How a Sussex magazine for nerdy kids helped a generation find belonging

And while these children receive the help they need, a unique, quirky and sometimes irreverent resource is there for the thousands of gifted children who might otherwise struggle to find their place in school classrooms.

Since 1993, Aquila has been by the side of intellectually curious children, covering everything from breakthrough technology, to quantum physics and life as a teen Spartan.

Read by 35,000 children (and their families) in 100 countries, writer and critic DJ Taylor, author of 12 novels, numerous non-fiction books and acclaimed biographies of Thackeray and George Orwell, recalls reading it to his son, Felix as a child 20 years ago:

‘I remember my son reviewing Aquila for The Telegraph as a 10-year-old. He loved it, except the feature on Latin. I’m delighted this engaging magazine is still going strong. The fact is that if we want children to stay involved in reading and fulfil their potential, they must have access to challenging, high quality reading material outside of the classroom. A magazine that entertains as well as educates is an asset to any school or home library.’

Never afraid to tackle the hard topics and with a remit to never ‘dumb down’, Aquila has been quietly and steadily growing from its base in Eastbourne, East Sussex. The family-run business, New Leaf Publishing, is made up of a small, dedicated editorial team who draw upon a pool of expert writers and artists from around the globe to pull together a beautifully written and illustrated publication every month.

Editor, Freya Hardy said: ‘Our AQUILAnauts are ever-curious and full of energy, humour and creativity. They have more ideas and compassion than most adults. AQUILA occupies a unique position in UK children’s publishing, as well as in the minds of our readers. We’re the magazine parents and grandparents recommend in the school playground. We have teachers and home educating parents who use AQUILA as a resource for lessons, but we’re also visually stunning and extremely silly. Our content is engaging enough that adults subscribe just for themselves, and ridiculous enough that kids rush home from school to find it in their postbox. Readers might be exploring the nature of infinity one minute, and solving a murder the next.

These last few years have offered us a different challenge – how to survive as a print magazine in an increasingly competitive marketplace, with exponentially rising production costs, without compromising on quality.

Over the last year we’ve been approached by a number of different businesses looking to license our content or asking us to act as a production house. Ultimately we’ve decided to focus our current resources on our brand, so as not to water down our offering. An audacious stance for a small, independent business from Eastbourne.

Ultimately AQUILA continues to punch way above its weight, competing against global publishing giants. We’re collaborating with big names, whilst also working with exciting emerging writers and artists. I’m very proud of everything we’re doing, and thrilled to see what comes next.’