Who founded Third Space Learning?

Tom Hooper. He registered Virtual Class Ltd in October 2012, launched Third Space Learning in 2013 and still runs it as CEO.

Who invested in Third Space Learning?

Investors include Nesta, Ananda, UCL Technology Fund, Downing Ventures, Foresight Group, the British Business Bank’s South West Investment Fund managed by Maven, and Blackfinch Ventures. The latest round raised £4.4 million in April 2026.

Was Third Space Learning part of the National Tutoring Programme?

Yes. In November 2020 the programme approved it as a Tuition Partner for maths. In 2021 The Guardian reported on the pay and age of its Sri Lankan tutors, and the company said 3 of 1,000 tutors were 17 and were removed.

Is Third Space Learning profitable?

No. The group lost £2.6 million in the year to July 2025 and £1.0 million a year earlier, according to its accounts at Companies House.

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Tutoring 🇬🇧 Swindon, United Kingdom Since 2013

Third Space Learning

One-to-one online maths tutoring for schools.

Visit thirdspacelearning.com All companies

pupils taught since 2013: 196,000+
schools in the UK and US: 4,200+
online tutoring sessions: 2.3M
a year for a primary school, unlimited: £3,500

About Third Space Learning

Third Space Learning is a British company that sells one-to-one maths tutoring to primary and secondary schools in the UK and the US. Since 2013 it says it has taught 2.3 million online sessions to 196,000 pupils in 4,200 schools. Until 2025 the tutors were maths graduates and undergraduates in India and Sri Lanka. All tutoring now runs through Skye, a spoken AI tutor that talks pupils through lessons written by former teachers. Primary schools pay from £3,500 a year and secondary schools £5,000 a year for unlimited sessions.

Third Space Learning sells maths intervention to schools and multi-academy trusts. Families cannot buy it directly. A school pays one annual fee, adds as many pupils as it needs and sets the times of the sessions. Pupils wear a headset, talk to the AI tutor Skye and work through lessons on a shared screen. Teachers see a log of every session and progress reports.

Tom Hooper registered Virtual Class Ltd in October 2012 and launched Third Space Learning in 2013 with UK primary schools. The model recruited maths graduates and undergraduates in India and Sri Lanka to teach British pupils online. A subsidiary in Colombo, Third Space Global, designs and develops the online tutoring service, according to the 2025 accounts. In November 2020 the government’s National Tutoring Programme approved the company as a Tuition Partner.

In 2023 the company started tutoring in US schools and began work on a voice-based AI tutor. Skye was tested with pupils from July 2024 and replaced the human tutors from September 2025, Schools Week reported. In March 2026 Stanford and Cornell picked the company for a $1.9 million Gates Foundation research project, and in April 2026 it raised £4.4 million from new and existing investors. The group lost £2.6 million in the year to July 2025, according to its accounts.

History

2012 Tom Hooper registers Virtual Class Ltd at Companies House on 19 October.
2013 Third Space Learning starts online one-to-one maths tuition for UK primary schools.
2014 Raises £750,000 through ClearlySo while in the Wayra accelerator.
2015 Raises a £1.5 million Series A from Nesta Impact Investments and Ananda Social Venture Fund.
2016 Teaches its 500,000th lesson.
2018 Raises £4.75 million as Matr, led by UCL Technology Fund and Downing Ventures.
2020 Becomes a National Tutoring Programme Tuition Partner and raises a £4.3 million Series A extension.
2021 The Guardian reports on the pay and age of its tutors in Sri Lanka. The company launches secondary programmes and teaches its millionth session.
2023 Teaches its first US session, in a school in Baltimore, and gets a $150,000 grant from Accelerate.
2024 Pupils start testing Skye in July, and a pilot follows in September.
2025 Skye replaces the human tutors from September, according to Schools Week.
2026 Joins a $1.9 million Gates Foundation project with Stanford and Cornell and raises £4.4 million.

