Andy Salmon AKA 'Sir Linkalot'

Andy Salmon is the creator of the interactive, award-winning app Sir Linkalot, an exciting educational service transforming how spelling and grammar are taught to dyslexic children, people, and non-native speakers through engaging animated tutorials and innovative, memorable mnemonics. With numerous celebrity, or rather ‘spellebrity’, endorsements, Andy Salmon is a trailblazing figure in the world of dyslexia.

In 2008, Andy created and launched the concept of ‘Sir Linkalot’, teaching thousands of children in classrooms worldwide for over 10 years. In 2019, he developed an educational app for Sir Linkalot, providing a catalogue of 400+ animated videos and quizzes aimed at strengthening the spelling and grammar of children aged between 4 and 14 years old. Andy champions his ‘World of Linking’ through Sir Linkalot, an innovative way of utilising mnemonics, to cement in memory tricky spellings of non-phonetic words, to words that do not appear to follow conventional patterns, from ‘onomatopoeia’ to ‘diarrhoea’. Alongside Countdown’s fabulous Susie Dent, who appears as the Sir Linkalot brand’s Lady Lexicographer, Andy offers further assistance to dyslexic children through Susie’s etymology animations to explain the reason behind the formation of particular words. With proven success over several years, Andy ‘gamifies’ learning, making it engaging, proactive, and most importantly for children, fun. Continuing to make waves in the education sphere, Sir Linkalot has piqued the interest of the BBC and CoComelon in commissioning a TV show to expand the brand’s influential reach and incredible work. 

Endorsed by a wide array of celebrities, Sir Linkalot has a catalogue of ‘spellebrities’ that promote the brand, from Paul McCartney, Stephen Fry, Jo Brand, Linus Roach and Ben Shephard to social media influencers like Josh Pieters and Louise Pentland. Government figures like Dame Ruth Miskin, who is also the creator of the UK’s leading phonics programme, have also endorsed the app. In 2020, Andy’s app won Best Educational App at BETT2020, providing further testament to his changemaking work. 

By instilling confidence in dyslexic children’s spelling and grammar, Andy is altering the lives of all who encounter Sir Linkalot. His workshops spark imagination, foster a comfortable and humorous environment, encourage neurodiverse thinking and inspire healthy competition among groups to keep learning. A truly inspiring teacher, Andy is ready to offer his important knowledge and powerful tools to improve the lives of dyslexic children around the world.