Enterprise Ambassador recognised in Queen's Birthday Honours List

Jonathan Seaton, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Twinkl, an online publisher that offered free access to their teaching resources during the COVID-19 lockdown, has received an MBE.

When schools around the world began to close because of the coronavirus pandemic, Jonathan and the team at Twinkl recognised how their teaching and learning materials could help as people adapted to home learning.

They immediately offered free access to all of Twinkl’s resources, so that people globally could have access to high-quality educational materials whatever their circumstance.

The team acted quickly to provide access codes in countries and areas affected by school closures and reached out directly to schools, teachers, parents and carers, as well as sharing information on social media. In total, Twinkl reached out to over 250 countries and regions, including those where schools had not yet closed, to support contingency planning.

Alongside free access to over 630,000 resources, the dedicated Twinkl team provided additional learning packs and created a home learning hub to provide a daily timetable of lessons, activities and resources for parents and carers.

In October 2020, Jonathan was recognised for his services to Technology and Education during the Coronavirus pandemic with an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List.

As well as running Twinkl, Jonathan has been an Enterprise Ambassador for the Centre for Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Studies at the University of Leeds since 2013. He helps mentor and work with students from a range of disciplines as well as contributing to courses through workshops and masterclasses that offer real life industry insight.

Dr Richard Tunstall, Associate Professor of Enterprise at the University of Leeds, commented:

We are really pleased for Jonathan. He’s been a fantastic ambassador for our students and has done an amazing job of promoting enterprise in the region and at the university. When you hear about the phenomenal work he has undertaken during lockdown to support people across the world in receiving access to more than 630,000 free educational resources, it is an astounding achievement. He’s a real role model for our student community. Working with people like Jonathan is exactly the kind of enrichment opportunities we can offer our students, as we look to help create the next generation of entrepreneurs.

Twinkl is continuing to support those affected by the pandemic by continuing to innovate and equip teachers, parents and carers with the tools they need during this difficult time. The Home Learning Hub continues to be updated on a daily basis and is available for free for those who need support with home learning.