PedTech in Action: System Leaders Nationwide Join Forces to Ensure the Future of Digital Technology in Schools is Equitable, Balanced, and High Impact

The National PedTech Partnership, an alliance of visionary education leaders, has unveiled an ambitious research and development programme focused on ensuring high impact and equitable teaching and learning, supported by contemporary digital tools.  

Representing approximately 3% of the national school system through 756 schools, 250,000 students and 22,000 staff, the National PedTech Partnership represents state and independent funded schools ranging from nursery through to sixth form, mainstream and special schools, and alternative provision.

The National PedTech Partnership has been co-founded by Dr Fiona Aubrey-Smith – a national leader and researcher who coined the term PedTech, and John Murphy, a national leader and former MAT CEO who has extensive experience of managing change at scale. 

The Partnership is underpinned by a two-year research programme funded by the schools involved in the alliance. By joining together, the Partnership will explore how those leading a pedagogy-first approach to digital (PedTech) identify, articulate, scale-up and share evidence of impact. This will support others across the wider education sector, bringing greater equity for young people across schools. 

Themed areas of focus will span pedagogy, curriculum and assessment, SEND, inclusion and equity, oracy, community and families, the role of artificial intelligence (AI), and what it means to be a teacher or learner in a contemporary landscape. In the short term, the alliance will empower schools to more effectively understand the return on investment of their existing digital provision, through a series of themed studies, reports and guidelines. 

Speaking about the launch of the National PedTech Partnership, Co-founder Dr Fiona Aubrey Smith, said:

“At the heart of the National PedTech Partnership are the human beings at the centre of all our classrooms - learners and teachers. Our work is driven by the moral imperative of reducing inequities in and across schools. 

“We formed this partnership with extraordinary forward-thinking system leaders as a result of our shared belief that by contributing insights, questions and expertise, we can offer informative at-scale research trends, insights and practical tools. This will support not only the relationship between schools and digital technology, but also wider educational leadership. 

“Critically, our partnership is not restricted to specific models of schooling, policies or funding models, products or agendas, allowing us to bring together a diversity of perspectives and retain our focus on the most important aspect of all - our learners and their learning.”

John Murphy, Co-founder of the National PedTech Partnership, reflected on the launch of the Partnership sharing:

“There has never been a project of innovation at this scale. We have the potential to transform the experiences of 250,000+ children and young people. With our alliance’s strong belief in dignified inclusion and an approach to digital that puts pedagogy first - we can make a big difference to scaffold life chances and choices that can support outcomes for all and eliminate gaps.

“This work is fundamentally about equity and excellence. By collaborating together with purpose and intention, we can really think about the reality facing schools and groups, galvanise around a PedTech approach, and create exceptional leader and teacher capacity for success. This is the start of a very exciting journey - one filled with extensive professional generosity from the individuals involved across the partnership."

System leaders involved in the National PedTech Partnership have committed to five founding principles:

• A belief that digital tools underpin a high impact contemporary school system. 
• A pedagogy-first mindset about the use of digital (PedTech).
• The forward-thinking system leaders involved in the partnership have strategic responsibility for schools/groups.
• A commitment to supporting schools beyond the partnership’s immediate networks or groups.
• Acting as a community of purpose, transparently scaffolding each other’s learning. 

Sally Newton, CEO of Laidlaw Schools Trust, said:

“This partnership reflects everything we stand for at LST, innovation with purpose, inclusion with integrity and collaboration for long-term impact. We’ve seen first-hand how a PedTech approach can transform learning and teaching when it’s driven by pedagogy, not products.

 

I’m proud that we’re part of this important national movement, working with other system leaders to not only build a shared evidence base, but to reimagine how education can work for every learner, regardless of background or need. The scale of ambition here is matched by the depth of commitment across the partnership and that’s what makes this so powerful.”

Paul Tullock, Director of PedTech and Innovation at Laidlaw Schools Trust, said:

“At LST, our PedTech strategy is designed to put learners and teachers first, with digital tools used purposefully to reduce barriers, enhance engagement and personalise learning.

 

Being part of the National PedTech Partnership allows us to collaborate with like-minded system leaders across the country who share our commitment to evidence-informed innovation. This isn’t about technology for technology’s sake, it’s about reshaping the learning experience so that every student can thrive. We’re excited to contribute our insights and to learn from others as we work together to shape the future of education.”

The National PedTech Partnership will be publishing its research findings and guidelines over the next two years, through a series of events and publications, alongside a book due for publication by Crown House in 2026.

You can follow the work of the National PedTech Partnership by following “The National PedTech Partnership” on LinkedIn. 

The National PedTech Partnership is a two-year programme which began in Spring 2025. The Partnership represents 756 schools, 250,000 students and 22,000 staff (approximately 3% of the national school system) across state and independently funded schools ranging from nursery through to sixth form, mainstream and special schools, and alternative provision. 

 

About the National PedTech Partnership

• The National PedTech Partnership is a two-year programme which began in Spring 2025.
• The Partnership represents 756 schools, 250,000 students and 22,000 staff (approximately 3% of the national school system) across state and independently funded schools ranging from nursery through to sixth form, mainstream and special schools, and alternative provision. 
• This breaks down as

                  ○    41 organisational groups of schools (78% state, 22% independent),

                  ○    6 large individual schools

○    33% of organisations (groups or schools) have secondary provision (compared to 13% nationally)

                  ○    75% have primary provision (compared to 64% nationally) 

○    25% of organisations are either special schools or have special school provision as part of their group (compared to 5% nationally)

○    Schools all have, or are working towards 1:1 digital device ratios (laptop/tablet per student/staff member) - with a roughly even split across Microsoft and Google ecosystems.

• The Partnership is underpinned by a self-funded model with no sponsorship or financial support from suppliers, government or other organisations.
• Gift-in-kind support is being provided by leading organisations including Amazon, Everway, Pearson, Renaissance, Google and the University of Oxford - amongst others - enabling the alliance to run engaging and dynamic face-to-face events.
• Over the two-year programme, the alliance will move through a number of phases combining in-person and online workshops, school visits and the production of a range of materials (including a portfolio of reports and guidance frameworks for internal and outreach purposes).
• The first year of the partnership's work is focused on surfacing the breadth and depth of existing work across the group, through structured discussion with key stakeholders, immersive experiences (including school visits) and dedicated time for exploring key themes.