Edu Intelligence

Edu Intelligence: From Scattered Data to Clear Action

Schools, groups and trusts collect vast amounts of data on student performance, attendance, behaviour, wellbeing and staff experience – but it sits across disconnected systems, making it almost impossible to see the full picture.

Edu Intelligence solves this. The platform connects all data sources into a single secure environment, where a proprietary multi-agentic AI (22 agents), built specifically for education, analyses everything together and delivers clear, prioritised insight and recommended actions.

Unlike generic AI tools, Edu Intelligence understands how schools work. It has been engineered to think like an experienced school leader – surfacing the relationships between attendance and attainment, between SEND provision and progress, between staff wellbeing and retention – automatically, without manual analysis or data expertise.

Leaders, teachers and pastoral teams simply ask questions in everyday language and receive instant, evidence-backed answers. Analysis that once took days now takes minutes.

Trusted by over 600 schools, groups and trusts, with more than 250 million data insights processed and a 90% reduction in analysis time reported by users, Edu Intelligence enables schools to move beyond collecting data – to understanding what is driving outcomes and to act with confidence.

FlashAcademy®

FlashAcademy® is a digital English as an Additional Language (EAL) assessment platform and learning app that uses AI-assisted marking to support multilingual learners across schools worldwide.

In 2025, FlashAcademy® further developed its AI capability to improve the consistency, scalability and usefulness of language assessment across listening, speaking, reading and writing. By reducing reliance on manual marking and supporting the evaluation of learner responses, the platform enables schools to assess more frequently and generate more reliable progression data.

The AI model has been designed specifically for language development, including the ability to recognise partially correct responses. This allows teachers to identify both understanding and areas for improvement more precisely, while maintaining full oversight of assessment decisions.

The approach has been successfully implemented across individual schools and international education groups, where it supports more consistent assessment practices and improved visibility of multilingual learner progression.

FlashAcademy®’s use of AI is focused on practical classroom application. Saving on average 150+ hours of teacher time per year, it enables teachers to use assessment more effectively and supports leaders in making informed decisions about multilingual provision.

Gaia Learning (Bloom)

Bloom, developed by Gaia Learning, is an AI-enabled learner support platform designed to help schools deliver and evidence inclusive education more effectively.

While schools have systems for attendance, assessment and curriculum delivery, there is currently no unified way to manage and track learner support – particularly for pupils with additional needs. Bloom addresses this gap by bringing together learning pathways, real-time evidence capture and impact reporting into one connected platform.

Using AI, Bloom automatically captures engagement, participation and learning activity, structuring this into clear, accessible insights for educators and school leaders. This reduces administrative burden while improving visibility of provision and outcomes.

Bloom is currently being tested within Gaia Learning’s own provision, supporting real learners and educators in live environments. The platform is designed to integrate seamlessly into existing school workflows, enabling teachers, SENCOs and leadership teams to better coordinate and deliver support.

With pilots beginning in the 2026–27 academic year and wider rollout planned from September 2026, Bloom represents a new approach to inclusive education – transforming fragmented processes into a clear, connected and evidence-driven system.

InfoHash – Smart AI Attendance

Smart AI Attendance is an intelligent, AI-powered platform transforming how schools manage attendance, safeguarding, and operational efficiency. Traditional manual processes are time-consuming, error-prone, and limit timely intervention. Our solution automates attendance using advanced AI technologies such as facial recognition, delivering accurate, real-time data without disrupting classroom flow.

In a secondary school deployment, the platform reduced attendance-taking time by over 80% and improved data accuracy by more than 90%, eliminating proxy attendance. Real-time alerts enabled safeguarding teams to respond to absences within minutes rather than hours, significantly strengthening student welfare processes.

Across a multi-school group, Smart AI Attendance standardised attendance practices and provided centralised, real-time visibility for leadership. Reporting processes that previously took days were reduced to instant insights, enabling faster, data-driven decision-making.

Built with a privacy-first approach, the platform is fully aligned with UK GDPR standards, ensuring secure and compliant data handling.

By combining automation, real-time analytics, and scalable cloud architecture, Smart AI Attendance transforms attendance from an administrative task into a strategic tool – improving efficiency, accuracy, and student outcomes across modern education environments.

Pearson – Revise Exam Practice Assistant

Pearson Revise Exam Practice Assistant (EPA) is an AI‑powered exam practice and feedback tool designed to help GCSE students improve their exam responses while supporting teachers to deliver high‑quality feedback at scale.

Embedded within Pearson Revise Online, EPA allows students to answer exam‑style questions and receive immediate, personalised feedback aligned to GCSE mark schemes. Rather than simply providing model answers, the tool highlights strengths, explains how to improve, and encourages students to redraft their responses. Where gaps are identified, EPA automatically generates personalised flashcards to support active recall and targeted follow‑up practice.

EPA is purpose‑built for education and grounded in trusted Pearson content, exam mark schemes and subject expertise. AI use is carefully constrained to ensure feedback remains accurate, age‑appropriate and curriculum‑aligned.

For learners, EPA removes a key barrier to effective revision by providing on‑demand feedback at school or at home, supporting confidence, independence and exam technique. For teachers, it reduces the time needed to mark practice work while maintaining pedagogical quality.

By scaling one of the most impactful aspects of learning, meaningful feedback, Pearson Revise Exam Practice Assistant demonstrates how AI can be used responsibly and effectively to improve student confidence in tackling extended exam questions.

PG Online – CREST – ClearRevise Exam Study Tutor

CREST, the ClearRevise Exam Study Tutor, is the world’s first AI-driven private tutor embedded directly into PG Online’s award-winning ClearRevise revision guides. Accompanying the printed guides, CREST is designed to act as an intelligent study companion that supports students with revision, homework and independent learning. Unlike generic AI tools, CREST is fully integrated with the content of each revision guide, ensuring precise, curriculum-aligned responses tailored to the GCSE specification.

Students can reference specific pages or questions in their book, asking for explanations, examples or even self testing. For example, a learner might say, “Test me on Required practical 17” or “Explain the difference between an ion and an isotope”. CREST responds in clear, age-appropriate language, with options to simplify or expand explanations depending on the learner’s needs.

Robin Education

Stop trawling through school websites and policies right now.

Robin does the hard work for you, with its AI‑powered website compliance check and policy audit used by 180 MATs (2,300 schools). Launched in June 2024 after 2 years of research and development with school and trust leaders, Robin replaces one of the most time‑consuming, error‑prone administrative tasks in education with a fast, accurate and reliable alternative.

What previously took hours of manually checking websites, often only once a year, leaving periods of inaccuracy and risk: is now completed in minutes. Robin runs 1,000+ AI‑driven checks, delivering clear, actionable results and trust‑wide dashboards with no setup, training or data imports required.

The impact is significant and measurable:

• 400+ hours saved per year in a 10‑school trust
• Schools improving from 70% → 90% compliance in six months
• Ofsted inspections supported “with no questions asked”

With a 98% renewal rate, exceptional customer service and a team of customer champions, Robin delivers outstanding value for money and genuine operational transformation. It enables governance, compliance and school/trust leaders to focus on what matters most – supporting pupils, while ensuring websites remain accurate, compliant and trustworthy.

stylus

stylus is an AI-powered writing assessment service that analyses student handwriting at sentence level across over 87 curriculum-aligned criteria. Teachers print assessment papers, students write by hand, and schools scan the work to stylus – from that point, teachers do no further marking. Our AI pipeline transcribes the handwriting and makes thousands of individual, reproducible assessment decisions per piece of writing, delivering student feedback reports, teacher intervention plans, and trust-level diagnostic data.

Built by a team that is half qualified teachers, stylus has achieved 91.7% marking accuracy – outperforming individual human moderators in contested judgments. The service is backed by two consecutive Department for Education Contracts for Innovation and was featured in the DfE white paper “Every Child Achieving and Thriving.” Dr Tim Mills MBE, co-drafting the new Primary English curriculum, describes the approach as “truly forensic.”

Internally, stylus uses AI agents within enterprise-grade sandboxed environments to aggregate customer insight, draft communications, and track operations – all within a human-in-the-loop approval system. The company currently serves over 110 schools and is exploring partnerships representing nearly 1,400 schools internationally.

Cambridge University Press & Assessment

Cambridge University Press & Assessment reaches over 100 million learners around the globe. We have the power to inform debate and action around the world’s most pressing challenges.

As a leader in the sector, Cambridge has a key role to play in the transition to a sustainable future and plans to reach carbon zero by 2048. Our submission includes some of our most exciting progress from the past year, including the launch of Cambridge’s new internal sustainability framework: a powerful tool to align organisational planning with sustainability commitments across the four pillars of People, Environment, Education and Society.

You’ll also discover the progress our Academic product group is making towards print-on-demand services and switching 70% of print journals to digital by 2030 – a topic that is closely supported by collaboration with our supply chain.

LinkyThinks

LinkyThinks is an online tutoring provider committed to delivering high quality education while taking meaningful responsibility for its environmental impact.

Since 2022, the organisation has measured and offset the carbon footprint of its operations, including staff activity, digital infrastructure, online lessons and resource production. From January 2026, LinkyThinks embedded a tree-per-child commitment into its core model: for every pupil enrolled, one tree is planted. Based on independent carbon calculations, this offsets nearly three times the emissions generated by each child’s participation in online lessons.

Its sustainability approach also extends to physical learning resources. All materials are produced using carbon balanced paper and printed with vegetable-based inks and dyes, ensuring environmental responsibility at source as well as through offsetting.

Through verified global reforestation and restoration projects, LinkyThinks has contributed to the planting of thousands of trees. Sustainability is embedded into how the organisation operates, grows and serves families, demonstrating that online education providers can combine academic excellence with measurable environmental action.

Notts Sport – CocoTurf®

CocoTurf® – Plastic-Free Surfacing for Playgrounds and Cricket

CocoTurf® is an innovative artificial surface designed to reduce the environmental impact of playgrounds and cricket facilities by eliminating plastic from the playing surface. Manufactured using natural coconut husk fibres combined with natural rubber latex backing, CocoTurf provides a durable and high-performance alternative to traditional synthetic surfaces that typically rely on plastic fibres.

Traditional artificial turf systems can contribute to microplastic pollution and long-term waste challenges. CocoTurf® addresses these concerns by removing plastic entirely from the surface layer, helping to prevent microplastics entering soil and drainage systems while reducing reliance on petrochemical materials.

The surface has been developed for use in a range of environments including school playgrounds, community recreation areas and cricket practice facilities. By combining sustainable materials with the performance required for sport and play environments, CocoTurf® offers organisations a practical way to reduce the environmental footprint of their outdoor spaces.

Recognised with the 2026 SAPCA Sustainability Award, CocoTurf® demonstrates how innovative material design can support the transition towards more sustainable infrastructure while maintaining the safety, durability and usability required in playground and sports environments.

Oxford University Press – Oxford International Curriculum for Sustainability

The Oxford International Curriculum for Sustainability is an uplifting year-on-year structured programme for ages 5-14. It is designed to inspire and educate about sustainable living whilst strengthening students’ connections to their local community and nature. The Oxford International Curriculum for Sustainability is a pioneering curriculum that provides educators with a thorough, interdisciplinary approach to teaching sustainability that equips students with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that will empower them to drive change towards a sustainable future.

The Oxford International Curriculum for Sustainability offers:

• An interdisciplinary curriculum integrating science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics (STEAM), plus English, humanities, and social science.

• Enquiry-based learning, encouraging students to make real-world connections.

• Learner-centred instruction, enabling students to take an active role in the learning process.

• A project-based learning structure, ensuring students acquire a deeper knowledge through exploration.

• Place-based learning, engaging students in their community, including their physical environment, local history, people, or culture.

• A coherent, age-appropriate curriculum.

• A strong focus on wellbeing, with dedicated wellbeing activities embedded in many lessons.

• Subscribers receive the full subject guide, schemes of work with all learning objectives, resources, and lesson plans.
  

Sponsored by

Auris Tech / Fonetti

The National Read-Aloud Challenge (NRAC), delivered by Auris Tech, is a UK-wide literacy initiative designed to tackle summer reading regression by re-engaging children when reading levels typically decline. Open to schools and families, the programme provides free access to the Fonetti read-aloud platform during the summer holidays, transforming reading into an interactive and confidence-building experience.

Using patented automatic speech recognition technology developed specifically for reading, children receive real-time feedback on accuracy and fluency as they read aloud. This creates an engaging, gamified experience that motivates sustained participation, even among reluctant readers.

Since its launch in 2023, the NRAC has supported tens of thousands of children across the UK, generating one of the largest structured datasets of read-aloud activity. Results show increased reading engagement, improved confidence, and measurable gains in fluency and accuracy.

The initiative also supports teachers with post-summer insights into pupil progress, while empowering parents to maintain reading routines at home.

By combining accessibility, engagement and evidence-driven technology, the NRAC demonstrates how innovative EdTech can deliver meaningful impact at scale and help address one of education’s most persistent challenges.

Blackout Education

Blackout Education is transforming how schools manage smartphone use during the school day. Through an evidence-led approach, the programme helps schools establish consistent routines that reduce digital distraction while supporting pupil wellbeing and safeguarding.

Blackout provides a bespoke digital solution to a digital problem. The programme combines patented technology with whole-school implementation, restricting non-essential apps during the school day while keeping essential functions available. Schools gain clear visibility into real-time data through a dashboard, helping staff apply expectations consistently without relying on phone confiscations.

Alongside practical management of devices, Blackout also supports education around healthy digital habits. Pupils develop the skills and understanding needed to use technology responsibly, reflecting the Department for Education’s focus on inclusive, digitally aware education that prepares young people for lifelong learning.

Impact has been evaluated through the January 2026 Blackout Impact Assessment, which analysed implementation across schools representing more than 5,000 pupils. Evidence from staff surveys, pupil feedback and school observations shows reductions in phone-related disruption, calmer classrooms and improved focus during lessons, creating more productive learning environments.

Chatty Toolbox

Chatty Toolbox is a digital learning platform designed to support speech, language and EAL development, with a focus on the early years. Developed by a Speech and Language Therapist with 25 years’ experience, in conjunction with an experienced EYFS Lead, it brings clinically informed, evidence-based practice directly into nursery and reception classrooms, where early intervention has the greatest impact.

The platform supports the development of skills including vocabulary, understanding, attention, and early speech sounds. Modules such as Chatty Early and Chatty Subjects are closely aligned with the EYFS curriculum, helping practitioners embed language development into everyday teaching and play-based learning. Chatty Emotions further supports early emotional literacy, including the language of feelings and self-regulation.

Grounded in approaches such as Bringing Words to Life and Blank’s Levels, Chatty Toolbox enables staff to deliver consistent, high-quality language support, regardless of prior specialist training. It supports early identification of need and inclusive practice, particularly for children with SEND and EAL.

While rooted in early years, the platform extends across the whole primary phase, ensuring continuity of support as children progress through school. Used by over 100 schools, Chatty Toolbox is improving outcomes, building staff confidence, and strengthening partnerships with parents.

Lawn Tennis Association

FAGE LTA Youth Schools (LTAYS) programme is a free national initiative from the LTA, designed to help schools make tennis accessible to all children. It offers free teacher training and resources for schools, enabling them to embed tennis into their PE curriculum without financial barriers.

FAGE LTAYS has transformed both children’s and teachers’ experience of tennis in schools. It has boosted the confidence of tens of thousands of educators across Britain to deliver tennis in PE lessons thanks to its resources, and in turn nearly 1.5 million children across Britain have taken part in tennis sessions by teachers who’ve received training through the programme. The programme has also delivered over £2.5 million in funding thanks to the LTA Tennis Foundation, helping schools to access either brand-new equipment or further coaching from local LTA-accredited coaches.

With boys two times more likely and girls three times more likely to play tennis as an adult if they play the sport in school, FAGE LTAYS is delivering a long-term positive impact on children across Britain, helping them to develop a lifelong passion for sport and physical activity, as well as helping teachers to enjoy delivering tennis in their schools.

Literacy Tree

Literacy Tree was developed to address fragmented curriculum design, inconsistent writing outcomes and limited access to high-quality, diverse literature in primary schools. Our research-informed, book-based whole-school approach integrates planning, professional development, and assessment within one coherent literacy platform.

Now used in over 1,300 schools, Literacy Tree supports teachers to embed explicit literacy instruction within meaningful literary contexts, strengthen curriculum progression and increase writing motivation. Successful implementation is supported through structured CPD, consultancy and ongoing subject leader networks to ensure sustained impact rather than short-term change!

