AI-powered marking platform Fast Feedback awarded £20K funding to pilot in UK schools

Fast Feedback, an open-source assessment tool developed by Ark Bolingbroke’s Tom Rye, will expand with support from SHINE Trust.

Fast Feedback, a new open-source platform designed to automate written assessment using AI, has secured £20,000 in funding from the SHINE Trust. The platform was created by Tom Rye, Vice Principal at Ark Bolingbroke, to address long-standing concerns about teacher workload and delayed feedback in UK classrooms.

The funding was awarded through the Let Teachers SHINE initiative, run by the SHINE Trust, a UK-based education charity that supports teachers with innovative ideas to help disadvantaged students succeed. The grant will fund further development of the platform and support a pilot across schools in the North East of England over the next 12 months.

Rye shared the news on LinkedIn, writing: “Excited to share that Fast Feedback has been awarded £20,000 in funding from The Shine Trust! Fast Feedback is an open-source, AI-powered platform that automates marking for written responses and generates high-quality feedback for students — helping reduce teacher workload and support responsive teaching.”

Built by teachers for teachers

Rye began his career in education through Teach First, a nonprofit that recruits and trains graduates to teach in under-resourced UK schools. He developed Fast Feedback as a teacher-led tool designed to streamline grading and support responsive instruction through automation and data insight.

“Timely feedback is important for pupils to make progress, yet traditional marking is often infrequent and delayed,” says Rye.

Fast Feedback allows teachers to upload question banks and model answers. The platform compares student responses with the model, scores the work, and identifies trends. It then generates reteach tasks tailored to the student’s needs.

Reducing workload to support retention

The platform’s core function is to minimize time spent marking so that teachers can focus more on instruction and student interaction. Rye explains: “Marking is a time-consuming process that detracts from teachers’ ability to focus on responsive teaching. Fast Feedback enables teachers to mark student work in minutes rather than hours, improving efficiency and giving them more time to focus on delivering high-quality teaching.”

He also notes that easing the burden of marking could support teacher wellbeing and retention, particularly among newer staff facing heavy workloads early in their careers.

Open-source model prioritizes access

Unlike many commercial edtech tools, Fast Feedback will remain open source. Rye emphasizes that affordability is key to its mission. “As a social enterprise, Fast Feedback will be affordable for all schools because it won’t have the large membership fees associated with other EdTech platforms,” he says.

The SHINE Trust grant will also support feature development, including capabilities to assess handwritten responses and new tools for classroom integration.

Ongoing development and classroom testing

The platform is currently being piloted with a small group of schools, with plans to expand to at least 10 more over the next year. Rye is working closely with teachers and students to refine the platform based on classroom use.

“I’m especially proud that this will support the creation of an open-source, accessible EdTech solution for schools that need it most,” says Rye. “I’m absolutely delighted. I’ve invested a huge amount of time developing Fast Feedback, working closely with teachers and pupils to shape it into a tool that genuinely supports learning.”