Hearth
Made by EBSA parents, for EBSA children
School got too much. Learning doesn’t have to stop.
Hearth is a gentle home-learning tutor for children who can’t be in school right now. Short, visual KS3 lessons at your child’s pace, in a space that feels safe, with progress you can share with school when you’re ready.
Free to join. Two minutes. We’re testing whether this is worth building for more families.
Meet Leanne, the teacher in every lesson
A real clip from the first lesson we built. She’s an AI, and she never runs out of patience.
Why we’re building this
We’ve lived it
Our son has emotionally based school avoidance. Like you, we watched the gap grow between where he was and where school wanted him to be, and every option seemed to assume he could already cope with the thing that was making him unwell.
Online schools moved the classroom onto a screen. Tutors were expensive and still meant a stranger and a set time. Worksheets became a wall of text. So we started building something with him: lessons that feel like a calm conversation, that he can start and stop, and that never make him feel behind.
He’s helping design every part of it, because he knows better than anyone what feels safe. Now we want to know if it could help your child too.
A family in Cornwall
Does this sound familiar?
If you’ve nodded at any of these, you’re who we’re building for
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Your child wants to learn, but anything that looks like school sets off the anxiety.
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They’re on a reduced timetable, or not attending at all, and falling further behind.
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School or the local authority keep asking what they’re doing at home, and you’ve nothing to show.
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Private tutoring costs more than you can keep paying, week after week.
How it works
Proper lessons, without feeling like school
Their pace, their place
Ten-minute lessons on their own laptop, whenever they feel able. No timetable, no camera, no class watching.
Visual, not wordy
Diagrams, short questions and small wins instead of pages of reading. Built for children who switch off at a wall of text.
Real KS3 learning
Each session quietly follows a full lesson shape, from a clear goal to a short recap, so the learning is real even when it feels light.
Evidence you control
A private progress summary for you, which you can choose to share with school, so the work at home counts.
Inside a real lesson
Twenty minutes with Leanne
Everything below comes from the Year 7 science lesson we built with our son. Each lesson knows your child’s name, starts from how they’re feeling, and never moves on until they’re ready.
Step 1 of 6
It starts with how they feel
Before any learning, Leanne asks how today is going. On a tough day the lesson shrinks to a short version, and that still counts.
Step 1 · Check in
How are you feeling right now?
Ready to go
A bit wobbly
Tough day
That’s okay. Today’s a short version: just the film and the quick questions. That still counts.
A plant cell has the same parts, plus three extras: a tough cell wall, a big vacuole and green chloroplasts.
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❚❚ Pause
▶▶
Scene 4 of 5
Step 2 of 6
A two-minute film, told calmly
Short animated scenes that Leanne narrates. Your child can pause, rewind or watch again. No wall of text, and no rush.
Step 3 of 6
They find things out for themselves
Tap any part of a cell to see what it does. Exploring at their own pace builds confidence instead of pressure.
Tap a part to see what it does.
Nucleus
Cell wall
Chloroplasts
Vacuole
Mitochondria
Chloroplasts
Plant cells only. They contain green chlorophyll, which absorbs light for photosynthesis.
Step 4 · Quick check
Which of these is found in plant cells but not animal cells?
Nucleus
Cell membrane
Chloroplast
Cytoplasm
Not quite. Both kinds of cell have a nucleus. Think about what makes plants green.
Step 4 of 6
Wrong answers get a kind nudge
Questions are a chance to learn, not a test. A wrong answer gets a hint and another go. Never a red cross.
Step 5 of 6
A break is always one tap away
Every lesson has a one-minute breathing break at the top. Leanne waits, then picks up exactly where they left off.
Breathing break
Breathe in…
0:52
I’m ready to carry on
For grown-ups
Today’s summary
Topic
Plant and animal cells (KS3 Biology)
Feeling
A bit wobbly
Steps done
5 of 6
Watched
Yes, the full explainer
Quick check
4 of 4 answered, 3 first time
Explained
Yes, with tutor feedback
Copy summary for school
Step 6 of 6
You see the progress. You decide who else does.
Each lesson ends with a short summary for you, ready to send to school if and when you choose, so learning at home counts.
Founding families try new lessons first.
What it isn’t
Clear about the limits
It isn’t a replacement for school, an EHCP or specialist SEND support.
It isn’t an open chatbot. The tutor sticks to lessons and is built with safeguarding first.
It isn’t finished. That’s why we want parents shaping it now.
Founding families
Help us decide if this should exist
We’re a small Cornwall family project. If enough parents tell us this would help, we’ll open it to more children. Founding families will:
try early versions before anyone else
tell us honestly what works and what doesn’t
help set a price that’s fair for families
Questions
Questions parents ask
What age is it for?
How much will it cost?
Is it safe for my child?
What happens to my details?
Will school accept it?
Hearth Learning is an early-stage project by a family in Cornwall. Signing up doesn’t commit you to anything.
© 2026 Hearth