Third Space Learning funding and investors

about £16.6 million equity raised, our sum

May 2014

Seed £750,000

ClearlySoClearly Social Angels
Source: UKTN
July 2015

Series A £1.5 million

Nesta Impact InvestmentsAnanda Social Venture FundAngel investors
Source: UKTN
June 2018

Series A, as Matr £4.75 million

Lead: UCL Technology Fund and Downing Ventures AnandaNestaSherry Coutu
Source: Private Equity Wire
November 2020

Series A extension £4.3 million

AnandaDowning VenturesNestaUCL Technology Fund
Source: Third Space Learning press release
April 2026

Equity round £4.4 million

South West Investment Fund, British Business Bank (Maven Capital Partners)Blackfinch VenturesForesight GroupNesta
Source: Third Space Learning press release

Our sum of the £12.2 million that Third Space Learning gave as its total in November 2020 and the £4.4 million round of April 2026. The 2026 round includes £1.55 million of convertible notes and advance subscriptions that turned into shares, according to the 2025 accounts. Grants from Accelerate and the Gates Foundation project are not included.

Leadership

Tom Hooper Founder and CEO
Candida Crawford Chief Learning Officer
Alice Morris Chief Product Officer
Bryan Tookey Chief Operations Officer
Rob Langman Chief Commercial Officer
Gianni Mazza Technical Architect

Roles from the company’s about page. The board of Virtual Class Ltd also includes Richard Lewis of Foresight Group, Rafi Khan of Maven Capital Partners and Meganne Houghton-Berry, according to Companies House.

How Skye teaches

wrong answers before Skye explains the solution: 3
between possible session start times: 5 min
of progress in 14 weeks, company trial: 7 months

Audio and shared screen, no video
Lessons written by former teachers
“I do, We do, You do” structure
Concrete-pictorial-abstract steps
Scheduled and on-demand sessions
In school or at home
Every session recorded
Automatic safeguarding flags
Real-time reports for teachers
Headset and a laptop, desktop or iPad

In an independent trial with Rising Stars, pupils made 7 months’ progress in 14 weeks of weekly tutoring, according to Third Space Learning. The trial used the earlier human-tutor model.

thirdspacelearning.com, press page, 6 October 2026

Maths programmes

Primary, UK5

Year 3
Year 4
Year 5
Year 6
SATs revision

Secondary, UK4

Year 7
Key Stage 3
Key Stage 4
GCSE, grades 3 to 7

United States3

Grades 2 to 5
Grades 6 to 8
State test preparation

Programmes listed on thirdspacelearning.com on 6 October 2026. Skye teaches maths only, in English.

Video, blogs and resources

Products

Skye, the AI maths tutor A spoken AI tutor. The pupil talks through each problem out loud, and Skye answers with hints. Skye shows only lessons written by the company’s teachers. About Skye
Tutoring programmes Scheduled and on-demand sessions for Years 3 to 7 and GCSE. Schools pick the programme and the order of the lessons. How it works
Third Space Maths Hub Free and premium maths resources, past papers, revision guides and CPD videos. The premium plan for a primary school costs from £390 a year. mathshub.thirdspacelearning.com
Teacher platform Teachers add pupils, set sessions, launch ad-hoc sessions and read real-time reports on attendance and progress. Pricing

How much is Third Space Learning?

Primary, one-form entry £3,500/year £3,500 a year, Unlimited tutoring for Years 3 to 6
Primary, two-form entry £5,000/year £5,000 a year, Unlimited tutoring for Years 3 to 6
Primary, three-form entry £6,000/year £6,000 a year, Unlimited tutoring for Years 3 to 6
All secondary schools £5,000/year £5,000 a year, Unlimited tutoring for Year 7 and GCSE

Is Third Space Learning free?

Schools can book a free taster session with Skye. Free maths resources are on the Maths Hub. The premium Maths Hub subscription costs £390 a year for a small primary school and £780 for a larger one, and is included for primary schools that buy tutoring.

Prices on thirdspacelearning.com/pricing for UK schools on 6 October 2026, in pounds, fixed annual price for unlimited AI tutoring sessions and pupils. Discounts for long-term bookings and multi-academy trusts. US schools get a quote by school or district size.

For schools and trusts

thirdspacelearning.com/pricing

01One fixed annual price per school, with no per-session or per-pupil fees.
02Sessions before, during or after school, and at home for homework.
03A dedicated account manager and regular assessments.
04Discounts for multi-academy trusts. US districts often pay with Title I funds, the company says.

From £3,500 a year for a primary school.

Is Third Space Learning worth it?