Our impact is evaluated through triangulated evidence including structured Annual Member Surveys, cross-phase Pupil Voice surveys, embedded school tracking and post-training evaluation. In 2026, teachers reported increased pupil engagement, strengthened subject knowledge and improved writing attainment. Pupil voice data shows high levels of writing confidence, pride in work and exposure to diverse literature across both Key Stages.

To further strengthen objective validation, Literacy Tree is currently participating in an independent, EEF-funded efficacy trial delivered by RAND Europe and the University of Leeds, involving over 100 schools nationally.

Olex.AI

Olex.AI is a generative AI platform transforming how schools teach, assess, and develop English writing. By marking an entire class of 30 essays in under two minutes, Olex saves teachers thousands of hours while delivering consistent, individualised feedback aligned to curriculum standards.

This entry demonstrates measurable impact across two multi-academy trusts. At The Kemnal Academies Trust (TKAT), Olex was deployed across 15 secondary schools, marking 5,691 essays, saving over 1,000 hours, and enabling 70 hours of additional CPD per teacher. 100% of mock exams were marked on time.

At Moorside Primary (ALP Trust), Olex delivered immediate engagement from reluctant writers, improved attainment, reduced SEND barriers, and saved teachers 60–90 minutes per week.

Evidence was collected through quantitative platform data, structured teacher feedback, and trust-level outcomes tracking. Olex consistently marks within ±3 of the most experienced examiners.

Across the platform, Olex generated over 42,000 pieces of student feedback in 12 months, saving approximately 7,000 hours – demonstrating that AI can deliver meaningful workload reduction while improving consistency, outcomes, and teacher wellbeing.

Sumdog – Sumdog Maths

The Sumdog Maths England Efficacy Study (2024/25), conducted with independent evaluators ImpactEd Evaluation, examined the impact of Sumdog on Year 5 pupils’ maths attainment and engagement across 14 English primary schools.

Using a mixed-methods approach, the study analysed attainment data from nearly 500 pupils, alongside surveys from 239 pupils and qualitative insights from teacher interviews and focus groups. Over three terms, pupils using Sumdog demonstrated statistically significant improvements in maths attainment.

The proportion of pupils working above the expected standard increased from 13% to 20.4%, while the proportion working below the expected standard fell from 38.9% to 32.9%. Particularly strong progress was seen among pupils with special educational needs (SEN), where the proportion working at or above the expected standard more than doubled, rising from 28% to 59%.

Teachers reported that Sumdog strengthened mathematical fluency, supported consolidation of classroom learning, and helped identify gaps through clear, real-time data insights. The platform’s adaptive questioning and game-based design increased motivation and participation, particularly among previously disengaged or less confident learners.

Overall, the study demonstrates how adaptive, evidence-informed technology can support inclusive maths learning and help schools improve attainment, engagement and confidence in the primary classroom.

Teachmate

Teachmate is an AI-powered platform designed to support teachers and school staff with lesson planning and resource creation. It is primarily teacher-led rather than learner-facing. Educators use its 150+ purpose-built tools to reduce the time spent on administrative and preparatory tasks, freeing them to focus on pupils.

The platform is accessed through an intuitive, prompt-based interface and requires no specialist technical knowledge, making it accessible to teachers at any career stage. Its tools span the full range of professional tasks a teacher might face, including lesson planning, differentiated activities, model texts, retrieval questions, comprehension tasks, success criteria, and parent communications.

Beyond the classroom teacher, Teachmate also supports school leaders and managers. It has been used for school development planning, end-of-year reporting, and trust-wide communications. Support staff have equally benefited, using the platform to lead their own targeted interventions in areas such as speech and language and precision teaching.

Teachmate integrates into institutional workflows through school and trust-wide licences, meaning it functions as a shared professional resource across whole organisations rather than as an individual subscription tool. In short, it is designed to sit alongside the everyday professional practice of anyone working in a school setting, reducing workload without compromising the quality, consistency, or impact of teaching and learning.

Concero Education Technology

Concero Education Technology isn’t your average IT crowd – because we weren’t born in a boardroom, we were created in a school. From the very beginning, our approach has been people-first: solving real classroom problems, building staff confidence, and ensuring technology always supports learning.

Today, that ethos has grown into a trusted national service, recognised by the Department for Education and Crown Commercial Services, and strengthened through partnerships with NAHT, nasen, PiXL, Microsoft and Google. We don’t just provide IT support – we act as a school’s EdTech department or extend their in-house team, offering the breadth of skills and expertise needed in modern education.

• Crowcroft Park Primary: recovered from a crippling cyber-attack to achieve a bold cloud-first vision.
• St Nicholas Primary: shifted from risk to resilience by treating cyber security as a leadership responsibility.
• Wulfruna Trust: four schools began their journey together on equal ground with a single, secure tenancy.

By October 2025, every Concero school was on Windows 11 and fully cloud-based. Combined with innovations like Cyber Eyesight Reports and Fast Track to Cloud, our focus is clear: to keep schools safe, secure, and compliant so that education can flourish.

Handsam

Handsam is the UK’s leading provider of education focused compliance and health and safety support, trusted by schools and multi academy trusts of all sizes. Through a blend of expert consultancy, software systems and specialist services – including audits, accident reporting, online training, policy support and educational visits guidance – Handsam helps schools meet statutory responsibilities with confidence and clarity.

Their flagship EdSafe service offers schools a tailored safety audit, intuitive compliance platform and unlimited access to qualified advisers, giving leaders a clear roadmap for improvement. This approach has delivered measurable impact; for example, as one client grew rapidly, from 15 to almost 30 academies, Handsam’s systems, audits and adviser support strengthened trust wide compliance, giving leaders clear visibility, confidence and consistent structures to manage health and safety effectively.

Handsam is recognised for exceptional customer service, with friendly, knowledgeable specialists who provide practical, proportionate and education focused advice. Their technology enhances effectiveness by giving leaders real time oversight of training, incidents, compliance tasks and audit recommendations.

Single sign on and MIS integrations streamline workflows, ensuring accurate, up to date pupil and staff data while reducing administration. By improving safety outcomes, boosting efficiency and delivering value for money, Handsam empowers schools to operate safely.

Jigsaw Education Group

Our Support Service is designed to give schools the confidence, clarity and practical guidance they need to deliver high quality PSHE and RE. Led by a team of former teachers, we provide clear, empathetic and expert support through extended opening hours, personalised assistance and live demonstrations. From curriculum planning and assessment to safeguarding alignment, portal navigation and technical help, we ensure schools receive timely, relevant and accessible guidance.

A key development this year is the Jigsaw Learning Management System (LMS), which offers structured onboarding and short, focused courses that build teacher confidence from day one. Our network of Flagship and Beacon Flagship Schools further strengthens implementation, giving schools the opportunity to see best practice in action and learn from real world examples.

Schools consistently report improved staff confidence, stronger curriculum coherence and more effective whole school implementation. Retention rates remain high, and we are proud to have been awarded Top Rated for 2025 by EdTech Impact for Student Knowledge, Student Wellbeing, Teacher Workload Reducing and Teacher Knowledge.

Our Support Service offers exceptional value, empowering schools to embed sustainable, impactful and consistent personal development education without additional cost.

MagicBooking

MagicBooking is a software-as-a-service (SaaS) system that transforms how schools and independent providers operating out of schools manage wraparound care, clubs, and extracurricular provisions.

MagicBooking automates everyday tasks to streamline and ease the running and management of childcare provisions. It provides its users with compliance and safeguarding features, financial control, and a clear view of how their provision is performing. MagicBooking works with 400+ schools and clubs across 2,000 sites in the UK and helps them save £12-17k on admin, equating to 4-5 hours saved each day.

MagicBooking is transforming wraparound care with automation, compliance, and parent empowerment with a system clients often call “a game-changer”.

Robin Education

Stop trawling through school websites and policies right now.

Robin does the hard work for you, with its AI‑powered website compliance check and policy audit used by 180 MATs (2,300 schools).

Launched in June 2024 after 2 years of research and development with school and trust leaders, Robin replaces one of the most time‑consuming, error‑prone administrative tasks in education with a fast, accurate and reliable alternative.

What previously took hours of manually checking websites, often only once a year, leaving long periods of inaccuracy and risk: is now completed in a few clicks minutes. Robin provides clear, actionable results and trust‑wide dashboards with no setup or training required.

The impact is significant and measurable:

• 400+ hours saved per year in a 10‑school trust
• 6 days of manual checks reduced to minutes
• Schools improving from 70% → 90% compliance in six months
• Ofsted inspections supported “with no questions asked”

With a 98% renewal rate, exceptional customer service and a team of customer champions, Robin delivers outstanding value for money and genuine operational transformation.

It enables governance, compliance and school/trust leaders to focus on what matters most – supporting pupils, while ensuring websites remain accurate, compliant and trustworthy.

SCG Together

Schools are facing unprecedented safeguarding pressures, with rising case volumes, increasing complexity and heightened expectations. However, exploring and evaluating emerging technology can be time-consuming, and existing solutions are often difficult to integrate or don’t reflect how safeguarding works in practice.

To address this, SCG launched a structured national outreach, research and co-development programme to understand the real communication and safeguarding challenges schools face. Building on our long history in education and the success of our Evonex Cloud telephony platform, now used in over 1,000 education establishments, we set out to gather first-hand insight directly from staff.

An initial webinar series opened conversations with senior leaders. This guided Evonex development around MIS and CPOMS software integrations, generating features such as screen-pop enhancements, easier record access, court order notifications and incident reporting. A second, deeper research phase followed, consisting of a comprehensive interview programme involving 30 schools. This uncovered consistent themes around inefficient manual processes, fragmented systems and demand for better safeguarding integrations.

These findings now underpin a development roadmap and pilot programme that will bring new safeguarding-focused communication features into Evonex, ensuring schools are equipped with tools shaped by their real-world needs.

School Business Services

School Business Services delivers outstanding specialist Internal Scrutiny services that help academy trusts strengthen governance, improve financial oversight and operate more effectively.

Supporting 165 academy trusts and providing assurance across more than 880 schools, SBS delivers independent, risk-based scrutiny aligned with the requirements of the Academy Trust Handbook. The service reviews financial, non-financial and operational systems, from governance and financial planning to safeguarding, estates management and cyber security.

A key strength of the service is its combination of professionally qualified internal auditors with specialists who have direct experience working in academy leadership and school operations. This enables SBS to provide practical recommendations that strengthen controls while remaining realistic for busy education organisations to implement.

Working collaboratively with boards, audit committees and executive leaders, SBS ensures internal scrutiny is constructive, proportionate and focused on improvement.

By taking a collaborative and improvement-focused approach, SBS helps trusts move beyond compliance and use internal scrutiny as a strategic tool to reduce risk, strengthen accountability and improve operational effectiveness across their organisation.

SMARTcurriculum Analytics

SMARTcurriculum Analytics provides indispensable support to schools by bringing curriculum, staffing and finance data together in one clear evidence base. At a time of rising costs, recruitment challenges and workload pressures, leaders often lack the tools or capacity to understand how curriculum decisions affect workforce needs and long term financial sustainability. SMARTcurriculum Analytics meets this need through secure data automation combined with expert interpretation, giving leaders clarity and confidence in their staffing and curriculum planning.

The service delivers a high quality, human led experience, with each school supported by the same expert coordinator throughout. Leaders describe the process as “transformational” and “a genuine light bulb moment”, highlighting the supportive, dialogic approach and depth of insight provided. Schools consistently report improved financial resilience, more sustainable staffing structures, better curriculum planning, and more effective governance conversations.

Impact is both measurable and sustained: participating schools typically identify hundreds of thousands of pounds in potential efficiencies, frequently achieving returns of 20×–100× the licence cost. These savings can be reinvested in improving the quality of education for learners.

With its blend of robust analytics, expert human guidance and exceptional customer service, SMARTcurriculum Analytics provides reliable, high value support that enables educational institutions to thrive.

Early Excellence

Early Excellence has over 25 years of specialist experience in early childhood education, supporting schools and nurseries across the UK and internationally. We are leaders in School Improvement, Bespoke Consultancy, CPD, and the design and supply of high quality classroom furniture, resources, and storage, from age two to the end of KS1.

Our classroom environments are shaped by a deep understanding of how young children learn. We carefully select storage and resources to create rich, inspiring and accessible learning experiences across the curriculum. In addition, our Curriculum Team provides a bespoke room planning service, alongside our offer of fully equipped Complete Classroom solutions for Early Years and KS1 – expertly curated spaces that promote children’s personal development, creative thinking, and academic achievement.

Our furniture, which is designed in house and manufactured in the UK, carries a 10 year warranty for long lasting value and is constructed using durable FSC certified materials and delivered fully assembled by our own drivers. Our dedicated operations, warehouse, transport, and sales teams provide exceptional after sales support, including on site repairs and a no quibble approach to issues beyond normal wear and tear. Sustainability remains central to our work, influencing our materials, manufacturing, product longevity, and recyclability.

Gratnells – CloudCubby™

CloudCubby™ is Gratnells hygienic, durable and child‑safe alternative to traditional wicker storage, designed to meet the real demands of early years and primary learning environments. Developed in response to extensive teacher feedback, CloudCubby™ addresses long‑standing issues with wicker baskets, including poor durability, difficult cleaning, and safety concerns such as splinters, frayed edges and trapped dirt. Research with UK educators revealed widespread safety worries and significant weekly cleaning burdens, highlighting the need for a more resilient solution.

CloudCubby™ delivers this through robust, precision‑engineered construction, a smooth wipe‑clean surface and built‑in BioCote® antimicrobial protection that reduces bacteria by 97%. Suitable for both indoor and outdoor use, it supports free‑flow learning, messy play and everyday classroom routines without warping, breaking or absorbing moisture. Its ergonomic design empowers children to access and transport resources independently, enhancing organisation and promoting self‑directed learning.

With a lifetime guarantee and recyclable design, CloudCubby™ offers a sustainable, cost‑effective alternative to fast‑wearing wicker storage. Early reviews report reduced cleaning time, improved classroom hygiene and greater child engagement. Praised by teachers and early years professionals for its strength, safety and practicality, CloudCubby™ represents a modern, future‑proof storage solution for educational settings that allows teaching to follow the play, anywhere.

Promethean – ActivPanel 10

Promethean ActivPanel 10 (AP10) is a flagship interactive panel combining premium classroom performance with energy efficiency, inclusivity, and usability. AP10 is powered by Promethean ActivSuite™, bringing together essential teaching apps across panels and laptops.

With QLED visuals, FALD backlighting, and optical bonding, AP10 delivers superior image quality while reducing power consumption. Intelligent accessories such as the ActivPen® 2 and All-in-One Remote, plus OPS modules for Android, Microsoft, or Chrome, ensure long-term adaptability. Integrated soundbar and 8-array microphone make AP10 ideal for hybrid teaching.

Promethean’s commitment to innovation and sustainability is demonstrated through AP10’s energy-saving calculator (showing measurable five-year cost savings) and sustainability scorecards. Customers are supported with 30% more online content, 500+ self-help videos, <50s average call response, QA >97%, and multilingual teams across five continents. Strong warranties and demo support reduce risk and enhance value.

AP10 ensures schools, colleges, and universities can access a future-proof, sustainable, and easy-to-use interactive panel that empowers educators to rethink what technology can achieve.

Wall Art by Promote Your School

Promote Your School is an education design agency that specialises in creating bespoke Wall Art for schools. Our talented in-house Design Team is based in the UK, but we manage projects for all school types around the world. With over 20 years’ experience in education, we understand the unique challenges faced by teachers and leaders in education. Our extensive design expertise makes us well placed to advise and guide schools through the process of using bespoke Wall Art to achieve their goals.

We take pride in delivering high levels of service throughout the whole process, including after installation is complete. Our service includes design, print and installation, backed by exceptional customer service. We’re a PlanetMark certified business and an accredited SafeContractor, so we offer high standards of service and a sustainable product that will last many years, with zero upkeep required.

Our bespoke Wall Art is printed on high-quality, durable, industrial grade materials that are perfectly suited to busy school environments. It is suitable for most surfaces, indoors and outdoors, including walls, floors, windows, ceilings, doors, fences and gates. It’s 100% bespoke and tailored to each school.

Literacy Counts – Ready Steady Write

Ready Steady Write EYFS is a fully resourced, evidence-backed writing programme created specifically for reception aged children (4 and 5 year olds). It combines high-quality picture books, drama, oral rehearsal and sentence-level teaching to give children the strongest start in writing. The clear four-part sequence, Jump In, Look, Say & Plan, Say & Write, builds early literacy skills step by step, supporting both foundational knowledge and the development of executive function.

The programme is teacher-led yet child-centred, with Story Friends, Story Songs and interactive resources that make writing visible, memorable and enjoyable. These features reduce teacher workload, provide consistency across classes and give children the scaffolds they need to become confident, independent early writers.

