Cambridge-based edtech firm Coracle is piloting an AI-powered learning assistant in prisons across England and Wales to better support neurodivergent learners (including people with dyslexia and ADHD) into work.
Key points: Coracle already delivers learning in over 90% of public prisons in England and Wales using offline, in-cell devices. The new tool (built with the University of Hertfordshire and backed by Innovate UK) adapts learning in real time based on how a person interacts with content—pace, points of struggle, and support needed.
CEO James Tweed argues many neurodivergent people are held back by rigid, one-size-fits-all education systems, and points to the high prevalence of dyslexia in prison populations as evidence of earlier exclusion from mainstream schooling. Because prisons often require no internet access, the system is designed to work offline.
Tweed’s broader aim is for this kind of adaptive AI support to expand beyond prisons into mainstream schools and workplace training, helping learners build skills and confidence that translate into employment.
UK edtech firm develops AI learning tool to support neurodivergent prisoners into work
