Fonetti opened school registrations for the National Read-Aloud Challenge on June 1, 2026, with full access for parents and children beginning July 1, according to a statement on the company’s website. The edtech firm will offer free use of its app featuring hundreds of books spanning fiction, non-fiction, poetry and current affairs for ages 5 to 15 as part of an effort to increase reading enjoyment. Last year the challenge produced an average of 279 hours of daily reading, with one day reaching 454 hours, Fonetti data shows.
In the company statement, CEO Kim Antoniou explained that Fonetti was originally designed for home use on sofas and at bedtime but pivoted to schools when the pandemic created urgent demand for reading tools. Education advisor Lewis Bronze MBE had cautioned about the difficulties of gaining traction in schools with a new product. Despite this, the timing aligned with Antoniou’s business exit, leading her to fund the development of the free challenge platform that has now become a central part of the company’s work.
The team soon became captivated by the live data showing children’s engagement levels across the country, Antoniou said in the announcement. “Watching the admin panel became our version of Netflix,” she wrote, noting the rising numbers, streaks and leaderboards. All it took was gamifying the fundamental skill of reading aloud with compelling content, certificates, prizes and competitive elements to create what she called one of the most extraordinary reading engagement platforms, according to the statement.
Fonetti data places the average daily reading at 279 hours across the challenge period last year, with peaks climbing steadily from 104 hours in year one. This surge in voluntary reading occurs against a backdrop of improving but still concerning literacy trends. A National Literacy Trust report based on responses from 125,375 young people showed reading enjoyment rising to 36.1 percent in 2026 from 32.7 percent the year before, with daily reading at 20.3 percent.
Antoniou made clear in the statement that Fonetti does not view itself in competition with other literacy programs. The National Read-Aloud Challenge was intentionally designed to sit alongside the Summer Reading Challenge from The Reading Agency, which attracts about 700,000 children to libraries yearly and saw more than 13 million books read in 2024. The company will share its insights with the National Literacy Trust and Department for Education at the conclusion of this year’s event to support collective efforts in reversing literacy declines.
Clare Balding has served as brand ambassador since the early days, bringing energy to awards events and inspiring participants, the statement said. More recently, Louise Hill agreed to chair Fonetti’s board, adding her experience from building GoHenry and advocating for curriculum changes in financial literacy. Antoniou described the pairing as a powerful combination of driven individuals focused on enhancing children’s opportunities through coordinated initiatives.
The UK edtech sector is experiencing significant expansion, with a Market Research Future assessment projecting growth from 12.06 billion dollars in 2025 to 50.98 billion by 2035 at a 15.51 percent compound annual rate. Fonetti’s voice-based reading platform fits into this trend by offering interactive tools that support aloud reading practice for remote and in-school settings alike. Registrations for schools remain open while parents can join a waitlist ahead of the July 1 launch, the company said.