Impact is consistently strong. 100% of teachers reported improved engagement and stronger writing outcomes. 100% agreed pupils mastered key foundational and executive function skills. 97% would recommend Ready Steady Write. Teachers describe the programme as a “game changer” in the Early Years classroom.

The resource is inclusive and sustainable. It supports disadvantaged pupils, SEND and EAL learners through visuals, songs, oral rehearsal and structured scaffolds. Schools across the country trust Ready Steady Write to deliver lasting impact for both teachers and children.

Millhouse (Part of Spaceright Europe) – Millhouse Storytelling Tree

Millhouse has been making early years furniture, here in the UK, for over 40 years.

Through our network of resellers, we supply creative and innovative pedagogical furniture solutions that support learning through play.

We love what we do, and that love is clearly demonstrated in the high-quality design and manufacture of our products, and the passionate and caring way we deliver our value-added services.

Millhouse is committed to new product development and innovation to ensure our indoor and outdoor furniture solutions reflect new ways of learning and emerging trends, while aligning with the areas of learning.

The Millhouse Storytelling Tree is the perfect centrepiece for any early years environment, seamlessly blending functional storage with an inviting and communication-friendly space for story time, quiet play, or relaxation. Its striking tree canopy offers open hooks for fairy lights and closed loops for draping, threading, and displaying artwork—making it as versatile as it is enchanting.

We are incredibly proud of the Storytelling Tree and the many benefits it delivers for children and practitioners.

myHappymind

myHappymind is an award-winning, NHS-backed mental health and wellbeing curriculum used by over 2,000 early years settings and primary schools across the UK, reaching over 1 million children, parents and staff. Grounded in neuroscience and positive psychology, it translates complex research into practical tools that young children can understand and use throughout life.

Across the UK, increasing numbers of children are beginning school without the emotional foundations needed to engage confidently with learning. Research suggests that 37% of children are not school-ready when they start Reception, with challenges around emotional regulation, communication and independence becoming increasingly common.

myHappymind addresses this by teaching practical, science-informed habits that support resilience, emotional regulation and positive relationships. The programme aligns with the Early Years Foundation Stage and includes full coverage of the Personal, Social and Emotional Development framework through structured yet flexible sessions.

It also includes a unique five-week School Readiness Programme, giving children the emotional confidence, independence and communication skills needed to start school successfully.

Recognised with the King’s Award for Innovation and the Bett Transformational Impact Award, and independently validated by the University of Chester, myHappymind builds shared language and practical strategies that support positive mental health from the earliest years.

Pupil Pathways – StepIntoSchool

StepIntoSchool delivers a transformative, innovative approach to supporting pupils as they move from preschool settings into primary school. It replaces outdated, paper-heavy processes with a secure digital platform that ensures consistent, high-quality information is shared early, accurately, and in a structured format. By enabling preschools, childminders, and schools to collaborate through one central system, it removes fragmentation and ensures every pupil’s needs, strengths, and circumstances are clearly understood before they start Reception.

The platform’s detailed pupil passports provide a holistic picture of each pupil, highlighting developmental progress, successful strategies, and emerging concerns, including SEND or safeguarding needs. Instant updates allow receiving schools to plan provision proactively, arrange support, and prepare tailored interventions well ahead of time. StepIntoSchool significantly reduces workload by eliminating inconsistent templates and multiple communication channels. With integrated training, responsive customer support, and strong data protection measures, it empowers practitioners to produce accurate, meaningful transition information with confidence.

Local authorities also gain real-time visibility of cohort trends, vulnerabilities, and transition activity through comprehensive reporting dashboards, supporting earlier identification of risk and better strategic decision-making. By ensuring every pupil arrives at school known, supported, and ready to thrive, StepIntoSchool sets a new standard for effective, inclusive primary transition.

Tapestry Childhood Education Platform

Tapestry is an integrated Childhood Education Platform combining a child-centred approach to monitoring and assessment, strong parent partnership, staff development, and nursery management into one connected system.

Created by educators, Tapestry supports child-centred assessment aligned with EYFS guidance while strengthening partnerships between settings and families. Through shared observations, activities, and daily communication tools, parents can actively participate in their child’s development, helping to build continuity between home and provision.

Flexible assessment tools allow settings to work within statutory frameworks or implement their own curriculum approaches. The platform also hosts the Cherry Garden Branch Maps, supporting inclusive practice for children with SEND.

Tapestry’s Nursery Management System further enhances provision by streamlining attendance, staffing, funding, and compliance processes. By integrating operational and pedagogical functions, settings can reduce administrative workload and focus more time on supporting children.

Designed to be intuitive and accessible across devices, Tapestry supports educators with varying levels of technical confidence while promoting environmentally sustainable practice through digital record-keeping.

Used by over 14,000 settings worldwide, Tapestry continues to evolve in response to sector needs, combining educational insight with innovative development.

Sponsored by

Elizabeth Anderson, CEO, Digital Poverty Alliance

Elizabeth Anderson, CEO of the Digital Poverty Alliance, is driving a national movement to end digital poverty in the UK through working across government, schools, communities, and the third sector. She leads the organisation to combine strategy, advocacy, grassroots delivery, and cross-sector partnerships to tackle one of the country’s most overlooked social challenges. Elizabeth has successfully aligned schools, businesses, government, and charities around practical solutions, from redistributing devices to building digital skills programmes, ensuring individuals and families can access education, healthcare, and employment opportunities.

Her approach is both strategic and people-focused: she listens, collaborates, and empowers teams and partners to deliver real impact. She has influenced national policy, strengthened industry engagement, and inspired a culture of inclusion across sectors. Elizabeth’s work has transformed lives, giving children and adults the tools to participate fully in a digital world. For her vision, leadership, and measurable impact, she is a highly deserving candidate for the BESA Person of the Year Award.

Sam Austen, Business Development Director, The Day

Sam Austen is the Business Development Director at The Day, where she leads a dynamic commercial team spanning sales and account management. Sam has worked at The Day for almost 13 years – under her leadership, The Day has grown from a small UK subscription base to a global community of more than 800 schools. She has helped shape a commercial model focused not simply on sales growth, but on long-term partnerships with schools, trusts and organisations to support reading engagement, media literacy and wellbeing.

Her passion for helping young people develop a love of reading and find their voice is central to The Day’s culture. Sam’s work is rooted in a belief that every young person should have access to reliable information about the world around them. In an era where young people are navigating an increasingly complex information landscape, Sam’s work is helping schools equip students with the skills, confidence and curiosity they need to understand the world around them. Her leadership has not only driven the growth of The Day as an organisation, but has helped thousands of educators bring meaningful conversations about current affairs into their classrooms.

Dr Esther Borrett, Founder and Developer, RESTA

Esther Borrett is recognised for her transformative contribution to educational resilience and system-wide wellbeing. As an Educational Psychologist and founder of the RESTA (Resilience Support Teaching Assistants) programme, she has translated doctoral research into a scalable, evidence-informed model that strengthens protective factors for young people experiencing adversity.

Grounded in participatory research published via the University of East London, Esther’s work challenges deficit narratives around adverse childhood experiences and instead activates strengths within individuals and systems. RESTA has demonstrated measurable improvements in resilience and wellbeing and has evolved into a whole-institution approach supported by training, supervision and a quality mark framework.

Beyond programme development, Esther contributes to sector leadership as a Trustee of P.L.O.T CIC and through her professional work at Brimstone Psychology, embedding trauma-informed and resilience-based practice across educational settings.

Her work exemplifies innovation rooted in research, collaboration and sustainable impact – advancing education not only through change, but through hope, strength and systemic transformation.

Dr Jon Chippindall, Co-Founder, Teachmate

Dr Jon Chippindall (“Chip”) is a Manchester primary school teacher turned edtech entrepreneur who co-founded Teachmate, an AI platform designed to reduce teacher workload. With a doctorate in computing education and a decade leading Computing at School and the Barefoot Computing project, he helped engage over 25,000 educators across 88% of UK schools.

Teachmate, built on Chip’s firsthand understanding of classroom pressures, reports that 94% of users experienced improved wellbeing, with most saving over ten hours a week. A partnership with Deloitte distributed 750 free licences to schools in underserved areas, and a new university programme equips trainee teachers with AI skills from day one.

Throughout his career – from voluntary pandemic science activities to partnerships with the Royal Academy of Engineering and Comic Relief – Chip has consistently prioritised equity and social responsibility. He has grown his team by ten in the past year while rebuilding the entire platform. He remains a practising primary school teacher. His guiding motto, teachers supporting teachers, sums up a career spent working in service of the profession rather than apart from it.

Dr Anita Devi, CEO and Co-Founder, TeamADL

Dr Anita Devi dr. h.c. is known for developing Leaders of Learning. Her contribution to education spans four decades plus, with teaching experience in early years through to post graduate around the world. She is the Founder and CEO of #TeamADL

Anita’s awards list includes Excellence in Education Award (2011) Influential Educational Leaders Award (2017) and National MAT Give Back Award (2023). She has authored several original publications : SEND: Early Career Teachers (2021), Journey to the Heart of SENCO Wellbeing (2022), 7 Dimensions of Highly Effective SENCOs (2024), Neuroplasticity and Neurodiversity in the Classroom (2025) and contributed to other publications. Anita’s PhD (2022) focused on the leadership on Special Educational Needs and Disabilities in schools and Anita was also awarded an Honorary Doctorate in 2025 by The University of Buckingham. Her latest project (2026) addresses the triad of SEND, Poverty and Human Trafficking / Modern Slavery. In her own time, Anita is a trained Chaplain at the local hospital supporting families on the Children’s Ward and patients in surgery.

Dr Soha Tarek, SENCO and Head of Inclusion, Eton Academy

Dr Soha Tarek is SENCO and Head of Inclusion at Eton Academy, a DfE-accredited British online school inspected by Ofsted. She has led the transformation of SEND provision by building a fully structured, evidence-based system that supports learners with diverse and complex needs across the UK and internationally.

Since establishing the SEND department from the ground up, Dr Tarek has introduced measurable frameworks that strengthen academic access, emotional regulation, and learner independence. Her work has resulted in improved engagement, attendance, and long-term progression, with several learners successfully transitioning beyond intensive support into universal provision and post-16 pathways.

Dr Tarek’s leadership extends beyond her organisation. She champions whole-school inclusion through continuous staff development, parent partnership, and cross-team collaboration. She also contributes to the wider education community by publishing weekly SEND awareness content and curating a monthly SEND events calendar to support teachers, parents, and professionals.

Following Ofsted inspection, Dr Tarek initiated and designed a CPD-accredited professional course, in partnership with Eton University, to support SENCOs across the UK in preparing for inspection with confidence and clarity. Her work has been recognised nationally through shortlisting for the nasen Awards 2025.

Through leadership, mentoring, and innovation, Dr Tarek continues to advance inclusive education.

Sponsored by

Admicity

Admicity is a workflow and data management platform developed from direct experience of working in a school office.

Most schools manage their entire admissions and onboarding process with manual data entry and no automation. This creates duplication, increases the risk of errors and takes significant time.

Admicity creates the student record in the MIS automatically at the point of application. Registration information is then requested and collected automatically and continuously synced into that record. Parents retain their Admicity account after their child joins the school, so information stays up to date without staff having to chase it.

As well as streamlining the admissions process, Admicity’s flexible automated workflows enable schools to manage a wide range of administrative processes within a single system, reducing the need for multiple software products. With a fixed cost, Admicity is accessible to schools of all sizes.

Admicity is currently used by 30 schools with a new customer onboarding every week. Admicity has benefited our schools by reducing their workload, improving data accuracy and enabling them to manage staff and student administrative process much more efficiently. We are constantly refining and improving our software in response to suggestions from our schools.

Fruitify

Fruitify is an AI-powered formative assessment and feedback platform designed to help teachers deliver faster, more effective feedback while significantly reducing marking workload.

In many classrooms, feedback on written work can take days or even weeks to return to pupils. By the time it arrives, the opportunity to correct misconceptions or reinforce learning has often passed. Fruitify was created to close this feedback loop.

The platform analyses student responses, transcribes handwritten work, and generates structured feedback linked to assessment objectives in seconds. Teachers remain firmly in control, reviewing and editing feedback before it is shared with students. This allows teachers to return meaningful feedback while the learning is still fresh, helping pupils improve more quickly.

Fruitify also highlights patterns across a class and can generate follow-up quizzes based on areas where students need further support, helping teachers adapt lessons and address gaps in understanding.

Launched within the past year, Fruitify is already being used by schools across the UK through live trials. Early adoption shows strong potential to reduce teacher workload, accelerate feedback cycles, and support more responsive teaching and learning in classrooms.

Learning Way London – Learning Way Plus®

At Learning Way Plus®, our entry into the market with an electrostatic planner was not simply about launching a product, but about introducing a new way of thinking about planning.

The planner served as a starting point – demonstrating how visibility, flexibility, and reusability can transform the way individuals organise their time and tasks. More importantly, it allowed us to explore how these principles can be applied within educational environments.

Today, our focus extends beyond a single product. Our brand is evolving towards developing curriculum-aligned, reusable, and interactive learning tools designed for schools and educational institutions. A key insight driving this direction is that many institutions are not yet aware of their need for such tools – however, once introduced, the impact on planning, engagement, and learning becomes immediately clear.

Learning Way Plus® represents a journey from a single entry product to a broader learning ecosystem – one that supports more visible, structured, and effective learning experiences.

Pedalogic – Pageticker

Pageticker is a digital reading diary – an app for parents, and a web-based dashboard for teachers – designed to track children’s reading progress, engage families in reading, and save teachers valuable time.

Schools using Pageticker see 78% more reading logged compared to paper-based reading diaries. Teachers get an instant overview of children’s reading and the progress they are making, saving them a reported 45 minutes per week. Children earn badges and certificates, can enter challenges, and are further motivated by building their bookshelf – a beautiful record of every book a child has ever read.

Pageticker is a simple, affordable solution that is playing a key role in elevating the reading culture in a rapidly increasing number of primary schools in the UK.

Student Radar

Student Radar is a school SaaS platform that gives schools a single, joined-up view of pupil support across attendance, behaviour, SEND, and safeguarding. Built by SENDlink, a small, self-funded team, it launched in late 2025 and is now live with pilot schools across England.

The platform pulls data from the school’s MIS and presents it through a colour-coded heat map, surfacing the pupils who need attention before things escalate. Staff can see the full picture of a child in one place, log contact with parents, track interventions, and assign follow-up actions without switching between systems.

Student Radar also includes an AI-powered Individual Support Plan generator, designed in direct response to the government’s 2026 SEND reforms and the forthcoming statutory duty on schools to create ISPs. The tool assists SENCOs in drafting professional, statutory-ready plans while keeping human judgement at the centre of every decision.

Early adopter schools have responded positively, with organic adoption spreading from SENCOs to senior leadership teams and family workers within weeks of onboarding. The platform integrates with school MIS systems via Wonde and is built to scale from individual schools to multi-academy trusts.

No child should go unnoticed. Student Radar makes sure they don’t.

Cambridge University Press & Assessment

The Assessment Network at Cambridge is transforming the global landscape of teacher professional development by equipping educators with the confidence, expertise and recognition they need to deliver high‑quality, fair and impactful assessment. Grounded in rigorous research and built around a clear professional framework, our pathway supports teachers worldwide to develop valid, reliable and inclusive assessment practice that strengthens both classroom outcomes and long‑term professional identity.

In response to a clear global skills gap, our flagship course Classroom Assessment for Teachers: Transforming Outcomes for Learners launched in 2024 and has already supported over 150 teachers across 50 countries. With a 96% satisfaction rating and significant increases in self‑assessed confidence across eight core competencies, the course delivers immediately applicable, practice‑changing learning.

Our wider portfolio provides multiple progression routes, from skill‑building workshops and in‑depth A10 courses to the Assessment Practitioner Awards, which to date have recognised 136 educators for their dedication and mastery. For those seeking advanced accreditation, our Postgraduate Advanced Certificate, delivered with the University of Cambridge Faculty of Education, develops expert assessment leaders able to influence whole‑school strategy.

Together, these programmes form a scalable, accessible and internationally trusted professional learning portfolio that elevates teacher expertise and drives meaningful, measurable impact.

edt

edt is proud to be a Lead Provider of the Early Career Training Programme (ECTP), having also played a major role in designing and developing the programme curriculum and content. Through the ECTP, edt improves learning outcomes for pupils by ensuring early career teachers (ECTs) receive high-quality training and support in the first two years of their career. Ofsted’s 2025 inspection report – which rated our delivery as Outstanding – states that ECTs are “expertly supported and empowered to make a positive difference to the lives of pupils through edt’s programme”.

