Hello, good morning, everyone.
It is wonderful to be here today and thank you so much for inviting me to speak. Before I go any further, I want to congratulate Bett on their 40th anniversary.
That really is a remarkable achievement. 4 decades of promoting technology to support teachers and drive better outcomes for students.
And our thriving edtech market is proof of how important this is, with more than 1000 businesses across the UK.
So a huge thank you to everyone at Bett, not just for bringing us all together today, but for the 40 years of hard work linking technology and education.
And it’s that hugely exciting relationship, technology and education, that I want to talk about today.
Because this government sees the potential of technology to drive growth and power our public services.
It’s a central part of our mission led government and our Plan for Change.
The Prime Minister said last week that AI is ‘a force for change that will transform the lives of working people for the better.’
Keir gets it. I get it.
That’s because we know the true value of harnessing technology to better the life chances of working people to improve their living standards, to unlock the freedom to achieve their aspirations.
Yesterday, the Secretary of State Science, Innovation and Technology set out a vision for a modern digital government, a government that uses technology to deliver personalised public services that actually work for working people.
The world of even 5 years ago is gone forever – already a lost, obsolete age.
And now we must help shape what’s to come.
AI poses challenges, of course it does. Safety will be key.
And each great moment of technological change throughout history comes with some fears for an unfamiliar future.
But I know AI will be a positive, radical, modernising force for good in the lives of working people.
I see far more opportunities to be gained than lost,
far more benefits than costs,
far more hope than fear.
Hope for a brighter future for our children – delivered by a digital revolution in education.
School leaders agree – more than two thirds say edtech has helped children achieve more in the classroom.
I will take up this great new technological era to modernise our education system, to back our teachers and to deliver for our children across the country.
This government is on a mission to bring down the barriers to opportunity, to cut that unfair link that runs from background to success.
Every reform, every policy, every decision, all of it, is to give each and every child that opportunity to succeed.
That’s why our Plan for Change sets a milestone of a record proportion of children starting school ready to learn.
Tech can power the future of learning when children get to school.
But first we must close the digital divide. Because at the moment tech is delivering new incredible opportunities for some children, whilst others are left disconnected.
So we’re acting decisively to support all schools.
We recently launched new digital service called Plan Technology for Your School.
It’ll help schools make the big decisions about what technology to buy and how to use it properly.
And our Connect the Classroom programme has reached almost one and a half million pupils already.
Working in partnership with more than 3700 schools, we have funded new wireless networks so that kids can get online safely, securely and at high speed.
Technology could do so much for so many children. Artificial intelligence, virtual reality, adaptive learning. They are breaking down barriers and lifting up life chances.
And the evidence is there for all to see. The Education Endowment Foundation found that digital tech in the classroom can accelerate learning by two to three months, and we’ll build on that to make sure that the use of tech in our classrooms is based firmly on the most accurate evidence. Firmly on what the latest neuroscience tells us about how children learn.
This is just the beginning. As edtech continues to grow and grow, so will its impact and we want to work with you to take this incredible opportunity and deliver the very best education imaginable for our children.
But to see how, let’s return to the fundamentals. Think back to your time at school, about the time when you learned something, when you felt that magical spark of connection.
If your memories are like mine, the buildings, the textbooks, the tables and chairs, they mostly melt away.
What remains is the teachers.
The ones who inspired us, whose classrooms were happy, places where learning came alive.
I was lucky enough to have my former Spanish teacher Miss Haq introduce me at Labour Party conference last year and that meant the world to me.
Because the best teachers become part of who we are as adults and Miss Haq is a part of me.
Why? Because at its heart, teaching is a deeply human relationship. It’s a flash of connection, a light pass from teacher to pupil, person to person, generation to generation.
It’s a relationship that existed before there were iPads or AI. Before Ofsted or exam boards before schools or even Education Secretaries.
It goes right back to our earliest days as humans. Everything in education that has come since, everything that’s delivered to the children it is sought to support, that deeply special relationship between the teacher and the taught.
And we’ll do the same with this new, exciting wave of technology to drive high and rising standards as a modernising force across education.
