To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the role of digital technology in the UK education sector.
Answered on
23 July 2019
In April 2019, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, launched the attached Education Technology Strategy, ‘Realising the potential of technology in education’. This was launched to support the education sector in England to use and embed technology effectively, and to develop a vibrant EdTech business sector in the UK.
Research informing the Strategy highlighted that technology has the potential to reduce teacher workload, create savings, and improve pupil and student outcomes. However, certain conditions need to be in place to maximise benefit; for example, good connectivity and infrastructure, teacher confidence in using technology, strong and supportive leadership, and awareness that technology supplements rather than replaces good teaching.
To further understand the impact technology can have on the education sector, the department is developing a testbed programme which will help build the evidence base on the use of technology within schools and colleges. We have also created a leadership group made up of sector experts to work in collaboration with the government to help understand best practice and champion the objectives of our Strategy.