One ECT shared that “everyone does everything they can to support us becoming better teachers.” The report also praises our support for ECTs to “actively build on their prior learning”, enabling them to continually deepen their knowledge, as well as the high quality of our mentoring and leadership – Ofsted’s report says edt mentors are described as the “beating heart” of the programme, helping ECTs embed new habits, apply knowledge effectively, and grow as practitioners. As a result of our successful delivery, in 2025, 97% of participating early career teachers and 95% of participating mentors said they were very satisfied or satisfied with the programme.

eduthing

eduthing aims to provide excellence in education technology and CPD, supporting schools with tailored training and services. Initially designed for teachers, our professional learning opportunities now extend to learning support assistants, senior leaders, and administrative staff, focusing on Computing, EdTech, and Online Safety. Delivered by experienced educators, our training is consistently reviewed based on participant feedback, achieving a 97% outstanding satisfaction rate, year to date.

Flexible training options include in-person, virtual, drop-in sessions, and our new eduthing Academy on-demand CPD offering, allowing staff to access learning a time convenient for them. Through our team of qualified teachers, we provide team teaching opportunities to introduce new concepts where teachers feel at most ease, in their own classrooms and with their own children.

Our regular events such as our annual online safety conference, subject leader networks and introduction of our new community platform, enable school-to-school networking, bringing people together to share ideas and celebrate their own practice.

Our holistic approach ensures impactful professional development across all school roles.

Literacy Tree

Literacy Tree’s professional development offer is designed to strengthen subject knowledge, pedagogical confidence and curriculum leadership in primary English. Our CPD model supports teachers in implementing our Teach Through a Text approach, ensuring that reading, writing and grammar are taught through high-quality literature with clear audience and purpose. Delivered through year-group specific Teach Through a Text courses, focused pedagogy workshops, subject leader forums and ongoing planning support, our provision operates as a sustained development journey rather than isolated sessions.

Impact is measured through structured post-training evaluations, Annual Member Surveys and cross-phase pupil voice data. In the 2026 Autumn training cycle, between 97% and 100% of participants reported feeling better prepared to deliver Literacy Tree lessons, with over 90% recommending training to colleagues. Across our 2026 Annual Members’ Survey, 94% of teachers reported improved subject knowledge, 100% reported increased pupil engagement and 90% reported improvements in writing attainment.

Our online delivery model removes travel and cover costs, and enables whole-school access. By embedding CPD within a coherent curriculum framework, schools reduce fragmented consultancy spending and build sustained team expertise. Literacy Tree demonstrates measurable professional growth alongside improved literacy experiences for children.

Speech & Language Link – The Link Speech & Language CPD

The Link Speech and Language CPD is outstanding in many ways.  Our speech and language training course makes a tangible impact on staff and pupils, as seen via staff feedback, evidence from assignments and reflections.  The course is born from a growing and critical need, with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) affecting over 30,00 pupils as of 2025 in England alone and shortage of speech and language therapists to provide guidance and advice.  According to RCSLT (2024), only 4% of the workforce feels that they have had enough training to fulfil their SLCN training needs. This course allows educators to build their knowledge rapidly and brings expertise in-house to those who work with pupils on a daily basis. 

With therapist-led guidance and flexible learning that directly translates into improved classroom practice, the course strengthens the whole-school approach and creates lasting change. Link CPD ensures that more children benefit from high-quality communication support where it matters most: every day, in their classrooms.

Tes Institute – Straight to Teaching

Straight to Teaching is Tes Institute’s flexible, school‑based route that helps experienced in‑role staff become qualified teachers via our Assessment Only pathway. Learners stay in their current school and follow a personalised development plan: an initial diagnostic audit, a fortnightly cycle of online learning, mentor observations and expert‑colleague observations, all guided by an experienced Pathway Tutor. It’s rigorous, human and highly practical.

Straight to Teaching is designed to work brilliantly in specialist settings. Over half of participating schools are SEND or Alternative Provision, and the programme’s structure accommodates typical class arrangements and highly personalised curricula. Learners develop precisely where it matters— in their own context—while pupils benefit from continuity.

Impact is strong: learners rate their overall experience on the course at 9.5/10, and over 95% of Straight to Teaching learners go on to achieve QTS via Assessment Only. For individuals, moving from HLTA/TA or Unqualified Teacher roles to the main pay range brings a meaningful salary uplift. For schools, Straight to Teaching offers a cost‑effective, low‑disruption way to ‘grow your own’ teachers and retain great colleagues.

Available nationally and to British International Schools, Straight to Teaching ensures high‑quality, evidence‑informed teaching is developed and recognised worldwide.

The National College – Professional Development and People Development Memberships

The National College is unique in the education marketplace in integrating bespoke CPD and appraisal solutions on one online platform. Together they help schools and education settings:

• empower teaching and support staff with knowledge, skills and confidence to perform their roles effectively and progress their careers, whatever their development needs or career aspirations
• embed best practice and support continuous improvement

Our Professional Development membership provides the whole workforce with unlimited access to the world’s largest CPD collection for educators, enabling leaders and staff to create bespoke learning pathways to address identified development areas.

Our People Development membership transforms the appraisal cycle into a simple, consistent process, facilitating a developmental approach to appraisal where objectives are aligned with individual and organisational goals.

Our platform integrates our CPD and appraisal offers, enabling leaders to embed and systematise professional development within the appraisal cycle, from training needs analysis, through CPD identification and provision, to QA-driven impact measurement. In this way, it offers schools a comprehensive and personalised training and career development solution.

VESPA Academy

VESPA Academy’s staff CPD training, designed and delivered by Martin Griffin, equips teachers with a structured, research-informed coaching framework that transforms one-to-one student support conversations. The programme addresses a widespread gap: pastoral staff are expected to mentor students but are rarely trained to make those conversations effective. Through three core sessions covering non-cognitive study behaviours, practical coaching skills with over 100 questions and real student case studies, and strategies for building independent learning, staff gain a reusable toolkit that drives lasting change in practice.

The programme has reached over 500 schools and 10,000 teachers across 15 countries. Schools report significant improvements in staff confidence, consistency of tutorial delivery, and a cultural shift towards coached independence. Impact is evidenced through improved examination outcomes and strong institutional feedback from settings including Manchester Metropolitan University and Hartpury College. Training is available online, face-to-face, or as bespoke packages.

B Squared – SENDcast

The SENDcast is your go-to hub for all things SEND, offering free weekly podcasts and online CPD training sessions. It serves as a valuable resource for educators and parents, keeping them informed about policy changes and best practices. Featuring SEND experts discussing current topics and challenges, making it a go-to platform for timely information.

Designed to support educators, the SENDcast addresses real-world challenges, offering insights on topics ranging from classroom management to emotional regulation strategies. It also promotes parental engagement by discussing collaboration strategies, helping parents understand their child’s needs and navigate processes like the Education, Health, and Care Plan (EHCP).

The SENDcast emphasises inclusivity, covering a wide array of SEND areas and ensuring accessibility through major platforms like Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Transcripts are available for those who prefer reading, accommodating different learning preferences.

With a focus on evidence-based practices and GDPR compliance, the SENDcast ensures a safe listening experience. B Squared also provides ongoing support through social media and a dedicated website, fostering a community where listeners feel valued. By delivering content digitally, the SENDcast contributes to environmental sustainability by reducing the need for printed materials.

Cherry Garden School and Tapestry – Cherry Garden Branch Maps

The Cherry Garden Branch Maps on Tapestry provide an innovative, evidence-informed approach to assessing and supporting learners with complex SEND, including PMLD, SLD, and autism. Developed by Cherry Garden School in partnership with Tapestry, the resource addresses a critical gap in traditional assessment systems, which often fail to capture the small, non-linear steps of progress made by these learners.

The Branch Maps break development into finely graded, observable steps across key areas such as communication, cognition, and personal and social development, with a strong emphasis on engagement and interaction. Integrated within Tapestry, practitioners can record and link multimedia observations to these steps, creating a rich, holistic picture of each child’s learning journey.

The impact is significant: pupils benefit from highly personalised learning and increased engagement; staff gain confidence and clarity in assessment; and families are empowered through real-time, accessible insights into their child’s progress. The approach promotes consistent, collaborative practice across teams and settings.

Scalable and adaptable, this resource is already influencing practice beyond its original setting, offering a powerful model for inclusive, meaningful SEND assessment nationwide in over 3000 settings and schools.

Creative Activity – Senso Cube™

The Senso Cube™ is a fully bespoke, modular sensory environment developed by Creative Activity to address a common barrier faced by many organisations: the lack of available space for a dedicated sensory room.

Designed to be installed in areas as small as 2m x 2m, the Senso Cube™ provides a self-contained, sound-insulated multi-sensory space that can be installed within existing buildings without the need for structural modifications. The cube integrates a wide range of sensory technologies including lighting, interactive panels, bubble tubes, fibre optics, projection and calming soundscapes to support regulation, relaxation and engagement.

Its modular construction allows it to be customised for different settings including schools, hospitals, airports, offices, shopping centres, hospitality environments and recreational facilities. The Senso Cube™ is designed to support individuals with sensory processing needs, autism, learning disabilities, anxiety and stress while also providing wellness and relaxation benefits for the wider community.

By removing the space limitations associated with traditional sensory rooms, the Senso Cube significantly expands access to sensory environments.

Different Class – DCPro AP Attendance

DCPro Alternative Provision Attendance is a specialist digital service designed to safeguard and improve outcomes for pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) who are educated outside mainstream school settings.

For many vulnerable learners, education takes place across multiple providers, part-time timetables or bespoke Section 19 arrangements. Traditional attendance systems are not designed to manage this complexity, leaving local authorities reliant on fragmented spreadsheets and disconnected data. DCPro solves this challenge by providing a single, authoritative record of attendance across alternative provision, tuition services and dual registrations.

The platform enables real-time oversight of attendance, cohort analysis by EHCP status, SEND profile and vulnerability indicators. This allows education, SEND and safeguarding teams to identify emerging absence patterns early and intervene before problems escalate.

Developed in collaboration with local authorities, DCPro AP Attendance supports statutory responsibilities while reducing administrative burden. Hosted securely within UK cloud infrastructure and backed by ISO 27001 certification, it combines strong governance with intuitive usability.

By ensuring that pupils educated outside mainstream settings remain visible, monitored and supported, DCPro AP Attendance transforms attendance tracking into a powerful tool for inclusion and improved life outcomes.

myHappymind

myHappymind is an award-winning, NHS-backed whole-school mental wellbeing programme designed to help every child, including those with SEND, develop essential emotional and wellbeing skills. Used by over 2,000 schools, the curriculum is grounded in neuroscience and positive psychology, giving children practical strategies to understand their brain, regulate emotions, and build resilience.

Unlike short-term, reactive interventions, myHappymind takes a preventative, whole-school approach. It is delivered through one fully prepared weekly lesson from Early Years to Year 6, integrating seamlessly with PSHE and supporting Ofsted priorities around inclusion and personal development.

Inclusivity is built into the design. Lessons use clear language, predictable structures, and visual supports so neurodiverse pupils and those with social, emotional, and mental health needs can learn alongside their peers. The programme was co-developed with special schools to create an adapted curriculum based on developmental stages, not chronological age.

Reaching over 1 million children, parents and staff, and recognised with the King’s Award for Innovation and the Bett Transformational Impact Award, myHappymind equips children with lifelong wellbeing skills while helping schools create calmer, more inclusive classrooms and cultures where pupils are ready to learn and thrive.

No Isolation – AV1

School non-attendance is one of the most urgent yet under-recognised challenges in global education, with around one in five pupils missing 10% or more of school.

The reasons behind school non-attendance are complex and varied. They include long-term illness or injury, emotionally based school non-attendance (EBSNA), and special education needs and disabilities (SEND).

No Isolation’s purpose-built telepresence solution, AV1, addresses this challenge. By ensuring continuity in learning, AV1 provides equal access to lessons and classroom participation, even when pupils cannot be physically present at school.

The AV1 Robot becomes the pupil’s eyes, ears, and voice. It sits on the pupil’s desk, allowing them to join lessons and group work and enabling real-time interaction with teachers and classmates.

It is also a cost-effective system for managing absence at school, trust and local authority level. The wider AV1 ecosystem – AV1 App, AV1 Admin, and AV1 Academy – provides the functionality and support for all absent pupils to access learning via AV1, whether as an early intervention or absence is already entrenched.

At its core, AV1 removes barriers to in-person learning. Not replacing teaching, but preserving a sense of belonging and the students’ place in school until they are ready to return.

PAGS

SEND in England is reaching a tipping point. Over 1.7 million pupils have been identified as having special educational needs, demand continues to rise, and schools are expected to evidence impact, secure funding and deliver consistent provision with fewer resources than ever. Most are still managing this across spreadsheets, paper trails and disconnected systems. PAGS exists to solve that problem.

PAGS is the infrastructure schools use to manage SEND end-to-end, covering all four areas of the SEND Code of Practice alongside validated Sensory and Early Years assessments. It serves every stakeholder from the SENCO and classroom teacher to the trust director and parent at home, replacing disconnected systems with one coherent platform.

Since winning this award in 2025, PAGS has been substantially rebuilt. Collaborative assessments, AI-powered target setting, a new Objectives feature delivering the Individual Support Plan framework introduced in the February 2026 white paper, custom reporting, and parent accounts have transformed what the platform delivers.

Schools using PAGS are securing an average of £13,600 in additional EHCP funding per school. Stone Soup Academy achieved Ofsted Outstanding for the third consecutive time, with attendance improving from 1% to 70% for targeted learners.

Validated by University College London. Trusted by schools.

Speech & Language Link – Infant Language Link

Infant Language Link is an innovative solution to support an all-encompassing area of SEND. Speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) are the highest primary need and numbers are rising, whilst therapy waitlists get longer. Infant Language Link helps schools to identify language needs and support those students who may otherwise be missed.

Infant Language Link brings together accurate language assessment, practical intervention and direct access to therapist guidance in one affordable package. It empowers schools to act sooner, feel confident in their decisions and reach more children effectively.

B Squared – Connecting Steps

B Squared’s Connecting Steps is an innovative assessment tool tailored for educational institutions, supporting all students, especially those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Its user-friendly interface allows educators to navigate effortlessly, minimising administrative tasks and enabling them to focus on teaching. The platform facilitates efficient data management, allowing for documentation of student achievements in various multimedia formats, providing a comprehensive view of development.

Connecting Steps is customisable, aligning with both national and global curricula, making it suitable for diverse educational settings. It promotes parental engagement through clear progress reports, encouraging collaboration in goal-setting. Inclusivity is central to its design, with accessibility features for learners with various needs.

The software ensures GDPR compliance, with robust data protection policies and secure logins, while implementing online safety measures to protect sensitive information. With extensive real-world evidence supporting its effectiveness, Connecting Steps is backed by comprehensive customer support, including training sessions and dedicated account managers.

Offering scalable pricing, the platform is cost-effective for schools of all sizes, improving student tracking and resource efficiency. Additionally, by transitioning to a digital platform, Connecting Steps helps reduce paper waste, contributing to environmental sustainability through energy-efficient hosting solutions.

Grammarsaurus – Spelling with Grammarsaurus

Spelling with Grammarsaurus is a primary spelling scheme for Years 2–6 that transforms spelling teaching through a morphology-led approach. Rather than relying solely on phonics and memorisation, the programme places morphology (word structure), etymology (word origins) and phonology at the heart of learning. Pupils explore morphemes (the smallest units of meaning) helping them understand how words are built and why they are spelt the way they are.

The scheme uses a structured, cumulative model where morphemes are explicitly taught, revisited and applied across contexts. This spiral approach enables children to recognise patterns, make connections between related words and confidently tackle unfamiliar vocabulary. It is particularly supportive for pupils who struggle with phonics-heavy methods, including those with SEND or dyslexia, as it reduces cognitive overload and promotes logical reasoning about spelling.

Spelling with Grammarsaurus includes fully resourced lessons, baseline and morpheme assessments, teacher guidance, CPD training and ongoing support. It aligns with writing curricula and supports whole-school consistency. Schools report improved spelling accuracy, greater pupil confidence and engagement, stronger SATs outcomes, and enhanced teacher subject knowledge.

Research-informed and expert-verified, the scheme offers an innovative, inclusive and cost-effective solution that makes spelling meaningful, memorable and manageable for all learners.

Learning by Questions – Wayfinder

Wayfinder is a curriculum-aligned teaching, learning and assessment platform designed to help teachers embed the most powerful evidence-informed practices into everyday classroom teaching. It brings together continuous formative assessment, adaptive questioning, retrieval practice, mastery progression and real-time diagnostics in one coherent system, turning educational research into practical classroom action.