So here’s my vision for the future.
A system in which each and every child gets a top class education, backed by evidence based tech and nurtured by inspiring teachers.
A system in which teachers are set free by AI and other technologies, less marking, less planning, less form filling.
A system in which their drive, their energy, their passion, is fully focused on delivering change for children.
We’re deploying AI to make that vision a reality, recognising it as the game changer that it is.
It’s happening already. Over two thirds of those using generative AI in education say it’s having a positive impact.
And we’re going further.
Last week I announced that £1 million of funding has been awarded to 16 developers to help teachers with marking and tailored feedback for students.
And my department continues to support the Oak National Academy, whose AI lesson assistant is helping teachers to plan personalised high quality lessons in minutes.
And for children, that means more attention, higher standards, better life chances. For teachers, less paperwork, lower stress, fewer drains on their valuable time.
Using AI to reduce work or help unlock the recruitment and retention crisis that we face, so that once again teaching can be a profession that sparks joy, not burnout.
Where teachers can focus on what really matters, teaching our children.
But not just teachers. We need to support leaders and finance professionals in schools too.
That’s what DfE connect is all about. A one stop shop for leaders and administrators. It’s already helping academies to manage their finances, and we’ve just released new features that will help them understand and access new funding.
I’m making sure that tech we use in our schools is safe.
So I’m delighted to announce a new set of big tech backed AI safety expectations, outlining how AI tools can be used safely in schools.
We’re also updating our policy position on AI, giving schools and colleges the clarity and encouragement on how to use AI in the classroom.
We’ve appointed Chiltern Learning trust to develop online resources to support the safe and effective use of AI for teachers, teaching assistance and leaders.
We’re also investing in finding what works and spreading it.
So I’m thrilled to announce that we are moving ahead with our Edtech Evidence Board. We’ve appointed the Chartered College of Teaching, who are here today to explore how we assess the effectiveness of tech products for the classroom.
It’s not about finding superficial shortcuts at the expense of genuine learning. It’s about using tech in ways that really works for children.
I’m excited about the difference this new age of edtech can make for children with special educational needs and disabilities.
I understand that for many children, edtech isn’t just a nice to have. It’s fundamental to their learning.
That’s why my department has designed and delivered training sessions on assistive technology, in schools, and it’s why it’ll become part of national training for all new teachers in 2025.
Leaders have told us that the effective use of this type of technology can have a huge impact not just on academic results but on children’s confidence in the classroom team.
It’s so important that we get this right for children with SEND.
So we are commissioning brand new research to see how different agencies can best come together to encourage schools to use assistive technology as effectively as possible.
Edtech and support teachers and drive high and rising standards for all of our children and young people.
First we need to get our kids back into school because we face an absence epidemic.
One in five children are persistently absent, missing a day every other week.
But we’re arming schools with the very best data.
Our View Your Education data tool gives schools, trusts and local authorities the insight that they need to turn the tide on absence.
And I’m pleased to announce that every secondary school, trust and local authority in the country can now view, download and share a new attendance data summary.
But ultimately, our absence epidemic signals a crisis of belonging. Far too many children feel that they simply don’t belong in school.
So it goes back to that precious relationship between teachers and students.
Let’s not forget teachers don’t just transmit knowledge and skills. They’re role models.
They shape values, they build belonging, and that’s why edtech is so exciting and so powerful. Because it will help deliver a new era of learning and revitalise that bond between teacher and pupil.
40 years ago, back in 1985, when Madonna was getting into the groove and Bett had only just begun, no one could have predicted the edtech of 2025.
And there’s no way to know what the next 40 years will bring for AI and beyond.
But my hope is that in 2065 the teacher pupil bond will be stronger than ever.
Because that’s why I’m here today, standing in front of you. Once a shy girl from a council street in the north-east of England, now the Secretary of State for Education.
Because my teachers lit that fire of learning in me.
Our task now is to capture the power of technology. To place it at the centre of mission led government and our Plan for Change.
To connect schools, to support teachers and to light that same fire for all of our children.
Thank you very much.
