DFE

The UK government has been quiet on education technology for many years, but the wait looks to be finally over. They’ve released a 48-page edtech strategy to “build a vibrant edtech sector” that drives efficiencies and improves educational outcomes.

BESA is proud to share the news of a brand new series of LearnED Roadshows in partnership with the Department for Education (DfE). There will be eight one-day events focused on exploring the best ways for teachers to incorporate edtech into their classrooms. The first event will take place on Thursday 29 November at The New York Stadium in Rotherham and is free to attend.

The events are designed for headteachers and ICT leads and will aim to inspire and inform school decisionmakers through peer-to-peer panel discussions and DfE keynote speakers. The aim is to improve teaching and learning outcomes, assessment and support leadership and management across the whole school.

The concept, created by BESA and the DfE, comes after Damien Hinds’ announcement this summer on the UK government championing edtech. BESA’s members are some of the most trusted and high-quality edtech suppliers in the UK. We feel that a collaboration between top quality suppliers and school leaders would be highly beneficial when incorporating edtech seamlessly into classrooms.

BESA’s director general, Caroline Wright, is delighted to share this initiative with teachers and the education supplies sector:

“I am delighted that the DfE’s plans place teacher training and support at the heart and soul of their future approach to edtech. As Damian Hinds says, technology can be used in the classroom in ‘revolutionary ways’ – allowing students to explore a rainforest from their classroom, or programme a robot.

“There are many examples of ministries of education across the world evangelising about the revolutionary potential of education technology, often supplied by UK companies. It’s very welcome that our own Department for Education is now setting out a vision for edtech that, if realised, could have a ground-breaking impact upon its implementation worldwide.”

We would like to invite all headteachers, ICT Leads and members of school senior leadership teams in the Rotherham area to attend our first event on Thursday 29 November. We will be announcing speakers, panellists and the full agenda in the coming weeks, but tickets will go fast, so be quick!

Get your free ticket to the Rotherham event here. Not from the area? Don’t worry! There will be a further seven shows taking place around the country throughout the academic year. To find an event in your area, click here.

If you have any further questions, feel free to contact William Prieto-Parra. We look forward to seeing you there!

By Roisin McHugh - Events and Communications Coordinator

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