Through regular, low-stakes assessment woven into daily lessons, teachers receive immediate insight into pupil understanding. Wayfinder identifies misconceptions instantly, groups pupils dynamically for targeted support, and helps teachers adapt instruction with confidence – all while significantly reducing marking and planning workload.

Inclusion and accessibility are built into the design. Adaptive pathways support all learners, from pupils with SEND and those who are disadvantaged to those ready for deeper challenge, ensuring equitable progress without the need for teachers to create additional resources.

Schools using Wayfinder report rapid improvements in attainment: many see 20%+ increases in the proportion of pupils reaching Age-Related Expectations within weeks. Independent teacher interviews show 100% report reduced workload, 92% improved wellbeing, and 98% improved pupil outcomes.

Used across trusts including Oldham Local Authority, Bishop Konstant, and Leo Academy Trust, Wayfinder demonstrates how high-quality formative assessment can power stronger teaching, faster pupil progress and more sustainable classroom practice.

NFER – NFER Assessments

NFER Assessments are trusted by thousands of primary schools across the country, supporting teachers, school leaders, and MATs to improve outcomes for hundreds of thousands of pupils every year.

NFER Assessments span Year 1 through to Year 6, covering reading, mathematics and grammar, spelling and punctuation. Developed by our team of assessment specialists and curriculum experts, our tests are standardised with data from over 119,000 assessments. The result is reliable, valid, nationally benchmarked data that schools can act on with confidence.

Our tests reduce teacher workload and provide ready-to-use materials. Auto-marking with our online assessment platform, and intuitive reporting tools mean teachers spend less time processing data and more time teaching. Question-level analysis helps identify misconceptions, inform intervention, and drive genuine pupil progress. NFER delivers the consistency, rigour, and insight that schools need to give every child the best possible start.

NFER has been the independent not-for-profit voice of evidence in education for eight decades, at the forefront of educational research and assessment in England and beyond. Our assessment resources are the gold standard in the market and continue to help improve outcomes for future generations everywhere.

Seesaw

Seesaw is a whole-school learning platform that supports curriculum delivery, formative assessment and family engagement across primary education.

Teachers use Seesaw during lessons to capture evidence of learning as it happens. Pupils can demonstrate their understanding using drawing, photographs, voice recordings, video and written responses, allowing teachers to see pupils’ thinking more clearly while giving children different ways to show what they know.

Each pupil builds a secure digital portfolio that documents their learning over time. These portfolios support moderation, pupil progress meetings and transitions between year groups while also providing families with meaningful insight into their child’s learning.

Parents and carers can securely access their child’s learning journal through the Seesaw app, giving them a window into classroom learning and encouraging conversations about progress at home.

Seesaw also supports teachers through tools that simplify activity creation, differentiation and feedback. AI-supported features help generate activities, adapt learning tasks and streamline feedback, helping reduce preparation time while maintaining high-quality teaching.

By bringing together learning documentation, assessment and communication in one platform, Seesaw helps schools and trusts make learning visible and strengthen partnerships between school and home.

stylus

stylus is an AI-powered writing assessment service for primary schools that analyses student handwriting at sentence level across over 87 curriculum-aligned criteria. Teachers print papers, students write by hand, and schools scan the work—from that point, teachers do no further marking. The AI delivers student feedback reports, class-level teacher intervention plans, and trust-wide diagnostic data at a depth no human assessment could replicate at scale.

Paper-first by design, stylus requires no 1:1 devices, no teacher training on new software, and no student interaction with AI. Any child who can write can be assessed, from foundational KS1 criteria upwards. The system meets learners where they are, not where their age says they should be.

Backed by two DfE Contracts for Innovation, endorsed by Dr Tim Mills MBE, and achieving 91.7% marking accuracy that outperforms individual human moderators, stylus is now a finalist in the e-Assessment Awards AI in Marking category and shortlisted for three BETT 2026 awards.

Winning with Numbers

Winning With Numbers (WWN) is redefining primary maths and transforming how schools build number fluency and confidence. Designed to do for maths what phonics has done for reading, WWN provides a clear, systematic and research-aligned foundation. Created by headteachers and maths specialists, at its core is a pioneering straight-line curriculum of precisely sequenced learning steps, giving a coherent structure that strengthens teaching and accelerates progress.

WWN combines curriculum design and smart technology to offer an easy to use whole-class animated teaching programme with intervention and home learning seamlessly integrated, so every child receives the right input at the right time. Intelligently structured question sets and regular number fluency checks keep teachers and leaders continually informed about progress enabling them to respond with pinpoint precision. Highly accessible and useable, WWN is suitable for diverse learners, while inbuilt professional development equips teachers to become expert teachers of number. Parents gain automatic access to WWN and are provided with video guidance, enabling confident support at home.

WWN has demonstrated strong impact through multiple trials and an international partnership with Hachette Learning. Designed for pupils, leaders, teachers and parents, WWN is driving a mission to ensure everyone is Winning With Numbers!

2Simple – Purple Mash

For over 25 years, 2Simple has grown alongside schools, building technology shaped by the realities of the classroom. Purple Mash, now used by more than 6,500 schools worldwide, has been a trusted presence in primary education for 16 years, with renewal rates consistently exceeding 83%. Its longevity reflects something rare in EdTech: sustained relevance built on teacher insight and classroom need.

Purple Mash stands out for its breadth. While it provides a comprehensive computing scheme of work, teachers rely on it across the curriculum. Pupils write stories, compose music, create artwork, practise maths, read eBooks and explore subjects such as history, geography and science within one connected platform. It functions not as a single-subject tool but as a whole-school digital learning ecosystem.

Innovation continues to shape its evolution. The introduction of Purple Mash AI enables teachers to generate curriculum-aligned quizzes and resources in seconds within a secure educational environment, significantly reducing preparation time. Practical classroom realities also drive development; features such as group working allow up to six pupils to collaborate on a single device, ensuring the platform works effectively even in shared-device environments.

Purple Mash succeeds because it remains focused on what matters most: helping teachers teach and children.

Charanga – Musical School

Over 68,500 teachers use Charanga to teach music – Musical School being the curriculum of choice for over 65% of primary schools in England. Combining rich creative curricula with industry-leading tools, the program gives specialists and non-specialists everything they need to deliver high-quality, progressive music lessons.

At its heart is a new Creative Music Scheme: a fully National Curriculum-aligned curriculum built around singing, playing, listening, improvising, and composing. Digital tools are embedded in every lesson. Learning develops through eight interconnected strands: Focused Listening, Musical Elements, Notation, Singing, Instrumental Practice, Improvisation, Composition, and Performance Opportunities. Differentiation is built in.

YuStudio, Charanga’s cloud-based DAW, opens up music technology to every learner, while Yumu provides a password-protected student workspace for classroom, home and blended learning. A dedicated SEND section supports inclusive practice across mainstream and specialist settings.

Accessibility is prioritised, and data is handled with rigour. An offline app ensures lessons can continue regardless of connectivity.

We’ve trained over 50,000 teachers in modern, inclusive music-teaching practice, offering online and face-to-face events annually, plus private 1:1 meetings via our Connect service.

Musical School delivers measurable impact at genuinely exceptional value to schools everywhere.

Grammarsaurus

Grammarsaurus provides quality curriculum and assessment resources designed by experienced teachers to meet the needs of primary schools. Our materials support a coherent, well-sequenced curriculum across core and foundation subjects, helping schools maintain high standards while reducing teacher workload. With clear lesson structures, planning and progression built in, our resources enable teachers to deliver high-quality lessons with confidence while remaining flexible enough to adapt to individual pupils and school contexts.

A key feature of our offer is the 3D Curriculum model, which connects knowledge, skills and vocabulary across subjects and year groups. Available freely to schools, alongside guidance and consultancy support, it helps leaders design a structured, Ofsted-ready curriculum tailored to their setting.

We further support teaching and learning through a free YouTube channel with over 100 educational videos, as well as a free English glossary designed to build subject confidence.

Grammarsaurus is also recognised for outstanding customer support, reflected in over 350 five-star Trustpilot reviews. Through responsive service, an active online community and a resource request system that allows schools to shape new materials, we continually evolve our offer. Together, our research-informed resources, collaborative approach and commitment to sustainability help schools deliver a broad, engaging and future-focused primary curriculum.

Internet Matters – Digital Matters

Digital Matters is a free online safety education platform developed by Internet Matters to help primary schools teach children how to navigate the digital world safely and confidently.

Designed for teachers, the platform provides ready-to-use, curriculum-aligned lesson packs covering key topics such as misinformation, online friendships, bullying and digital wellbeing. Each lesson includes structured teaching materials, slides and discussion prompts, enabling educators to deliver engaging online safety education without needing specialist expertise.

Jigsaw Education Group – Jigsaw PSHE 3-11

Jigsaw PSHE 3-11 is an evidence-informed, whole-school programme designed to support the mental health and wellbeing of children aged 3-11, available in English and Welsh. The programme provides 300+ carefully sequenced lessons covering the full breadth of PSHE education including relationships, health and wellbeing, emotional literacy, online safety, diversity and inclusion.

This year, the programme has been extensively updated to ensure full compliance with the new RSHE statutory guidance. Jigsaw was the first provider to offer schools fully compliant materials, giving them time to review content, consult with parents and engage in training well ahead of the September 2026 deadline. The programme integrates mindfulness throughout, with every year group also receiving physical resources (Jigsaw character and chime) to support emotional expression and self-regulation.

Jigsaw’s impact has been independently validated by ImpactEd, whose analysis of over 600 schools found statistically significantly higher scores in Jigsaw schools on engagement, belonging, safety and metacognition, with stronger effects the longer schools use the programme.

Partnering with more than 6,500 schools across 65 countries, Jigsaw provides comprehensive support including onboarding, expert mentoring, and free open-access RSHE webinars for the wider sector. Everything is included in a single, graduated subscription with no hidden costs.

Literacy Counts – Ready Steady Read Together

Ready Steady Read Together is an innovative shared reading programme for Years 2 – 6 that delivers impact at scale. Built on diverse, high-quality texts and evidence-backed pedagogy, it enables every child to access ambitious reading lessons while reducing teacher workload.

Every unit follows a structured 5-lesson sequence that blends teacher modelling with interactive comprehension strategies, vocabulary instruction and oracy. Gamified quizzes, soundscapes, fluency practice and low-stakes assessments ensure that children are engaged, confident and progressing. The design is intuitive and inclusive, supporting SEND and EAL pupils through scaffolded tasks and visual prompts.

The programme is digital, sustainable and GDPR-compliant. Teachers have everything they need at the click of a button – from concise lesson plans and sequential slides to pupil booklets and assessments.

Since its official launch in June 2025, the programme has already been adopted by over 150 schools, reaching more than 42,000 pupils. Feedback from trial schools is outstanding: 100% of teachers report children feel successful, 97% say pupils enjoy their sessions and leaders describe it as transformative.

Ready Steady Read Together is redefining how schools teach shared reading, ensuring that every child can succeed as a confident reader of diverse literature from quality authors.

Literacy Tree

Literacy Tree is a book-based primary English curriculum and assessment platform designed by teachers for teachers. Built around our Teach Through a Text pedagogy, it immerses children in diverse, high-quality literature while explicitly developing writing, reading, spelling and vocabulary within meaningful contexts.

Unlike fragmented schemes, Literacy Tree integrates curriculum, assessment and professional development into one coherent ecosystem. Grammar is taught explicitly within purposeful writing. Extended writing is embedded across the year. Texts are deliberately diverse and publisher-agnostic, ensuring children encounter both literary heritage and contemporary global voices.

In 2026, we strengthened our digital platform and app, integrating planning, work capture and assessment through our RATE tool. This enables real-time evidence gathering while reducing workload and improving curriculum coherence.

Impact is measured through annual teacher surveys, cross-phase pupil voice and ongoing case study tracking. In 2026, 100% of teachers reported increased pupil engagement, 94% reported improved subject knowledge and 90% reported improvements in writing attainment. Pupil voice data shows high levels of writing confidence, pride and exposure to new stories and cultures.

myHappymind

myHappymind is an award-winning, NHS-backed whole-school mental wellbeing programme designed to help every child, including those with SEND, develop essential emotional and wellbeing skills. Used by over 2,000 schools, the curriculum is grounded in neuroscience and positive psychology, giving children practical strategies to understand their brain, regulate emotions, and build resilience.

Unlike short-term, reactive interventions, myHappymind takes a preventative, whole-school approach. It is delivered through one fully prepared weekly lesson from Early Years to Year 6, integrating seamlessly with PSHE and supporting Ofsted priorities around inclusion and personal development.

Inclusivity is built into the design. Lessons use clear language, predictable structures, and visual supports so neurodiverse pupils and those with social, emotional, and mental health needs can learn alongside their peers. The programme was co-developed with special schools to create an adapted curriculum based on developmental stages, not chronological age.

Reaching over 1 million children, parents and staff, and recognised with the King’s Award for Innovation and the Bett Transformational Impact Award, myHappymind equips children with lifelong wellbeing skills while helping schools create calmer classrooms and cultures where pupils are ready to learn and thrive.

The Literacy Company – Pathways Literacy

Pathways Literacy is a comprehensive, research‑informed suite of programmes designed to strengthen the teaching of English from EYFS to Year 6. Created by experienced consultants, the programmes help schools deliver a well‑sequenced English curriculum through high‑quality texts, clear lesson structures and practical resources that develop pupils as confident readers, writers and communicators.

The suite includes Pathways to Write, Pathways to Read, Pathways to Spell and Pathways to Poetry, all accessed through an intuitive online platform. Teachers can easily find unit plans, teaching slides, assessment materials, model texts, sample work and CPD videos, supporting both subject knowledge and high‑quality lesson delivery. Leadership tools, monitoring documents and regular updates ensure consistent implementation across a school.

Each programme follows a mastery approach that builds independence, critical thinking and secure understanding. Carefully selected texts act as ‘windows and mirrors’, broadening cultural perspectives while ensuring accessibility for all learners. Cross‑curricular links build a rich, connected curriculum.

The suite is designed to be inclusive and adaptable, supporting SEND, EAL and mixed‑attainment groups through whole‑class teaching, scaffolded tasks and clear progression. With its strong pedagogical foundations, coherent design and commitment to ongoing development, Pathways Literacy provides schools with a high‑quality, sustainable and impactful approach to English teaching.

Bedrock Learning

Bedrock is a curriculum and assessment platform designed to develop academic language and support disciplinary literacy across secondary education. By teaching subject-specific vocabulary explicitly, it enables students to access increasingly complex texts and engage more confidently with curriculum content.

The platform provides a structured vocabulary curriculum across English, science, history and geography, ensuring that students understand not just definitions, but how language functions within each discipline. Vocabulary is introduced, revisited and applied through carefully sequenced learning, supporting long-term retention and deeper comprehension.

Bedrock integrates both formative and summative assessment. Ongoing practice provides real-time insight into student understanding, while the Bedrock Reading Test offers nationally standardised measures including Reading Age and Standardised Age Score. This allows teachers to identify gaps and respond quickly, supporting whole-school literacy development.

Aggregated platform data shows that students who consistently use Bedrock for six months achieve an average five-point increase in Standardised Age Score. By combining curriculum and assessment in a single system, Bedrock supports improved reading comprehension and access to subject learning across the curriculum.

Flash Learning

Flash Learning is an online revision app designed to support 11+ and GCSE learners through structured, independent, and adaptive study. Its core aim is to make high-quality exam preparation accessible, affordable, and effective, reducing reliance on expensive one-to-one tuition.

Learners begin with a smart onboarding assessment that identifies strengths and areas for improvement, allowing revision to be focused where it has the greatest impact. The platform adapts as students practise, using data-driven tasks to reinforce understanding and target weaker topics. Short, exam-style activities encourage regular practice, while daily tests, streaks, badges, and leaderboards help maintain motivation and engagement.

Parents and schools benefit from a clear progress dashboard, providing visibility of learning without requiring subject expertise. Revision content includes thousands of exam-style flashcards with explanations and worked solutions, video support, and monthly practice papers aligned to exam board expectations, alongside exam analysis that highlights common topics and marking trends.

A substantial proportion of the platform is free to use, with an optional low-cost subscription offering enhanced exam preparation features. Fully digital delivery supports accessibility, sustainability, and continuous improvement, ensuring learners receive up-to-date, effective revision support in a safe and supportive environment.

Hachette Learning – Adaptive Revise

Adaptive Revise: Personalised, adaptive GCSE exam preparation.

