Technology | Schools Week

Education forward: tending to the digital shoots of lockdown learning

“In technology terms we have probably leapt forward further in five weeks than we would have achieved without the virus in two years.” Trevor Taylor, COO, The Constellation Trust, Hull.

DfE blocks MAT’s bid to take shares in outsourcing firm

An outsourcing firm has urged the government not to be “hung up on fear of the different” after officials thwarted a multi-academy trust’s bid to take shares in the for-profit company. Schools Week revealed in March that Transforming Futures Trust (TFT) had signed a £1 million deal to outsource most of its central staff and […]

DfE to test and ‘quality-mark’ education apps

The Department for Education plans to assess and “quality-mark” smartphone and tablet education apps for younger pupils. Officials will also consider extending the assessment to apps for older children if the process is a success. But experts in educational technology say that the scheme’s success will hinge on whether teachers with experience of learning with […]

Shireland Collegiate Academy: The school replacing TAs with technology

Shireland Collegiate Academy has been signposted by the DfE as an example of EdTech best practice. Schools Week went to observe the teaching in their immersive room and chat to the leadership team about what they’re doing, and why If you ask the Department for Education which schools are doing EdTech well, Shireland Collegiate Academy […]

Hinds calls on tech companies to create new solutions to support teaching

Education secretary Damian Hinds is calling on technology companies to help improve teaching and cut teacher workload, ahead of plans to develop new online resources for schools in the autumn. From September, the Department for Education (DfE) will work with the Chartered College of Teaching, the British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA) and other organisations to develop […]

WISE 2017 – Learning to embrace technology in the classroom

Former headteacher and author Tom Sherrington meets former principal and author Eric Sheninger at the World Innovation Summit for Education 2017, in Doha, Qatar, to discuss the power of technology to enhance education. Meeting Eric last week was a breath of fresh air. He is more demanding when it comes to the impact that technology […]

£20m crack team of digital specialists to help solve teacher workload

A crack team of digital specialists will be set up in the heart of government to encourage education technology startups to solve problems faced by schools, such as teacher workload. The new “GovTech Catalyst” unit will get £20 million over the next two years to provide match funding to public bodies wanting to commission tech […]

Cyberbullying cases double over five years

The NSPCC wants the government to act on cyberbullying after the number of children seeking counselling for online abuse doubled over the last five years. Its Childline service delivered 5,103 counselling sessions to children suffering from online abuse in 2016/17, up from 2,410 in 2011/12 and 12 per cent more than the 4,541 delivered in […]