Twinkl

Twinkl is a privately held educational technology and digital publishing company founded in 2010 by Jonathan Seaton and Susie Seaton and headquartered in Sheffield, England. Its core business is an online platform that gives educators, schools, parents, home educators and other learners access to downloadable and interactive teaching materials. The company’s stated mission is to help people who teach, and its product model is built around reducing preparation time while giving users adaptable resources for different ages, subjects, abilities and curricula. The platform covers early years education, primary and secondary schooling, special educational needs and disabilities, English as an additional or second language, home education, childminding, adult education and international teaching contexts. Its catalogue includes lesson plans, worksheets, classroom displays, activity packs, assessment materials, games, presentations, craft resources, reading materials and digital activities. Materials are produced and reviewed through an editorial process involving teachers and subject specialists, with localization for different countries, school systems and languages. The breadth of the catalogue is central to Twinkl’s positioning: rather than operating only as a narrow learning-management system or a single curriculum publisher, it combines a large resource library with search, customization, printing and digital-delivery functions. Twinkl has expanded from a United Kingdom-focused education publisher into a global platform. Reference material describes more than six million customers worldwide and more than 1.5 million resources available through its website. The company operates through international teams and localized services, while maintaining Sheffield as its principal base. It moved to its current Sheffield headquarters in 2019 and has been reported as employing more than 710 people across 15 locations. These figures describe the scale reported in the cited reference material and may change as the company grows. The brand became particularly visible during the COVID-19 school closures. In response to the disruption, Twinkl made its resources available without charge to parents, teachers and carers globally for one month. It also worked with BBC Bitesize and other partners to support home learning, helping the brand move beyond its ordinary subscription proposition into a widely used emergency education resource. Jonathan Seaton later received an MBE for services to technology and education during the pandemic. Twinkl has also developed activities outside its core resource subscription. In 2019 it launched TwinklHive, a Sheffield-based startup accelerator and investment initiative. TwinklHive subsequently supported or invested in education, social-media-safety and wellbeing ventures, including Natterhub, Learning Ladders and Champion Health. This activity gives Twinkl a broader technology and entrepreneurship profile, although the company’s main identity remains that of an educational publisher and teacher-resource platform. The company has received two Queen’s Awards for Enterprise: one in 2018 for international trade and another in 2020 for innovation. The parent company Wild Peak Holdings Ltd reported turnover of £98.9 million for the year ended 30 April 2025, compared with £79 million in 2023–24 according to the cited reference material. Those figures relate to the parent company and are included only with that time context; Twinkl is not publicly listed and has no publicly traded ticker.

Twinkl was founded in 2010 in the United Kingdom by Jonathan Seaton and Susie Seaton. From the beginning, the business focused on producing and distributing teaching materials through the internet rather than operating primarily as a conventional print publisher. This model enabled the company to update resources quickly, distribute them internationally and organize a large catalogue around subjects, age groups, classroom needs and national curricula. Its early proposition centered on practical materials that teachers could download, print, adapt or use digitally. Over time, the catalogue expanded beyond standard worksheets and lesson plans to include classroom displays, activity packs, games, assessment tools, presentations, reading resources and materials for parents and home educators. Twinkl also developed specialist coverage for early years, primary and secondary education, special educational needs and disabilities, English as an additional or second language, childminders and adult education. International localization became an important part of the business, allowing the platform to serve different education systems and languages rather than treating the United Kingdom as its only market. Twinkl’s growth was recognized in 2018 when it received the Queen’s Award for Enterprise for international trade. The company later moved to its current Sheffield headquarters in 2019, reflecting its continued expansion from a small founding operation into a larger international employer. The same year, it launched TwinklHive, a startup accelerator and investment initiative based in Sheffield. TwinklHive extended the company’s role from educational publishing into support for businesses developing education, wellbeing and social-media-related technology. The COVID-19 pandemic was a major turning point in Twinkl’s public profile. When school closures disrupted normal teaching, Twinkl made its resources available free of charge globally for one month to parents, teachers and carers. It also partnered with BBC Bitesize to support home learning. Additional collaborations during this period included a BBC Studios project producing Doctor Who educational resources for primary pupils. Jonathan Seaton was awarded an MBE for services to technology and education during the coronavirus pandemic. Twinkl received a second Queen’s Award for Enterprise in 2020, this time for innovation. TwinklHive’s activity broadened during and after this period. In 2020 it launched a young entrepreneurship programme offering investment and mentorship to people seeking to build digital businesses. TwinklHive has been associated with Natterhub, a curriculum-linked social-media-safety platform for children aged five to eleven, and with Learning Ladders, which provides tools for curriculum planning, portfolios, assessment, progress tracking, remote learning and family engagement. It also invested in Champion Health, a digital wellbeing platform. The company has continued operating as a private business under the Wild Peak Holdings group. Reference material describes a workforce of more than 710 people across 15 locations and a customer base of more than six million worldwide, with more than 1.5 million resources available through its website. Accounts for Wild Peak Holdings Ltd reported turnover of £98.9 million for the year ended 30 April 2025, up from £79 million in 2023–24. These are parent-company figures rather than a separately reported public-company revenue figure. Twinkl remains active and is best understood as a global education-content and software platform whose main competitive proposition is the scale, breadth and practical usability of its teacher-created resource library.

• 2025

  Wild Peak Holdings reports £98.9 million turnover

  [1]Twinklen.wikipedia.org

  The parent company reports £98.9 million turnover for the year ended 30 April 2025, compared with £79 million in 2023–24.

