The Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, has opened the Bett Show in London, outlining the DfE's plans to harness technology to transform teaching and the sector.
The Education Secretary set out how using AI to reduce workload will help with the recruitment and retention crisis, taking some of the workload of teachers so they can focus on teaching children.
Speaking of the AI revolution, she said: "Each great moment of technological change throughout history came with fears for an unfamiliar future. But I know AI can be a radical, modernising force for change, a force for good in the lives of working people and I am so excited for what it means for education."
To ensure the safety of our children the department announced that leading global tech firms have jointly committed to making AI tools for education safer by design. Google, Microsoft, Adobe and Amazon Web Services are amongst the firms who have helped develop a set of expectations AI tools should meet to be considered safe for classroom use.
The AI Product Safety Expectations in Education framework sets out clear technical safeguards including prioritising child-centred design and enhanced filtering of harmful content. It represents the most detailed set of safety expectations for AI in education anywhere in the world. This is on top of a new package of training and guidance for teachers and leaders to help them confidently and safely unlock the time-saving benefits of AI – meaning less time spent on burdensome admin and more time delivering inspiring lessons for pupils. The resources will be developed by the Chiltern Learning Trust with the Chartered College of Teaching and will be ready in Spring 2025.
The DfE also announced that all new teachers will be trained on the effective use of assistive technology to support children with special educational needs and disabilities. Evidence shows that using readily-available, low-cost technology – such as dictation tools or text to speech software – is a key part of high-quality teaching for SEND pupils. But only 13% of teachers received training on accessibility features between 2021 and 2023.
A pilot of the assistive technology training in mainstream schools found staggering benefits to users, teachers and the wider class. Over eight out of ten of teachers and school staff surveyed said their students’ independence, confidence and engagement improved, with six out of ten seeing improved attainment.
One teacher, said: “We now have students accessing entry-level and functional skills, who couldn’t access that without assistive technology, so they are actually coming out with qualifications that they may not have been able to come out with previously.”
It means parents can be assured that their child with special educational needs can get the most out of specialist technology - enhancing the learning experience for many by increasing participation, achievement and a sense of belonging.
But these technological interventions will only work if schools and colleges have the right tech for their needs. Lack of awareness about the right technology creates a digital divide, where some students and staff benefit from the opportunities of new technologies and others are struggling to navigate the basics.
The Education Secretary also spoke of a new service that will cut time and money spent on buying tech – helping leaders navigate an often-complex market and ensuring every penny spent will mean better standards for pupils and teachers.
Plan Technology for Your School helps schools prioritise where to invest in tech, based on a personalised assessment of their needs. The service focuses on essential technology that ensures they are compliant with digital standards, giving them the digital foundations needed to start harnessing the full potential of tech to transform teaching
This is in addition to a new EdTech Evidence Board. The pilot will be delivered by the Chartered College of Teaching to explore how we effectively build evidence of AI products that work well, helping education settings feel confident that they are choosing products that work well for them and for their classrooms.
DfE is also developing an evolving digital service that is bringing together services and information from the department into one easy-to-navigate place. Currently DfE Connect is supporting leaders and administrators in mainstream pre-16 academies tackle their standard mandatory finance tasks and source funding information more quickly freeing up vital leadership time, so that school leaders can focus on effective teaching and learning practice and administrators can focus on getting best value from their budgets.
The IFS's report on school spending in the Scottish Budget 2025-26, found that by 2040, the number of pupils in Scotland is estimated to be 90,000 fewer.
The government has announced £30 million to provide Bikeability cycle training to children, as part of almost £300 million to boost active travel in England.