What parents and tutors like

Reviewers say lessons are well planned and taught.Jack, Trustpilot, April 2025
Parents describe tutors as patient and on time.Carolyn, Trustpilot, February 2020
One annual price covers unlimited sessions and pupils.thirdspacelearning.com/pricing
96% of Trustpilot reviews give 4 or 5 stars.Trustpilot, 67 reviews

What parents and tutors criticise

Most reviews date from 2019 and 2020 and describe Matr home tutoring with human tutors. Only 1 review is from the last 12 months.Trustpilot
A reviewer from India who signed a contract with the company writes that promised bonus pay was held back.Avik Dey, Trustpilot, June 2024
In 2021 The Guardian reported tutor pay of £1.57 to £3.07 an hour in Sri Lanka. Tom Hooper said £1.57 was the guaranteed minimum per booked session and average pay was £3.07 an hour.The Guardian, March 2021
Skye teaches maths only and speaks only English.AI maths tutor FAQ

What reviewers write, not our rating. Schools buy the service, while most Trustpilot reviews come from parents who used the former Matr home tutoring. Schools pay from £3,500 a year.

Third Space Learning reviews

I was quite sceptical about online…
“There’s never going to be 30 private tutors in a classroom, but this is the next best thing.”
Nicholas Humphries · 23 April 2025 · App Store
Superb tutoring.
“Lessons are well planned and taught.”
Jack · 23 April 2025 · App Store
Your company signed contract with me…
“No sessions , No bonus payments absolutely nothing .”
Avik Dey · 30 June 2024 · App Store

Latest news

Contacts and company data

Legal entity: Virtual Class Ltd, trading as Third Space Learning, Ground Floor West, Office G, Nexus Business Centre, Darby Close, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN2 2PN, United Kingdom
Companies House: 08260115, private limited company
Incorporated: 19 October 2012
Directors: Thomas Hooper, Richard Lewis, Meganne Houghton-Berry, Rafi Khan
Nature of business: SIC 62012 software development, 85600 educational support services
Subsidiaries: Third Space Global (Pvt) Ltd, Colombo; Third Space Learning, Inc, Delaware

Alternatives to Third Space Learning

How we built this profile

Sources. Facts come from the company’s own website, press room, imprint and careers page, from Wikipedia, the App Store, Google Play and Trustpilot. Every source is listed on the page.
Checks. Kinescope checked every number on 6 October 2026. Prices, ratings and job counts change, and we refresh them with each update.
Our words. Descriptions are written by the Kinescope team. Quotes from reviews are marked with the author and source, and we do not rate the company ourselves.
Corrections. The company can send new facts or corrections, and we update the profile.

Company facts

Founded: 2013
Founders: Tom Hooper
CEO: Tom Hooper
Owner: Founder Tom Hooper and investors. Foresight Ventures VCT holds 25–50% of voting rights, according to Companies House
Team: 76 on average in the year to July 2025, down from 118
Headquarters: 🇬🇧 Swindon, United Kingdom
Offices: Swindon, United Kingdom · Colombo, Sri Lanka
Category: Tutoring
Serves: Schools
Website: thirdspacelearning.com

Facts from thirdspacelearning.com/about, thirdspacelearning.com/pricing, AI maths tutor and FAQ, How it works, Maths Hub pricing, Press page, Company information for LLMs, UK, Company information for LLMs, US, Companies House, Accounts to 31 July 2025, Schools Week, The Guardian, Wikipedia, National Tutoring Programme, UKTN, Private Equity Wire, Workable job board, Trustpilot, checked on 5 October 2026.

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Third Space Learning FAQ

On 6 October 2026 a UK primary school pays £3,500 a year for one-form entry, £5,000 for two-form and £6,000 for three-form entry. Every secondary school pays £5,000 a year. The price covers unlimited sessions and pupils.

No. The company sells to schools and multi-academy trusts. Schools can share pupil logins with parents so pupils use Skye for homework.

Not any more. The company delivers all tutoring through its spoken AI tutor Skye. Until 2025 the tutors were maths graduates and undergraduates, mostly in India and Sri Lanka.

The pupil wears a headset and talks with Skye over audio while a lesson runs on a shared screen. Each lesson starts and ends with a short check. After three wrong answers Skye explains the solution.

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