Trademarks & Attribution

LSB phonics pathways

LSB Systematic Phonics is BrimStack's own pathway. Its books, practice activities, guidance and assessments are authored for BrimStack.

LSB Letters and Sounds uses BrimStack-authored lessons based on the Department for Education's 2007 Letters and Sounds framework. It is not an official Department for Education product and is not endorsed by the Department for Education.

The source framework is available from GOV.UK.

NGRT (New Group Reading Test)

NGRT (New Group Reading Test) is a trademark of GL Assessment, a standardised reading assessment from GL Assessment.

BrimStack does not use, administer, or reproduce NGRT. Where we reference NGRT, we do so only to position our own (internal, non-standardised) oral-reading check-in as a complement to NGRT and similar standardised tests — not as a substitute. Our optional English voice estimate is informed by oral-reading fluency and accuracy concepts. The Level 1–5 starting-point framework is our own, parent-guided system; it is not norm-referenced, independently validated, or a substitute for NGRT or teacher assessment.

GL Assessment's official NGRT information is at gl-assessment.co.uk.

Methodological references

Our reading assessment mechanics and pedagogical scaffolding draw on established published research:

• U.S. Institute of Education Sciences, Foundational Skills Practice Guide. Its recommendations on linking speech sounds to letters, decoding words, and reading connected text inform the structure of our early-reading activities.
• National Reading Panel. Findings on systematic phonics and guided oral reading inform our phonics sequence and our prompts for adult-supported rereading.
• Hasbrouck & Tindal oral-reading-fluency norms and established accuracy conventions. These inform the optional English microphone estimate only. Our five product levels are not a standardised, norm-referenced, or independently validated test.
• Comprehension questions, vocabulary prompts, story completion, and parent check-ins are recorded as practice or observation. They are not presented as proof that a child has mastered a skill.

BrimStack is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any of the authors, publishers, organisations, or institutions listed above. These citations exist to be transparent about the research base our product draws from.

Other attributions

• Story text and history-mode fact-checking via OpenAI.
• Illustrations generated via Replicate or Google Gemini. When durable storage succeeds, image assets are stored on Vercel Blob; an adult should download important books.
• Story narration via OpenAI TTS.
• Voice transcription via OpenAI Whisper.
• Database hosting via Neon Postgres; app hosting via Vercel.
• Body typeface: Outfit (Rodrigo Fuenzalida, SIL Open Font License 1.1). Display typeface: Fraunces (Undercase Type, SIL Open Font License 1.1). Both served via Google Fonts.
• Iconography by Lucide (ISC License).
• All third-party product names and trademarks referenced on this site are the property of their respective owners.

AI-generated content disclosure

Stories and illustrations on BrimStack are generated with the help of AI models. Automated safety checks are applied to generated content. Reading Journey books also have lesson-specific checks for focus sounds, words, length, and text match. These checks reduce errors but do not make AI content infallible; parents and teachers should review it.