• 2020

  Free global access during school closures

  [1]Twinklen.wikipedia.org

  Twinkl makes its resource catalogue free for one month to support families and educators during COVID-19-related school closures.

• 2020

  Second Queen’s Award for Enterprise

  [1]Twinklen.wikipedia.org

  Twinkl receives a second Queen’s Award for Enterprise, recognizing innovation.

• 2020

  Jonathan Seaton receives an MBE

  [1]Twinklen.wikipedia.org

  Co-founder and CEO Jonathan Seaton receives an MBE for services to technology and education during the coronavirus pandemic.

• 2019

  Move to Sheffield headquarters

  [1]Twinklen.wikipedia.org

  Twinkl moves to its current headquarters in Sheffield, England.

• 2019

  TwinklHive launches

  [1]Twinklen.wikipedia.org

  The company launches TwinklHive, an accelerator and investment initiative for technology and education ventures.

• 2018

  Queen’s Award for Enterprise for international trade

  [1]Twinklen.wikipedia.org

  Twinkl receives recognition for its international trade activities as the platform expands into overseas education markets.

• 2010

  Twinkl is founded

  [1]Twinklen.wikipedia.org

  Jonathan Seaton and Susie Seaton establish Twinkl as an online educational publisher and teaching-resource company in the United Kingdom.

A broad, teacher-oriented educational content platform positioned around resource depth, practical usability, curriculum coverage and reducing educator workload.

• Digital educational publishing platform · 2010

  Twinkl Teaching Resources

  Twinkl’s principal offering is a subscription-based online library of teaching and learning materials. The catalogue includes lesson plans, worksheets, presentations, classroom displays, activity packs, games, reading materials and subject-specific resources. Content is organized by age, topic, educational stage, curriculum and learner need, and can generally be downloaded, printed, adapted or used digitally. The service is aimed at teachers, schools, parents, home educators, childminders and other education professionals.

• Special education resources

  Twinkl Special Educational Needs Resources

  This area of the catalogue provides materials designed for learners with special educational needs and disabilities. Resources are intended to support differentiated instruction, communication, accessibility and individual learning activities. It forms part of Twinkl’s broader effort to serve education settings beyond mainstream classroom use.

• Home-learning resources

  Twinkl Home Education and Parent Resources

  Twinkl supplies activities, guides and learning materials for parents, carers and home educators. These resources extend the platform beyond school-based subscribers and support structured learning, revision, enrichment and family activities at home.

• Startup accelerator and investment platform · 2019

  TwinklHive

  TwinklHive is Twinkl’s Sheffield-based accelerator and investment initiative. It provides support, mentorship and, in some cases, investment to technology and education ventures. Associated businesses include Natterhub, Learning Ladders and Champion Health, giving TwinklHive a role in the wider education, child-safety and digital-wellbeing ecosystem.

• 2020Free resources for COVID-19 school closures

  Global

  Twinkl opened its resource catalogue to parents, teachers and carers worldwide without charge for one month during pandemic-related school closures.

  Outcome. The initiative supported remote and home learning and significantly increased the brand’s public visibility during the education disruption.

  Source
• 2020BBC Bitesize home-learning partnership

  United Kingdom

  Twinkl supplied educational materials for BBC Bitesize as part of a broader effort to help pupils and families continue learning outside school.

  Outcome. The partnership placed Twinkl resources within a major public-service education initiative.

  Source
• 2020BBC Studios Doctor Who educational resources

  United Kingdom

  Twinkl collaborated with BBC Studios to create Doctor Who-themed educational materials for primary-school children.

  Outcome. The collaboration combined an established entertainment property with classroom and home-learning activities.

  Source
• 2020TwinklHive young entrepreneurship programme

  United Kingdom

  TwinklHive created a programme offering investment and mentorship to young people developing digital businesses.

  Outcome. The programme extended Twinkl’s entrepreneurship activity beyond its own product portfolio and supported early-stage digital-business development.

  Source
• BBC Children in Need resources

  United Kingdom

  Twinkl partnered with BBC Children in Need to offer free materials supporting children and schools undertaking fundraising activities.

  Outcome. The partnership connected Twinkl’s educational content with charitable participation in schools and families.

  Source
• The Numbers Game Champions Challenge Cards

  International

  Twinkl worked with the UEFA Champions League and partner Santander to develop free mathematics-themed challenge cards distributed through the Twinkl website.

  Outcome. The activity used football-related engagement to promote accessible educational exercises.

  Source

• 2020

  Temporary global free-access response to school closuresStrategy

  Background

  COVID-19 school closures created urgent demand for home-learning materials for teachers, parents and carers.

  Action taken

  Twinkl made its resources available globally without charge for one month and supported external home-learning initiatives.

  Aftermath

  The response increased access to Twinkl materials during the crisis and strengthened the company’s public association with remote education.

  Source

• 2020

  Creation of Doctor Who educational resourcesProduct launch

  Background

  The pandemic increased demand for engaging educational content that could be used at home or in primary classrooms.

  Action taken

  Twinkl partnered with BBC Studios to create a set of Doctor Who-themed resources for primary-school children.

  Aftermath

  The project expanded Twinkl’s partnership-led content model and connected curriculum activities with a well-known entertainment franchise.

  Source

• 2019

  Launch of TwinklHiveStrategy

  Background

  Twinkl sought to broaden its role in education technology beyond publishing teaching materials.

  Action taken

  The company launched TwinklHive as a Sheffield-based accelerator and investment initiative for technology and education ventures.

  Aftermath

  TwinklHive became associated with investments and support for Natterhub, Learning Ladders and Champion Health.

  Source

1. 1Twinklen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Twinkl official websitetwinkl.co.uk