Today Nesta, the innovation foundation, and the Department for Education are launching a programme that will give staff in schools and colleges the chance to trial EdTech products for free. Technology has the potential to tackle pressures on schools and teacher workload. This programme calls on teachers to be at the heart of understanding which products could really make a difference.

EdTech isn’t a silver bullet. The emphasis needs to be on the problem you’re trying to solve, not on the use of tech for tech’s sake. The EdTech Innovation Testbed will help to match schools and colleges with EdTech products suited to their needs and situation. Independent experts will then be on hand to help schools and colleges find out if the approach is working, and feedback to the EdTech companies, schools and colleges.

Products will tackle one of three challenges where EdTech could have the greatest impact on reducing teacher workload:-

• Formative assessment and essay marking
• Parental engagement
• Timetabling

The testbed is part of a wider programme of work in partnership with the Department for Education supporting schools and colleges to make more effective use of technology. In June Nesta launched the Edtech Innovation Fund, which called on EdTech organisations tackling the same key challenges to apply for funding and support with improvement, implementation and evidence. Grantees will be announced later in the autumn. In this next phase the focus will turn to schools to feedback on the products that work best for them.

Teachers will be able to take part in research to develop a better understanding of evidence, evaluation and the impact of technology in the classroom and the staffroom. Participants will also be offered support with professional development as they learn about the evaluation process and technology in their school. Given the ambition to reduce teacher workload, the programme is designed with support for staff in participating schools and colleges.

Nesta has a long history of supporting technology in education through investments, research and policy. Their recent report, Educ-AI-tion Rebooted, shows the potential for new digital technologies to transform the education system and further research carried out earlier this year explored different models for ‘EdTech Testbeds’ found around the world.

Joysy John, Director of Education at Nesta, says, “By getting schools and colleges to test products in a real world setting we hope to bridge the gap between industry and the education sector. We want schools and colleges from across England to sign up to the testbed. Through participating in the testbed, staff in our schools and colleges will have an opportunity to trial technology products, further their professional development and better understand what works.”

-ENDS-

For more information contact Juliet Grant in Nesta’s press office on 020 7438 2668 or 07866 949047, [email protected]

Notes to editors:

About Nesta

Nesta is an innovation foundation. For us, innovation means turning bold ideas into reality and changing lives for the better. We use our expertise, skills and funding in areas where there are big challenges facing society. We've spent over 20 years working out the best ways to make change happen through research and experimenting, and we've applied that to our work in innovation policy, health, education, government innovation and the creative economy and arts. Nesta is based in the UK and supported by a financial endowment. We work with partners around the globe to bring bold ideas to life to change the world for good.

www.nesta.org.uk

Nesta is a registered charity in England and Wales 1144091 and Scotland SC042833.