Adaptive Revise is the smarter, more effective way for students to study and prepare for their GCSEs exams. Using adaptive technology, it creates personalised revision pathways tailored to each student’s needs. With focused exam practice, opportunities for self-reflection and clear progress tracking, students gain confidence, improve their grades, and save valuable time – while teachers get powerful insights to support learning.

Adaptive Revise is accessed in Hachette Learning Adaptive, a platform which harnesses cutting-edge AI-driven technology from Area9 Lyceum. It personalises the learning journey in real time based on each learner’s performance and confidence – building higher proficiency and ensuring no learner is left behind. Adaptive Revise:

• Accelerates progress with adaptive revision pathways that adjust to each student’s level, pace and confidence.
• Helps students stay focused and retain knowledge with engaging, bite-sized learning modules.
• Easily monitors student progress and identify where individuals need more support.
• Promotes wellbeing with support and practices that help students to manage stress.
• Builds exam confidence when approaching exam questions through structured exam-style questions, model answers, interactive mark schemes and expert tips.
• Keeps students motivated through automated feedback and progress reports.

Olex.AI

Olex.AI is the UK’s most comprehensive AI-powered platform for secondary English writing assessment, marking an entire class of 30 essays in under two minutes with detailed feedback aligned to GCSE Assessment Objectives, KS3 frameworks, and bespoke trust rubrics.

Unlike single-request AI tools, Olex integrates instant marking, individualised feedback, whole-class analysis, auto-generated lesson plans, longitudinal progression tracking (OlexAnalytics), and trust-wide reporting (Trust Insight Hub) in one seamless workflow.

In 2025/26, Olex has been embedded in over 120 multi-academy trusts. The Kemnal Academies Trust deployed Olex across 15 secondary schools, marking 5,691 essays, saving over 1,000 hours, and enabling 70 hours of additional CPD per teacher. The Challenge Academy Trust reported a 13% uplift in Grade 5 English Literature results.

Olex’s marking is highly accurate and consistently aligns within ±3 of the most experienced examiners.

With full GDPR and DfE compliance, EAL translation, SEND accessibility, teacher-in-the-loop control, and all features included at no additional cost, Olex delivers exceptional value while reducing workload and raising student outcomes.

PG Online – CREST – ClearRevise Exam Study Tutor

CREST, the ClearRevise Exam Study Tutor, is the world’s first AI-driven private tutor embedded directly into PG Online’s award-winning ClearRevise revision guides. Accompanying the printed guides, CREST is designed to act as an intelligent study companion that supports students with revision, homework and independent learning. Unlike generic AI tools, CREST is fully integrated with the content of each revision guide, ensuring precise, curriculum-aligned responses tailored to the GCSE specification.

Students can reference specific pages or questions in their book, asking for explanations, examples or even self-testing. For example, a learner might say, “Test me on Required practical 17” or “Explain the difference between an ion and an isotope.” CREST responds in clear, age-appropriate language, with options to simplify or expand explanations depending on the learner’s needs.

The Day

The Day is a digital literacy resource for young people. Schools use The Day to provide appropriate, unbiased, daily current affairs, boost literacy, critical thinking and debate, support the delivery of a relevant PSHCE curriculum and give all teachers the confidence to address sensitive topics.

The Day are a teacher-led resource, designed to integrate seamlessly into everyday classroom practice. Staff are fully supported with unlimited training from dedicated account managers, alongside comprehensive support documents and teacher notes, ensuring resources are embedded effectively across the school. The platform can be used flexibly – for form time discussions, full lesson planning, assemblies, PSHCE sessions, or even as homework – helping teachers save time while enriching their teaching. The Day provides opportunities to build essential literacy skills such as reading comprehension and critical thinking in every subject. We also address key PSHCE topics in line with the latest UK RSE guidelines.

By combining journalism with pedagogy, The Day helps students engage with real-world issues, boosting both their reading confidence and their ability to think critically and empathetically about the world around them. 

The EverLearner

The EverLearner is a teaching, learning and assessment platform designed specifically for secondary Physical Education departments. Used by schools across the UK and internationally, it supports curriculum delivery from Key Stage 3 through to GCSE, A-Level, IBDP and vocational Sport qualifications.

The platform brings together curriculum-aligned teaching videos, interactive quizzes, exam practice and performance analytics in one system that teachers can use consistently across their department. This helps students build understanding, practise exam technique and develop confidence in applying their knowledge.

For teachers, The EverLearner reduces the time spent setting homework, creating revision materials, mock papers and tracking spreadsheets, while providing clear insight into student progress.

Alongside student learning tools, the platform also includes the PE Teacher Academy, offering flexible, on-demand professional development designed specifically for PE teachers.

Together, these elements support stronger theory teaching, clearer assessment practice and more confident delivery of exam PE across departments.

Amazing People Schools – LEO Academy Trust and Virtual Soccer Schools

Amazing People Schools (APS) and LEO Academy Trust have built a genuinely transformative collaboration rooted in shared values and a joint commitment to character education . Over time, this partnership has grown from an initial platform licence into a deep, trust-wide integration — co-creating resources that bring LEO’s PRIDE values and Explorer traits to life across all schools and year groups, including a bespoke Early Years offer developed in direct response to staff needs at Cheam Fields Primary.

The collaboration has driven measurable impact: teachers save time through ready-to-use resources; diverse role models are embedded meaningfully across the curriculum; and pupils — including those with English as a second language at Brookfield Primary — feel represented and inspired. Working alongside charitable partner Virtual Soccer Schools, LEO pupils have participated in nationally recognised live events connecting elite footballers with schools worldwide, with coverage on Sky Sports and BBC Radio.

What makes this partnership stand out is its mutuality. LEO’s schools have shaped Amazing People Schools, and APS has in turn strengthened LEO’s culture and curriculum. This is collaboration in the truest sense — two organisations learning together, growing together, and ultimately serving children better.

AT Superstore and Kirklees Council

AT Superstore and Kirklees Council have partnered to transform inclusive education across 14 primary schools through an innovative shared assistive technology loan bank. Delivered as part of the Partnership for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) programme, this collaboration embeds specialist tools directly into everyday classroom practice, bridging the gap between whole-school inclusion strategies and practical support for neurodivergent pupils.

The loan bank provides access to £5500 worth of equipment, including text-to-speech devices, sensory regulation spaces, dyslexia-specific hardware, and interactive learning systems. Schools can trial equipment quickly, receive professional guidance, and embed successful tools into long-term practice, while achieving large savings compared to individual procurement.

Early outcomes demonstrate significant improvements in pupil engagement, independence, and confidence. Teachers report reduced workload, enhanced classroom management, and increased confidence in selecting and implementing assistive technology. One Commissioning Officer noted that the partnership allows children to engage with learning in new ways while giving staff valuable time back.

This scalable, sustainable model shows how practical innovation, strategic collaboration, and a focus on real classroom needs can deliver meaningful, replicable impact on learning and inclusion, enabling every child to access education confidently and effectively.

iplicit Education and Active Learning Trust

Active Learning Trust (ALT) has cut back-office costs, directed more money to the classroom and reduced its bill for supply staff dramatically under a close working partnership with iplicit.

Instead of the traditional, transactional relationship between a trust and an accounting software vendor, ALT and iplicit have collaborated to transform school finances, help improve the iplicit product and share good practice with the wider sector.

Improved reporting and analysis enabled the trust to ensure staffing structures are “lean but not brittle”, saving hundreds of thousands of pounds across 21 schools.

The trust can analyse spending on repairs and maintenance, breaking it down by vandalism, planned work, emergencies and remedials – an approach that has helped optimise maintenance planning and even informed behaviour management.

Team members, who were “running blind” before, can see what’s left in their budgets and target resources effectively.

The trust’s CFO, Phil Beecher, sits on the iplicit Advisory Council for Education to help shape the software’s development and share experience with peers. And ALT has shared system assets with other trusts, giving them a short cut to the same benefits.

Judicium Education and Griffin Schools Trust

Judicium Education HR’s partnership with Griffin Schools Trust (GST) demonstrates how a supplier-school collaboration can improve both operational effectiveness and the conditions for better learning. Over the last year, the partnership has helped GST move from fragmented HR arrangements and reactive casework to a more consistent, trust-wide people strategy. Together, we have standardised essential HR frameworks, introduced practical training and resources for leaders, supported a sensitive restructure, and enabled smoother onboarding when a new school joined the trust.

The impact has been felt by leaders, staff and schools across the trust. Heads now feel more confident managing people issues, access expert support earlier, and spend less time firefighting. Operational consistency has reduced complexity, improved compliance and strengthened leadership capacity. In turn, this has helped GST become a more mature organisation with stronger infrastructure to support staff development and pupil strategy.

As CEO Anne Powell explains: “Having better systems, processes and support in areas like HR has helped us become a more mature organisation, with a strong infrastructure – and that has helped our pupil strategy.”

Peters and Stanton Cross Primary School

In September 2025, Peters – leading specialist supplier of children’s books and furniture to schools and multi-academy trusts – gifted a brand-new school library to Stanton Cross Primary School in Northamptonshire, kickstarting a transformation of the school’s reading culture through a vibrant space that encourages a lifelong love of books.

Opened in memory of Ray Dyer, Peters’ former Managing Director, ‘Ray’s Library’ celebrates his life through inspiring a new generation of readers. Through donations by family, friends, Peters colleagues past and present as well as generous contributions from across the publishing and education sectors, funds were raised to install a whole new school library, and fill it with books.

Staff were seeking a new library that would inspire a love of reading and provide all pupils with equal access to a rich variety of books. Their new nature-themed library was designed by Peters’ in-house Interior Design and Furniture team, and Stanton Cross now have a library of more than 3000 books, including a wide range of fiction and non-fiction – making up a vibrant, inclusive and inspiring collection, with something for every pupil. Ray’s Library was officially opened on 18 September 2025 in a special ceremony led by Cressida Cowell.

SAM Learning and Leigh Academies Trust

Leigh Academies Trust, a leading multi-academy trust in Kent, Medway, and South East London, needed a seamless way to integrate Question Level Analysis (QLA) data into their systems. Managing this internally would have been too resource-intensive, so they partnered with SAM Learning to innovate a bespoke solution.

Recognising the importance of this initiative, SAM Learning recognised the importance of this initiative and agreed to innovate and collaborate, commencing the project to ensure a bespoke, tailored and effective resolution for the entire Trust’s module assessment data integration and analysis challenges. A collaborative approach ensured the solution aligned with trust-wide objectives.

The result was an innovative system that seamlessly integrates live QLA assessment data for analysis across all schools. The initiative successfully processed QLA data for up to 18,500 students providing:

• Simple, easy and stress free streamlined workflow
• Data-driven teaching
• Instant ability identify learning gaps
• Automatically set work in these gaps
• One click download of detailed exam analysis for students and parent

This partnership has not only solved a strategic challenge for Leigh Academies Trust but also set the stage for future innovations in data-driven education.

The Engagement Platform and Outwood Grange Academies Trust

Outwood Grange Academies Trust (OGAT) and The Engagement Platform (TEP) partnered to conduct and publish ground breaking research linking pupils’ sense of academic control (agency) to reading progress across 10,687 Year 7–9 pupils in 28 schools. The research, led by Professor John Jerrim of ImpactEd Group and UCL, found that pupils with high perceived academic control made approximately two months more progress in reading over a four-month period, even after controlling for prior attainment and demographics. The study also documented a consistent spring-term decline in agency – with Year 7 pupils experiencing the sharpest drop – giving schools a predictable intervention window. Published in January 2026, the findings have changed practice at OGAT: leaders now use TEP Agency scores as an early warning system, have revised Year 7 transition support, and monitor the spring decline proactively.

This collaboration is innovative in its scale, methodological rigour, and commitment to turning school data into peer-reviewed national evidence. It demonstrates how a school-supplier partnership can move beyond product use into genuine knowledge creation, advancing both pupil outcomes and sector understanding.

VESPA Academy and E-ACT

This entry showcases the collaborative partnerships between VESPA Academy and its school and university partners, developed during the 2025–26 academic year. The centrepiece is the trust-wide collaboration with E-ACT, operating across seven sixth forms in England. Rather than a standard supplier relationship, the partnership operates as a multi-layered, cyclical model: after each VESPA survey cycle, the team delivers individual student coaching reports, detailed academy-level analysis, and trust-wide strategic overviews, accompanied by direct leadership feedback sessions, staff CPD, and student workshops.

This collaborative approach extends across VESPA Academy’s wider partner network, including Manchester Metropolitan University, Coffs Harbour Senior College in Australia, Long Road Sixth Form College, and Peter Symonds College — each receiving tailored implementation support, bespoke reporting, and ongoing expert guidance adapted to their specific context.

The international dimension is exemplified by Coffs Harbour, where the VESPA team adapted the framework for the Australian HSC context and delivered training at midnight UK time to accommodate Australian staff. Across all partnerships, the model demonstrates a responsive, adaptive approach to supplier-school collaboration where both parties shape the ongoing development of the service.

Best Practice Network

Best Practice Network (BPN) has achieved sustained, high‑quality international growth, becoming the world’s leading provider of National Professional Qualifications (NPQs). Over the past four years, BPN has expanded delivery to more than 120 countries and now supports over 4,000 international participants annually. NPQ participation has risen sharply across all leadership levels – for example, NPQEL grew from 16 candidates in 2022 to 34 in 2025, NPQH from 194 to 531, NPQSL from 321 to 790, and NPQ SENCO from 0 to 209 between 2023 and 2025. This growth is underpinned by a DfE “Exceptional” rating and a trusted, school‑led delivery model that ensures local relevance and global consistency.

BPN’s export strategy centres on four pillars: scaling accredited programmes, using data‑driven market selection, forming strategic regional partnerships, and leveraging digital‑first delivery. International partnerships have expanded from 14 in 2022 to 47 by 2025, and participating school locations have grown from 768 to 2,113. Entry into new markets has been supported by accreditation‑based credibility, flexible programme design, and cultural contextualisation through partner schools.

Innovation -including digital learning technologies, diversified programmes, and strong quality assurance – has been critical to BPN’s global success. Testimonials and case studies further evidence BPN’s impact in international education.

Etio

In 2025, Etio delivered exceptional international growth, reinforcing its position as a leading global education consultancy. Operating across the UAE, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), the United States and more than 30 additional countries, Etio advanced its 2025-2030 strategy to become a proposition‑led, globally diversified organisation.

Etio achieved a major resurgence in the UAE, securing two flagship multi‑year contracts with SPEA and RAK DOK – significant wins in one of the world’s most competitive education markets. In KSA, Etio moved from market entry to embedded delivery, winning strategic Ministry‑aligned contracts, establishing a fully compliant local entity, and building a Saudi-led workforce that positions the organisation for long-term growth.

Despite sector-wide volatility in the US, Etio maintained all long-term contracts and increased market share, demonstrating resilience, disciplined investment and strong client relationships. Beyond core markets, Etio expanded its global reach through the International Student Barometer and secured a landmark partnership with UC Berkeley as sole administrators of the SERU Consortium.

Innovations – including AI-enabled school review, digital benchmarking tools and scalable product-led services – underpinned Etio’s export success. Alongside strategic partnerships with UCL and regional institutions, Etio has laid a strong foundation for sustained, globally impactful growth.

FlashAcademy®

FlashAcademy® is a digital English as an Additional Language (EAL) assessment platform and learning app supporting multilingual learners across schools worldwide. In 2025, the company strengthened its international presence through a clear export strategy, strong partnerships and continuous product development.

Working across the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Europe and South America, FlashAcademy® has expanded from individual school adoption to large-scale group partnerships. These include collaborations with leading international school groups, where the platform is now embedded across multiple schools to support consistent language development and progression tracking.

A key driver of this growth has been the ability to combine structured learning with integrated assessment, enabling schools to support multilingual learners more effectively while gaining clearer insight into progress. Innovations such as AI-assisted marking and admissions assessment have further strengthened the platform’s relevance in international markets.

FlashAcademy®’s approach is built on partnership, working closely with schools and groups to adapt to different curricula, regulatory environments and cultural contexts. This has enabled the company to establish a scalable and sustainable international model.

As demand for structured multilingual provision continues to grow, FlashAcademy® is well positioned to expand its global impact further.

Learning Resources

Learning Resources is a global educational toy company delivering sustained international success through a partnership‑led export strategy. In 2025, we achieved double‑digit export sales growth by combining educational credibility, innovative products and long‑term distributor partnerships to build strong, sustainable businesses across international markets.

Our approach focuses on category leadership, local execution and meaningful impact. At the heart of our international growth is a clear purpose: bringing learning to life for children, educators and families across diverse markets.

