2023 EdTech in Schools Survey

The DfE’s Technology in Schools Survey dropped recently and there’s a few interesting points.

Lack of pedagogical training in EdTech

70% of teachers have had training on how to use EdTech but only 21% received training on how technology use can improve pedagogy / learning outcomes.

It’s a little disappointing to read this as my first EdTech company (LearnMaker), was trying to solve this gap back in 2014.

Nationally, it seems we still have a long way to go, however this is also a great opportunity for suppliers to lean in and to pick up the ‘pedagogical baton’.

👉 Offering free training, thought leadership or building a community around your schools / users will be a sure fire way to stand out and circulate best practice and pedagogical learnings.

SEND is a major investment priority

Supporting pupils with SEND was the 2nd most pressing area (55%) that school leaders are looking at for the next 3 years.

Traditionally SEND has been an under-represented area in the English education system so it’s really positive to see that it has become a greater priority for school leaders.

👉 Ensuring that your product has a good level of accessible for students with SEN needs will widen your appeal in coming years, and more important, you will be supporting a whole segment of students who have been under-represented for some time.

Digital Technology Strategies in Schools

Positively, more schools now have a digital strategy in place than at any other time, however predominately this is focusing on the cost implications of technology and the required infrastructure.

However, when you look at the teacher engagement findings, you see that across all 4 questions, more teachers disagree than agree.

The biggest gap is in the final question “my school / trust clearly communicates its digital strategy to teachers.”

👉 Having a strong implementation and customer success mindset in your company will enable more schools to better adopt your product and ultimate get better impact.

Reading through the report shows that the appetite for EdTech has only grown yet the familiar gaps remain - vision (what should we do), implementation (how should we do it), impact (why are we doing it).

The EdTech companies who can bridge these gaps are the ones who will win in the coming years, and upping your messaging, positioning, and marketing, is the one of the fastest ways to do that.

If you’d like support on how to faster scale up your EdTech, schedule a free 30 minute call here.

Best

Jay