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At 1BL, our mission is to change the way education and training is delivered.
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We are a small disruptive UK company in a huge, taxpayer-funded sector . Education and training is worth 100 billion a year , 10x that in the US . The state effectively controls the market and sets the SOP .
We were set up originally to address the simple fundamental universal factors underpinning widespread underperformance.
Big picture our practice implements see and do over listen and learn
We are not disruptors by design — we are disruptors out of necessity. Like all true pioneers, we’re easy to identify:. We are the ones with arrows in our back
Conceptually we see ourselves as the Mac OS in a market that has standardised on Windows.
Our approach is fundamentally different because we know better than most . In our course language is not the machine code underpinning everything else . Importantly this is a practice not theory . You will see results inside a day . Inside a week our expectation is we will set you on a new path that you will follow for the rest of your life .
Don’t shoot the messenger . The message may be maybe disruptive but that does not mean we are wrong . When progress is glacial or stops all together . There is usually a simple explanation rooted in more than simple resistance to the way things are done .
We are asserting amongst other things – A listen and learn model, a language first model rather than a see and do model is the root cause holding back high functioning cohorts with dyslexia, ADHD , Asperger’s … these cohorts suffer more than most in our one size fits all system … and of course we have a role to play in addressing and slowing down early onset .
Our belief is simple: we can be both a change agent and a catalyst . We can not stress enough that our practices are for everyone .
Education instills an ability to learn . Get better at learning new skills and outcomes across the board improve . A bigger context window, seeing more of the board will lead to better outcomes .
If pushed for a one sentence pitch – We can save billions in public expenditure and we can create genuine agency , maximising the potential of the very cohorts this system has failed so badly .
Citations The Master and His Emissary – Iain McGilchrist: In the Mind’s Eye – Thomas G. West: Upside-Down Brilliance – Linda Kreger Silverman: Visual Thinking – Temple Grandin: The Dyslexic Edge – Jamie Waller and Dr Helen Taylor: The Art of Learning – Josh Waitzkin: Moonwalking with Einstein – Joshua Foer: Surrounded by Idiots – Thomas Erikson: The Brain: The Story of You – David Eagleman: The Innovator’s Dilemma – Clayton M. Christensen
Having failed his exams at 16, in 1895 Dave ? moved from Germany to attend the Pestalozzi-inspired old cantonal school in Aarau, Switzerland.
Aarau’s highly visual, innovative teaching and instruction practices would turn his life around, unlocking his true potential.
Explore our foundational research, strategic frameworks, and practical guides underpinning the 1 Billion Lives mission to transform education outcomes at scale.
Shifting Paradigms: From Rote Memorisation to Visual Encoding
A catalyst that changes everything , needs to change everything at an atomic level . Traditional learning and training methods often fail because they rely on effortful, phonological processing . This paper reframes the human brain as a visual spatial-intelligence engine. Offloading data storage to more effective visual structures inside the brain, not only allows us to expand our human context window exponentially. It allows us to facilitate meaningful collaboration with AI on our terms .
- Join the 2026 Validation Study Waiting List — recruiting 1,000 participants across four cohorts
- 6–8 week adaptive, gamified online training module
- $150 base stipend + $150 bonus for stretch-goal completion
- Pathways for families, institutions, and funders
EHCP: Roles, Rights & Process
A comprehensive guide to the Education, Health and Care Plan — the UK’s gold-standard legal framework for SEND support. Covers the 20-week assessment cycle, parental rights, Direct Payments, Section 41 supplier strategy, and the 2026 digital reforms.
2026 Pilot Study Outline Proposal
The full study protocol targeting four cohorts — Dyslexia, ADHD, high-functioning ASD, and adults at elevated risk for early-onset Alzheimer’s. Details the randomised, waitlist-controlled methodology, 6–8 week intervention, and $50K–$300K funding request.
The 2026 Case for Investment — UK Blueprint
The commercial and economic case for funding 1BL in the UK market. Covers B2G navigation, the £100bn annual education-health expenditure problem, Direct Payment pathways for 638,000 EHCP families, and the Phelps duty-of-care legal precedent.