MathsWatch

MathsWatch’s international growth has been driven not by a formal export strategy or sales team, but by organic search and word of mouth. As an established resource in the UK, it is frequently discovered by teachers in British International Schools, many of whom have previously used the platform before moving overseas. This has led to strong adoption in regions such as the Middle East, where professional networks are closely connected and recommendations travel quickly.

Rather than targeting markets directly, MathsWatch has focused on responding to the needs of its users. When international schools required support for International GCSE specifications (IGCSE), the platform was adapted to align with those curricula. This approach ensures that development is guided by real classroom demand rather than commercial expansion goals.

Today, MathsWatch is used by a growing number of schools outside the UK, supported by a light-touch outreach programme that strengthens relationships with key international partners. The company does not rely on large-scale marketing or trade shows, instead benefiting from the trust built within the global British school community.

Ongoing expansion into Primary and Post-16 content reflects continued demand from international users, reinforcing a simple principle: effective teaching tools scale naturally across borders.

TTS

TTS is one of the world’s leading developers and exporters of curriculum-aligned educational resources, supplying over 80 countries across six continents from its UK headquarters in Nottinghamshire.

With over 40 years of innovation – including pioneering technologies such as the Bee-Bot programmable robot – TTS develops up to 400 new products annually spanning Early Years to early secondary education. Export sales now account for over 20% of total revenue, with a clear strategy to increase this to 40% within five years and expand into 100+ countries.

TTS operates through two key channels: British International Schools (currently supporting 1,000 of 4,000 globally) and government partnerships, including nationwide curriculum implementations in Sweden and Argentina.

All overseas trading flows through the UK, supporting 500+ employees and reinforcing Britain’s global reputation for educational excellence. Backed by robust ethical sourcing, digital transformation, and a growing international sales presence, TTS is driving sustainable export growth while helping governments and schools worldwide raise curriculum standards and improve student outcomes.

Sophie Bradley, Founder, Spike’s Sight Words

Spike’s Sight Words is a specialist leader in inclusive literacy, dedicated to supporting neurodiverse and reluctant learners through high-engagement, multi-sensory intervention. Founded by Sophie Wehbi-Bradley to bridge the gap left by traditional phonics, the resource transforms sight word mastery into an accessible, child-led activity that builds pupil confidence and independence.

Sophie consistently pushes the boundaries of what a micro-SME can achieve in the educational sector including transitioning from a conceptual idea to becoming a DfE-vetted Qualified Supplier within a remarkably short timeframe.

As a DfE-vetted Qualified Supplier and a 2026 Finalist for Primary Resource of the Year, Spike’s Sight Words has achieved rapid industry recognition for its specialist impact. By meeting the highest Ofsted standards for inclusive practice, the resource provides schools with a proven tool for delivering ‘high-quality support for all.’ Focused on providing low-intervention, high-impact literacy solutions, Spike’s Sight Words is committed to ensuring that every learner – regardless of their barriers to reading – can achieve success in their early literacy journey.

Victoria Edgar, Sales & Partnerships Director, Auris Tech / Fonetti

Victoria Edgar, Sales & Partnerships Director at Fonetti, is an exceptional rising leader whose journey is as inspiring as it is impactful. Progressing through every stage of the organisation, from Marketing Assistant to Director, she has helped shape Fonetti’s growth, culture and mission to transform children’s lives through reading.

Victoria was instrumental in the creation of the National Read Aloud Challenge, championing the importance of reading aloud as the foundation for confidence, fluency and oracy. Her instinct to place read-aloud at the heart of the initiative reflects both her product understanding and her unwavering belief in what truly changes outcomes for children.

Driven by her own experience of dyslexia, Victoria brings authenticity and empathy to her work. She connects powerfully with teachers, parents and pupils, turning her past challenges into a force for change. Her dyslexia is not a barrier, it is her superpower, shaping her passion for inclusive, confidence building literacy support.

Victoria leads with energy, purpose and heart, inspires colleagues, builds trusted relationships and consistently goes above and beyond.

She represents the very best of the next generation of EdTech leadership, bold, values driven, and deeply committed to ensuring every child can find their voice through reading.

Ryley Francis, Senior Field Engineer, eduthing

Ryley is one of the most promising young professionals we have had the privilege of working with. At just 19, he has already exceeded expectations and demonstrated exceptional maturity, ambition, and professionalism. We first met Ryley at 16 during an apprenticeship interview, where his curiosity and confidence immediately stood out. Although he initially chose a different opportunity, we maintained contact and later welcomed him to eduthing as his apprenticeship came to an end.

Despite no immediate vacancy, we recognised his potential and created an opportunity for him. After a short time on the service desk, Ryley transitioned into a field role, where his impact was immediate. Within four months, he was fast-tracked into a management position — a rare achievement reflecting his capability and leadership potential.

Ryley sets high standards, seeks to improve processes, and supports those around him. His leadership style is defined by enthusiasm, accountability, and a genuine commitment to team success. Feedback from colleagues and customers alike highlights his professionalism, work ethic, and ability to build strong relationships.

Ryley has made a significant impact, and his drive, integrity, and ambition mark him as a future leader.

Alex Gutteridge, Marketing Manager, National Foundation for Educational Research

Alex Gutteridge, Marketing Manager on the Product Marketing team at the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) exemplifies everything the BESA Rising Star Award seeks to celebrate: exceptional talent, fresh thinking, leadership potential, and a transformative impact on his organisation.

In just a few years at NFER, Alex has become a driving force for innovation, collaboration, and performance.

His contribution has been pivotal not only to the success of the marketing function but to the wider organisation, consistently demonstrating the values, initiative, and commitment that mark him as an outstanding emerging leader in the education sector.

Natalie Jubb, Policy and Public Affairs Lead, Digital Poverty Alliance

Natalie Jubb has been integral to the development and growth of the Digital Poverty Alliance. She is a leading voice on digital poverty policy and research in the UK, leveraging her unique and creative perspective to build a digitally inclusive future.

Natalie has created a meaningful impact on the culture and direction of the charity, starting as a volunteer and rising to Senior Policy, Operations, and Projects Officer, building the National Delivery and Advocacy Plan and working confidently alongside politicians and members of parliament to bring digital poverty to the forefront.   

Natalie brings a unique perspective to the Digital Poverty Alliance, always ensuring that recipients and participants of our programme are met with respect, dignity, and compassion. 

It is hard to capture how many lives Natalie has supported through her work, but she will undoubtedly reach great heights throughout her career. Her dedication, warmth, and passion is felt by all of those who meet or work with her.

Finola Kirrane, In-House Content and Design Specialist, Orso Publishing

Finola embodies everything it means to be rising star, demonstrating a tenacity for constant improvement and a track record of consistently strong results both personally and at the company level.

Since joining Orso Publishing as a fresh graduate in the summer of 2024, Finola has been a key driving force behind our fast and continued growth, going above and beyond to improve our services both internally and externally. She wears all the hats that are required of a small-company employee, whilst also seeking out new and ever-larger hats of her own.

Highlights of Finola’s short time in the industry have included successfully leading a public tender bid worth nearly £70,000, and revolutionising our internal design processes despite no formal training in this area.

Beyond this, she has also been a key part of growing a strong and vibrant company culture, and she has done all of this with unrelenting humilitiy – always being the first to ask for feedback and the last to take credit on any team project.

Jamie Livingston, School Estates & Sustainability Mentor, iAM Compliant

Jamie Livingston didn’t begin his career advising schools on sustainability. He started as a school caretaker, unlocking gates and fixing faults. From there, he worked his way through various estates roles before becoming an Estates and Sustainability Lead in a multi-academy trust.

That background shapes the way he works today. As School Estates & Sustainability Mentor at iAM Compliant, Jamie supports hundreds of schools and trusts navigating the growing expectations around sustainability and climate action. His focus is always the same: turning complex guidance into practical steps that busy school teams can actually implement.

Jamie also helps shape how sustainability support is delivered across the sector. He’s contributed to tools that help schools develop structured Climate Action Plans and understand concepts such as Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions. Alongside this, he regularly shares his knowledge through webinars, sector articles and events.

What makes Jamie really stand out is his practical approach. He meets schools where they are, helping them recognise the progress they’re already making and builds from there.

Through that work, Jamie is helping schools move forward with confidence on their sustainability journey.

Phoebe Ng, Co-founder/Head of Marketing, Excelas

Phoebe Ng is the Co-founder/Head of Marketing at Excelas, where she operates as a “technical translator” bridging the gap between complex Vertical AI and the classroom. Joining as the company’s first commercial hire, Phoebe architected a “human-first” GTM strategy that delivered a 227% increase in organic website traffic and a 34x rise in search impressions in just six months.

Her work championed the concept of “ethical translation,” directly supporting the deployment of an AI marking tool that has now processed over 100,000 student questions, returning thousands of hours of capacity to teachers. Beyond her commercial impact, Phoebe is a published researcher (presenting at the 9th World Conference on Teaching and Education) and the founder of “Coffee, Croffles & Careers,” a community initiative dedicating to mentoring underrepresented talent in the corporate world.

Findel – Customer Experience Team

The Customer Experience Team at Findel is the driving force behind the organisation’s market‑leading reputation for service across the education sector. Made up of dedicated colleagues in Customer Service, Accounts Receivable, Telephone Sales, Customer Experience and Insight, the team brings exceptional expertise, with many members serving over two decades. This depth of experience creates a culture rooted in care, consistency, and genuine connection to customers.

Their commitment to excellence is reflected in outstanding advocacy from schools, nurseries, and educators across the UK and internationally, who frequently praise the team for being helpful, knowledgeable and consistently going above and beyond. Initiatives such as the Customer Delight programme demonstrate the team’s passion for creating memorable experiences; from thoughtful gestures to proactive support that exceeds expectations.

Beyond day‑to‑day service, the team leads Customer Connections Count, a business‑wide programme that strengthens customer understanding across all roles, and produces the Educ8 insights newsletter to keep the organisation closely aligned to sector trends. The team also actively supports local schools and charities through volunteering and community initiatives, reflecting Findel’s values in action.

The Customer Experience Team exemplifies what it means to be customer‑centred, values‑driven, and relentlessly committed to raising standards across the industry.

Learn French With Alexa

At Learn French With Alexa, our team is proof of the effectiveness of close collaboration and of taking everyone’s ideas, suggestions and values into account. Each of us is involved to some extent in each company process, from content creation and planning to marketing and customer support and outreach. We’re actively involved in our community, providing tireless support and direction for thousands of paying customers each year, as well as our millions of followers across social media and YouTube. And that’s one reason why over the past year we’ve nearly doubled our number of testimonials on Trustpilot, with an average score of 4.8 stars across 583 reviews, a rating unparalleled in the world of online French education.

We’ve exceeded targets year on year, with 2025 seeing our best fiscal performance, thanks to the energy and innovation that come as a result of attentive teamwork and mutual support. 2026 is off to a strong start, and as a team we look forward to another year of growth and innovation.

myHappymind

myHappymind is a purpose-driven team on a mission to give every child the tools to thrive mentally and emotionally for life. Founded in 2016 with four people, the organisation has grown to 31, scaling impact without compromising the values and culture that define it.

The team is united by a single, passionate belief: that every child deserves to thrive mentally and emotionally. Today that belief reaches more than 2,000 schools across the UK, equipping children, teachers and families with the tools to build resilience, confidence and emotional literacy.

Behind this impact is a collaborative, values-led culture shaped by our BRICKS values, guiding how we work, support one another and deliver impact every day.

Many team members are former teachers whose lived experience informs everything from product design to customer support. As a certified B Corp, we place equal importance on wellbeing and performance, offering flexible working, structured development pathways, private healthcare and an annual pro bono fund empowering every employee to drive social impact.

Recognised with the King’s Award for Innovation, Bett Transformational Impact Award, BESA Evidence Impact Award and The Times Best Places to Work 2025, the myHappymind team remains united by one shared passion: transforming children’s mental health.

Orso Publishing – In-House Content Team

Orso’s content team has fast become a secret weapon behind some of the best and most widely-used learning resources being made today.

Our small but talented team of multimedia specialists, comprised entirely of academically trained STEM specialists, uses a non-hierarchical and collaborative approach to ensure we get the best out of every project, no matter the size or complexity.

Whether it’s writing, animating and producing award-winning videos for BBC Bitesize, or collaborating with White Rose Education to deliver an ambitious and game-changing cross-specification GCSE curriculum, the same things remain true – we put the client’s needs at the forefront and we go out of our way to do things right first time, every time.

Rethink Maths – Founding Team

Rethink Maths was founded in 2025 by six experienced education leaders who made the bold decision to leave secure senior roles to build a new organisation dedicated to improving mathematics education.

Led by Caroline Hamilton and Tony Staneff, the team also includes Mary-Kate Connolly, James Lansdale-Clegg, Kate Henshall and Kat Martin. Every member has taken a significant personal risk because of their shared passion for mathematics education.

The team works around five core missions: Foundations, Confidence, Inclusion, Real-world and Teaching, underpinned by shared values of kindness, hard work, collaboration, integrity and excellence.

In its first year, the team set ambitious targets for revenue, funding and community engagement. Within eight months of launching, Rethink Maths significantly exceeded these goals, demonstrating strong demand for its work and building a rapidly growing community of engaged educators. The organisation has also secured contracts with the Victorian Department of Education in Australia and funding from The Richmond Project to trial an innovative early mathematics programme designed to strengthen children’s number understanding from the earliest stages of education.

Through deep collaboration, inclusive design and innovative development methods, the team is delivering high-quality mathematics solutions that support teachers and improve outcomes for learners globally.

Robin Education

Robin is an AI‑powered website compliance and policy audit tool for schools and trusts. It removes a time‑consuming, error‑prone administrative burden – giving staff back time, confidence and control.

Launched in June 2024, Robin has scaled rapidly: 180 MATs now subscribe (that’s 2,300+ schools) saving on average 40 hours per school, per year.

Behind this is a small, but highly experienced team of ten, with deep sector knowledge from The Key, GovernorHub, Arbor and volunteering as governors or trustees. This shared understanding of the pressures schools and trusts face has shaped a product – and a partnership model – that genuinely meets the sector’s needs.

Together the team has:

• Exceeded their targets across growth, retention and customer satisfaction
• Delivered continuous innovation that directly improves outcomes for schools
• Created a culture of collaboration and relentless customer focus
• Earned exceptional testimonials that consistently praise not just the product, but the people behind it

Most importantly, Robin has changed how schools manage compliance: saving time, reducing workload and giving leaders confidence and clarity.

“Robin isn’t just a great product; it’s a great team delivering meaningful change for schools.” Director of Operations, Advance Learning Partnership

stylus

stylus is a team of twelve – half of whom are qualified teachers – that has built and scaled an AI-powered writing assessment service from concept to market leader in under eighteen months. Now serving over 110 schools across 30 multi-academy trusts, the team’s cross-functional approach organises work around six missions rather than departments, meaning everyone contributes to the whole picture.

Two defining moments illustrate the team’s character. First, the MATPN conference: offered the headline slot previously held by Google with six weeks’ notice, the entire team mobilised to deliver a full rebrand, a working product prototype, and a keynote that generated 41 trust expressions of interest before the CEO left the stage. Second, the Easter wave: when those trusts converted simultaneously, every team member shifted roles to manage record volumes – 6,807 papers in seven weeks – while maintaining quality standards and delivering a major product improvement that reduced human editing by 70%.

The team holds two DfE Contracts for Innovation, BESA Startup of the Year 2025, and three BETT 2026 shortlists. As one team member puts it: “Humanity centred, not tech centred. All hands on deck and working for each other.”

The Literacy Company

The Literacy Company is a collaborative and highly skilled team dedicated to improving literacy outcomes for schools across the country. We combine deep curriculum expertise with innovative product development, delivering high‑quality programmes, consultancy and training that strengthen teaching and build staff confidence. This year we supported more schools than ever, reflecting the impact of our work and the trust placed in our team.

We expanded our digital tools, strengthened our subscription model and enhanced customer experience, ensuring our resources remain practical, clear and responsive to the needs of teachers and pupils. Our work is grounded in evidence, supported by new research partnerships with the Education Endowment Foundation and Oxford Measure Ed and shaped by continuous school feedback.

Our team has delivered impact at scale, including an 18‑month Department for Education contract in Halton that led to measurable improvements in teaching practice, pupil outcomes and whole‑school consistency. We also demonstrated exceptional adaptability when severe weather required a major LA wide training event to be redesigned and delivered online within 24 hours.

We invest in our people through expanded roles, professional development and a culture of trust. This ensures we remain forward‑thinking, motivated and able to support schools with clarity and confidence.

