Finding the cool idea to change education forever

We’re a specialist investor in solutions that enable schools and teachers to operate more efficiently, helping them to deliver an outstanding outcome for our children. We’ve had many years of experience working with schools, in particular via our sister company Cool Milk. Cool Milk is the UK’s leading school milk supplier, and runs administration schemes for over 10,000 schools nationwide.

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Image courtesy of supplier.

Want to make a change for schools? Perhaps you are a teacher with a great idea, or maybe you are a small edtech business already trying to disrupt the face of education. Until 28th February, we’re calling on edu-aspiring disruptors to take part in the Cool Initiatives Education Challenge. This competition is all about finding technologies that can help address real-world education challenges. Cash prizes of up to £10,000 are on offer for the most interesting and innovative ideas, products and services aimed at schools and schools-age learners.

Our aim is to help advance the ‘future of education’ by supporting innovators trying to improve the school experience. The focus is on projects that show genuine innovation, using new, novel or existing technologies to improve how the school operates or tech that enables better teaching and learning.

The Education Challenge is open to anyone with a great idea, or those developing their own technology. We’re interested in creative and effective ideas from all levels of expertise and experience; from students and teachers, to entrepreneurs and scale-up businesses. You don't need to be already working in or for a school to apply. There’s a £10,000 cash prize for the best idea, £5,000 for the runner-up, and £500 for the other finalists.

There are areas where we think there is immense potential for innovation, including educational and operational management, learning and teaching technologies. We also welcome proposals which fall outside of these, such as:

Learner Analytic tools - data collected about learners that can be used to enhance learning experiences, and improve understanding of the links between teachers and learners.
Solutions for delivering learning in a ‘just-in-time’ basis, or which provide opportunities for teachers to have more control of what, when and how they teach.
Personalised learning - solutions which tailor learning to the individual, based on their own needs, ability and skills levels, and what next to study or practice to achieve their personal learning goals and objectives.
Harnessing digital resources to support teaching practice - solutions that help with administrative tasks and improving the work-life balance of teachers to free up time, so they can focus on what they do best: teach!

Closing date for entries is 28th February 2018 at 5pm.

To apply, and for more information about Cool Initiatives Education Challenge, please visit www.coolinitiatives.com/competition.

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