even more time to implement award-winning support, observe the results, and really dig into how reading pens can make a real difference in your setting.

Because we think there’s far too much guesswork that has to go on when it comes to reading support. Raising literacy levels requires investing Local Authorities’ limited funding in reading support solutions that they haven’t seen in a classroom context—and there’s rarely enough available finances left over for a re-do if the solutions your Local Authority chooses don’t resonate with the learners in your care.

That’s why we give you the chance to test our solutions before you commit to them, and begin the process of boosting comprehension, reading age and reading rate for 60 days in a controlled pilot program. You’ll have access to all of our support materials, education resources and your own Scanning Pens expert to guide you through the process—because the stakes have never been higher, for grades and learning futures.

Because there’s a reading emergency happening in each and every Local Authority in the country.

One in four children left primary school in 2025 unable to read to the required standard. And we know that skill gap is going to compromise their learning throughout secondary school unless we intervene, and ensure that each and every learner has the support they need to read at their age level.

Of those learners already in secondary school who are currently learning without support in place, so many will see those skill gaps deepen as they progress from Key Stage 3 to Key Stage 4—and we know that low literacy (and the lower grades that habitually come along with it) is going to limit post-16 choices for so many. College is harder to get into, as is university, and in a highly literate society like the one in the UK, employers expect a high standard of literacy… and job candidates who don’t have one often find themselves disadvantaged by the market.

There are struggling readers in your Local Authority, and they need solutions that allow them to learn, develop, and thrive. Of those struggling learners, many are going to have…

✔️Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)

✔️English as an Additional Language (EAL)

✔️Attention or anxiety challenges that impact reading, classroom comfort and concentration

✔️Reading needs that started during pandemic school closures, and have now become entrenched

These students’ futures are at stake: literacy unlocks the curriculum, and without it, grades and futures suffer.

Now more than ever, it’s vitally important that every learner has the tools they need to succeed.

That’s why Local Authorities are turning to reading pens to give literacy a boost!

In the unlikely event you’ve never encountered one before, a reading pen is an EdTech tool that turns words on the page into audio feedback. It’s widely adopted by learners of all ages, and suffers minimal device abandonment due to its simplicity: just move the tip of the pen along the page to hear the words read back to you in a lightning-fast and accurate audio feedback. The understanding barrier is broken down in an instant as reading becomes multi-modal, and every learner can approach their work with confidence, knowing exactly what they’re being asked to do.

…But there is a bit more science to it too.

When learners learn to read multi-modally, we know that they become stronger readers overall. And using a reading pen supports learners with reading differences in building stronger literacy skills and fluency, developing their ability to map phonemes to graphemes without the need for human reading support assistants or compromising teacher bandwidth.

And whilst individual needs are important, for Local Authorities, the goal is, ultimately, scalable: with reading pens, every reader can read independently and with confidence on a budget that any LA can afford.

Reading pens offer learners…

✅Lightning-fast customisable audio

✅Built-in practice and definition tools

✅Scan to file functionality and voice recorder tools

✅8hr+ rechargeable battery

✅Scanning in multiple languages

✅Dependability and durability

✅The ability to self-support

Models like C-Pen Reader 3 combine dependable text-to-speech with practice and online definition and translation functions for a holistic support experience, and C-Pen Reader 2 can be used anywhere, any time, and with the option to lock off this storage and definitions for SATs use.

There are also dedicated zero-storage models like C-Pen Exam Reader 2 that have text-to-speech-only interfaces, so that they can be used during GCSEs, when many learners need reading support the most.

How reading pens changed the story at St John Wall School

Before the pilot program:

• Limited access to curriculum content for students with cognition and learning differences – hindering their academic progress.

• Low student confidence and independence due to reliance on adult support for reading tasks.

• Barriers to support impact not just academic progress, with students unable to engage with materials unaided.

• Staff unfamiliarity with assistive technology and stigma around assistive tech from peers resulted in missed opportunities to create inclusive environments.

After the pilot program:

• Reading pens empowered students to access content and conquer reading barriers – boosting their confidence and independence.

• Full staff training and peer-led sessions helped embed reading pens into every corner of school culture.

• The reading pens didn’t just support learning, they sparked a whole-school shift toward inclusivity and autonomy.

• Beacon School status, and the school has become a national model of best practice.

Birmingham as a model of large-scale reading pen support

Scanning Pens’ recent collaboration with Birmingham City Council is another powerful example of how assistive technology and inclusive literacy strategies can drive meaningful change on a large scale. Through the Literacy Toolbox Approach and deployment of our award-winning technology, we’ve helped embed:

• Practical, easy-to-implement tools for learners with cognition and learning difficulties.

• Training and CPD for educators and SEND professionals.

• Scaffolded support aligned with the four areas of need targeted by the UK Government: communication and interaction, cognition and learning, social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) and sensory and/or physical needs.

And if you want to continue the journey and scale the success after your 60 days is up…

…Chat with your Scanning Pens representative about keeping the pens you’ve trialled, or scaling the solution to fit student needs right across your Local Authority!

But that’s not all: you’ll also receive CPD & post-pilot support

✔️1-hour CPD session for all pilot LAs

✔️3-hour CPD session for schools that purchase

✔️Advanced CPD modules for SENCOs and literacy leads

All of the children love them: it has enabled them to be free with reading like never before. Children are telling me ‘10 out of 10’ for how much they enjoy using them!

— Elms Farm Primary School

Birmingham Pilot Program

So how does my Local Authority start its reading pen journey?

To find out more about the Scanning Pens Local Authority Pilot Program, check out our Local Authorities Pilot Program hub page, where you can kickstart your 60-day pilot and revolutionise reading support in your LA.

And if you’re looking for ways to support young readers without maxing your budget or making a huge funding outlay this term, check out the new Scanning Pens leasing program – where we help schools, Local Authorities and Trusts like yours access award-winning reading support for just 24p a day!

And finally, we’re a chatty bunch. If you want to speak to one of our reading support experts about supporting the reading needs in your setting, we’re always happy to explore in-depth solutions with you and your finance department.

📧Drop us a line: ukinfo@scanningpens.com

☎️Give us a call: +44 (0) 207 976 4910