Emily Bell, Head of Schools Relationships, Hachette Learning

Emily Bell is a leader who has a real impact on global teacher development. As Head of Schools Relationships at Hachette Learning, she understands what schools need and ensures they get it. Wherever educators are in the world, she provides high-quality professional development. As an ex-teacher, Emily’s leadership is grounded in education while strengthened by her commercial understanding, and further amplified by her capacity to build strong, trusting relationships with partners across diverse international contexts.

Kat Cauchi, Community Engagement Manager, NetSupport

Kat is a strong advocate for women and girls in education and technology. As NetSupport’s Community Engagement Manager, her initiatives – such as the Her Tech Life podcast and R.I.S.E. magazine – amplify women’s voices, tackling topics like menopause and workplace wellbeing.

Kat’s impact extends beyond her workplace. She actively supports organisations like the Global Equality Collective, delivers tech career assemblies with InnovateHer, and mentors women through TechUP. As Chair of BESA’s Women’s Educational Suppliers Network, she supports women’s professional growth and provides a welcoming forum for everyone to share their knowledge and experiences.

Her research on teaching’s impact on personal relationships sparked discussions across the sector, while her public speaking at events like Bett UK and the We Are GLOBAL Women’s conference demonstrate her confidence in sharing her message.

A role model for aspiring women in tech, Kat engages with schools to share her journey and lend encouragement. She always celebrates others’ achievements, elevating and supporting women wherever she can!

Dawn Hallybone, COO, 2Simple

For over 30 years, Dawn Hallybone has played a pivotal role in education, spanning classroom teaching, school leadership, local authority consultancy, governance, and now executive leadership in EdTech. It’s this breadth of experience, underpinned by a clear and consistent sense of purpose, that sets her apart.

At 2Simple, she leads strategy and operations with a sharp focus on what works for teachers and children, while supporting those around her to thrive. She has served on the Executive Council of BESA for six years, helping shape the UK EdTech sector. As the only primary representative on the ETAG advisory group and a TES Innovator of the Year finalist, she has championed curriculum-led technology before it became standard practice.

Dawn built her career in spaces where female leadership was rare and chose to step forward. She continues to do so through the Women in EdTech mentoring circle at Bett, demonstrating that it’s possible to move from the classroom to board level without compromising your values.

For her leadership, sector impact, and commitment to championing women in education, Dawn Hallybone is a deserving recipient of the Women in Education Award.

Jane Mann, Managing Director, Partnership for Education and Education Director, International Education Group, Cambridge University Press & Assessment

Jane Mann is the Managing Director of the Partnership for Education and Education Director in the International Education Group at Cambridge University Press & Assessment.

Jane has worked in the educational sector for nearly three decades, advising on, implementing and managing programmes of system-level change and improvement, across diverse contexts, including Education in Emergencies. She has worked with ministries of education, government agencies, non-governmental organisations, donor agencies and educational organisations to support large-scale system transformation through to targeted specific interventions.

Jane has also worked outside the education sector, advising and consulting on regulatory frameworks, trade publishing strategy, communications and process redesign. She has been a speaker at events such as the Education World Forum, London Book Fair, Transforming Education Summit (UNGA77), Global Online Learning Alliance and the Global Education Summit, is a member of the Centre for the Study of Global Human Movement (University of Cambridge) and a Salzburg Global Seminar Fellow, and is also a member of the BESA Executive Council.

Jane champions the role of women in the industry, builds high impact teams, and advocates for quality education for all.

Helen Newies, Director of Product and Services, Maths Circle

Helen Newies is a highly respected leader at Maths Circle Ltd (TT Rock Stars and NumBots), whose work has strengthened both the organisation and the wider education community. Through thoughtful leadership and a clear focus on impact, she has helped shape a supportive team culture while guiding the development of products used by millions of pupils worldwide.

Helen plays a key role in strategy, recruitment and product development, ensuring that every innovation is grounded in what will genuinely help teachers and support children’s learning. She has led major projects including improvements to the Times Tables Rock Stars platform and the development of MTC Mode to support schools preparing for the Multiplication Tables Check.

Beyond the organisation, Helen regularly speaks with educators and students, including at industry events and school visits, while actively supporting women in edtech through mentoring, advocacy and her involvement in BESA’s Women in Tech network.

Dr. Ona Newton, Founder, RLKids and CEO, Tobams Group

Dr. Ona Newton is a visionary education leader and innovator driving inclusive, technology-enabled learning across global communities. With over 26 years of experience, she has led the design and implementation of scalable education initiatives that integrate artificial intelligence, adaptive learning, and values-based education to improve access and outcomes for learners.

Since 2018, her work has focused on developing and expanding impactful solutions, including AI-enabled learning ecosystems, a growing library of over 140 educational resources, and talent development platforms that connect young people to training, mentorship, and global opportunities. Through strategic partnerships with schools, NGOs, and community organisations across 14+ countries, her initiatives have reached over 100,000 learners, particularly in underserved communities.

Dr. Newton is also a passionate advocate for women and youth empowerment. Through her outreach programmes, she has supported over 5,000 girls with education, confidence-building, and leadership development initiatives.

Her work is defined by a commitment to equity, innovation, and sustainability, combining technology with human-centred design to create lasting impact. Dr. Newton continues to influence education systems by championing inclusive practices and demonstrating how AI can be harnessed to personalise learning and expand opportunity for all.

Lana Stoyles, Executive Director, Nexus Multi Academy Trust

Lana Stoyles, Executive Director Nexus Multi Academy Trust, is the person you want in the room when it matters. She started her career in education as a Finance Officer and has seen, first hand, how decisions land in real schools. Budgets under strain and the reality that every pound has a pupil behind it. That perspective shapes how she leads.

Lana joined Nexus MAT in 2022 and changed the way we think commercially. She was instrumental in Nexus MAT securing our Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply accreditation. The first Multi Academy Trust to have received the accreditation and Lana can take sole credit for this achievement.

Lana Stoyles is a powerful role model for women and all those in education business leadership. She mentors, encourages and makes room at the table and backs people to take it. She shows that you can be exacting and kind. Commercially sharp and deeply human. She has changed how colleagues in our Trust, and beyond, see procurement and commerciality within the education system. She is a pioneer in the education space and a powerful example of the difference women can make when they lead with both expertise and heart.

eduthing

In 2025, we were proud to be recognised by BESA as a Best Place to Work, but we see this not as a finish line, rather a reflection of our ongoing commitment to building a positive, supportive and high-performing workplace.

Over the past year, we have continued to evolve our people strategy to support significant growth, welcoming 73 new colleagues, achieving 35 internal promotions and completing two acquisitions. Despite this, our voluntary staff turnover remains low at 10%, well below sector benchmarks, demonstrating the strength and stability of our culture.

Our approach is guided by four core values: Ownership, Pride, Care and Respect, which shape every stage of the employee experience. We have invested heavily in professional development through dedicated self-development days, funded training and clearer career pathways, alongside strengthening our continuous performance and feedback approach.

Employee wellbeing remains a priority, with enhanced healthcare, income protection and accessible support through a dedicated benefits platform. We have also improved communication through our BambooHR Employee Community, enabling stronger connection and engagement across the business.

By listening to our people and investing in their growth, wellbeing and success, we continue to create an environment where individuals feel valued, supported and empowered to thrive.

Findel Education

At Findel, our people are at the heart of everything we do. We strive to create an inclusive, supportive and energising workplace where colleagues feel valued, empowered and able to thrive. Our Great Place to Work results reflect this, with a 77% Trust Index® and 80% Perception score, alongside our repeat recognition as one of the UK’s Top 100 Large Companies to Work For.

Colleague development is a core priority, supported through our Findel Development Hub, a central ecosystem offering accessible learning tools, professional pathways and leadership insight. Resources such as U’Learn, iHasco, T2 Hub, our Development Guide and PRINT psychometrics enable colleagues to grow skills, reflect on behaviours and build long term careers.

Wellbeing is deeply embedded in our culture, through hybrid working, refurbished collaborative workspaces, outdoor areas and proactive support including mental health initiatives, annual health checks and 24/7 access to Help@hand.

We celebrate contributions through varied recognition programmes and celebrate long service awards, ensuring colleagues feel appreciated and seen.

Purpose is central to life at Findel. We encourage regular colleague volunteering and bring our impact to life through the Findel Foundation, which provides meaningful support to children and young people and inspires pride across our organisation.

Learning Resources

Learning Resources is a family owned educational toy company recognised as one of the UK’s best places to work, with a workplace culture built on trust, inclusion and shared purpose. We are Great Place to Work® Certified™ and ranked #40 among the UK’s Best Workplaces™ for small organisations, with 100% of UK employees saying Learning Resources is a great place to work.

Professional growth, wellbeing and work life balance are embedded into everyday working life, supported by a positive working environment and a strong sense of community. Recognition is part of how we work, with shared celebrations, team events and moments of connection.

Ultimately, this culture enables our people to bring learning to life every day. By supporting and empowering our teams, we are better able to deliver on our mission to support parents, families and educators worldwide with high quality educational resources that make a meaningful difference to children’s learning.

The Dryad Education Group

At Dryad Education Group, creativity begins with people. As a leading supplier of art, design and technology materials to schools, the company believes that inspiring creativity in education starts with creating a workplace where employees feel valued, trusted and empowered.

Guided by the values of Respect, Pride and Courage, Dryad has built a culture centred on collaboration, transparency and shared purpose. Employees are encouraged to contribute ideas, shape the direction of the business and take ownership of their work through open communication, regular development reviews and supportive leadership.

Employee wellbeing and professional growth are key priorities. Flexible working, wellbeing support and funded professional development help ensure staff have the resources to thrive both personally and professionally.

Dryad’s commitment to people extends beyond the workplace through community initiatives and charitable partnerships that employees actively support.

By combining a strong sense of purpose with a supportive and inclusive culture, Dryad Education Group has created an environment where employees feel proud to belong and motivated to help inspire creativity in education.

Widgit Software

As a Certified B Corp, Widgit prioritises people and the planet, championing integrity, kindness, and quality in all that they do. Their people-first culture ensures staff feel empowered to achieve their full potential, with growth, connection, and wellbeing at the heart of the employee journey.

From personal development plans to further education and training opportunities, all individuals are given equal opportunities to expand their professional horizons. With support offered to ‘Widgiteers’ through every stage of life, a dedicated staff handbook of industry-leading policies promotes a thriving work-life balance, where staff and their families feel fulfilled and supported both inside and outside of work.

With its vibrant staff-led community, Widgit’s Culture Club brings staff members together to celebrate their collective achievements, whether through company socials, games nights, or their infamous buffet spreads (and not forgetting the Widgit Book Club)! Their Charity Committee also ensures time is given back to the community through company-wide volunteer days, and that their annual charity budget of £10K is donated to causes they care about.

Bolstered by private medical care, access to health and wellbeing support, and inclusive compassionate policies, Widgit has created a nurturing workplace where everyone feels respected, empowered, and truly at home.

Kim Antoniou, Founder and CEO, Auris Tech / Fonetti

Kim Antoniou is a visionary founder and inspirational leader driving meaningful change in education through innovation, collaboration, and purpose. As Founder and CEO of Auris Tech, she has led the development of patented Automatic Speech Recognition technology designed specifically to support reading, helping to improve fluency, confidence, and literacy outcomes.

Inspired by her own children’s challenges with reading, Kim refused to accept limitations and instead brought together leading experts, including collaboration with the University of Edinburgh, to pioneer a new approach to literacy support.

Alongside this, she co-founded Kafoodle, successfully building and scaling the business through to acquisition, demonstrating her ability to lead and deliver across multiple sectors.

Known for her relatable and down to earth leadership style, Kim is deeply committed to her team, creating an environment where people are empowered to grow, lead, and succeed. She is also a passionate advocate for collaboration across education, business, and policy.

Through initiatives such as the National Read Aloud Challenge and the Future Ready Conference, Kim continues to inspire collective action, champion innovation, and work towards a future where every child has the opportunity to become a confident reader.

Simon Hill, Managing Director, YPO

Simon Hill has been the driving force behind the continuing growth and success of YPO during the past 15 years. Since he joined one of the UK’s largest public-sector buying organisations as managing director in 2011, Simon has remained dedicated to helping schools and public sector bodies get the most from their squeezed resources.

He has transformed YPO from an organisation known primarily for providing classroom supplies to one that can offer schools everything they need, from exercise books to maintenance frameworks.

The impact is felt far beyond YPO’s founder, authority owners, and associate members, who receive an annual dividend. YPO’s loyalty scheme has handed millions of pounds back to schools and MATs, and Simon has founded charity partnerships, including one that has raised a six-figure sum for the NSPCC.

He has championed sustainability and communities by focusing on working with SMEs in procurement and helped 120 young people into the workplace through the YPO apprenticeship scheme he launched in 2011. Simon is enthusiastic about his role within the community and is in great demand as a speaker. He has been on BESA’s Executive Council for more than nine years and served as chair in 2023-2024.

Ilesh Kotecha, Founder and CEO, Technical One

Ilesh Kotecha is the founder and CEO of two symbiotic ventures in education: Technical One Ltd (focused on EdTech development) and the award-winning Eleven Plus Exams Tuition Ltd (tuition providers). Ilesh’s goal has always been to provide clarity and exceptional educational resources for students and educators, especially those preparing for UK selective senior school entrance examinations.

Technical One has created in-person and online 11+ tuition courses serving thousands of students, over 70 11+ preparation books, hundreds of 11+ mock exams, and a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). Ilesh’s companies’ success is evident, with over 90% of Eleven Plus Exams Tuition’s students securing their first or second school choice each year, including notable success in super-selective schools.

Having attended five UK universities, including both Oxford and Cambridge, and having lectured at two of them, Ilesh is passionate about education, be it post-graduates at a business school or primary-age children preparing for their entrance exams.

Ilesh is recognised as a thought leader in the EdTech sector and Technical One continues to innovate in the world of 11+ tutoring with its comprehensive resources and services, and its commitment to measurable outcomes.

Chris Mahady, CEO, Findel

Chris Mahady is an inspirational leader who has demonstrated a clear vision for the future, inspiring others and driving meaningful change not only at Findel, but within the wider education sector.

His commitment to a supportive, inclusive, and collaborative environment has had a lasting impact on his organisation, the community, and industry.

Through his leadership, he has created a company culture where people thrive, and education continues to evolve and improve ensuring Findel remains focused on its mission of ‘growing education for generations’.

Chris’s dedication to both the personal and professional growth and genuine care of his team, alongside his drive for innovation and positive change, makes him an outstanding nominee for Inspirational Leader of the Year.

Patrick McGrath, Head of Education, Everway (formerly Texthelp)

Patrick (Paddy) McGrath, Head of Education Strategy for EMEA at Everway (formerly Texthelp), is an inspirational leader who turns vision into measurable, scalable impact – across his team, his organisation, and the wider education sector.

In the past year, he has not only driven significant growth but led the adoption of AI-powered approaches that are transforming how his team works and how schools implement inclusive technology – streamlining processes, increasing efficiency, and improving outcomes at scale. His work is now influencing ways of working across the wider business, with his strategies adopted as blueprints by other departments.

Patrick has built one of the highest-performing teams in the organisation, leading in efficiency, sales performance, and retention – while maintaining a culture rooted in trust, wellbeing, and continuous development.

A passionate advocate for inclusion, he works with governments, policymakers, and industry partners to shape more accessible education systems. Beyond Everway, he mentors emerging leaders and edtech entrepreneurs, extending his impact across the sector and leaving a lasting positive impression on all those he meets.

Combining strategic clarity, innovation, and genuine care for people, Patrick McGrath is not just an outstanding leader, but a standout candidate for the Inspirational Leader Award.

Alexa Polidoro, Co-Owner and Creative Director, Learn French With Alexa

If anyone has shaped the contours of online French education over the past two decades, it is Alexa Polidoro. Having taught French locally and online for the past thirty years, Alexa positioned herself at the forefront of the wave of French YouTube content creators in the early 2010s, and has amassed millions of fans and followers on YouTube, social media and in her meticulous, engaging online courses.

Learning French used to be a matter of rote memory and battling through textbooks. Having reimagined French education as something both exciting and engaging, and beguiled countless learners with her inimitable, quirky personality, Alexa’s influence is recognised far and wide. She has been cited as a top French resource in countless sources, from The Telegraph and The Times to The Sun and Connexion. As of this year, she has been in higher demand than ever for partnerships, collaborations and speaking opportunities. But her influence also extends to actions that haven’t always been acknowledged, such as the abundant free resources she released during COVID, the many opportunities she has provided for work experience and tuition in the local area, and her fastidious commitment to building networks and friendships across the online French education ecosystem.