DfE 20

 

DfE need to stop publishing bullshit reports

Over the last 10 years I have read most of the edtech ‘reports’ commissioned by the DfE. The latest, Assessment of the education technology market in England, was published in June. Commissioned from PUBLIC, a govtech consultancy founded in 2017 by Daniel Korski (David Cameron’s former Deputy Head of Policy) and Alexander de Carvalho (Heineken […]

2 months ago Uncategorized More
 

The SATs FUBAR – the gift that keeps on giving

Five years ago I wrote about what a disaster the National Tutoring Programme was, especially in its first iteration under the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF). I found myself musing on it again this week, watching the angst over Pearson’s admission that it will deliver this year’s KS2 SATs results nine days late (16 instead of […]

2 months ago Education More
 

I was wrong about the DfE & ICO

Ever since Labour came to power there have been endless headlines about “two-tier justice”. But the reality is that we’ve had not just two-tier justice but an entirely two-track system of tech regulation, for far longer. Back in 2023 I drafted a piece about a huge data and cyber failure at the DfE that should […]

2 months ago Education More
 

The meow of a toothless tiger

Edtech is under attack from every direction but sadly some of the criticism does not go far enough. Similarly, some of the bodies I normally have little regard for are doing some good work. Such is the case with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and England’s Department for Education (DfE). I have previously written […]

2 months ago Education More
 

Agentic AI

The Disruption Edtech Didn’t See Coming A recent piece by Dr Nick Jackson stopped me mid-scroll with a single sentence: “an education institution is not just a classroom.” It’s an obvious observation, but in the context of agentic AI it cuts to something the current edtech discourse keeps missing. Almost all of the debate about […]

4 months ago Education More
 

AI tutors and ‘Le mieux est l’ennemi du bien’ or how perfect is the enemy of good

For someone with zero classical education, the ideas of the French philosopher Voltaire, such as Le mieux est l’ennemi du bien, can seem rather abstruse. I know a little about Winston Churchill, such as his quote, ‘Perfection is the enemy of progress’. The ideas of both Voltaire and Churchill are relevant in the world of […]

2 years ago Education More
 

Labour’s VAT policy for private schools will hit every homeowner and bankrupt local councils

How Labour's VAT plans for private schools will bankrupt local government & hit homeowners in their already stretched pockets

2 years ago Education More
 

Rebuild schools or go virtual?

The current controversy over schools closed due to buildings using RAAC (Reinforced Autoclave Aerated Concrete) is an interesting one. Of the UK’s 22,000 schools, around 5% have so far been identified as using RAAC but the overwhelming majority of buildings with RAAC are in the other parts of the government sector, particularly hospitals, and the […]

3 years ago Education More
 

Is BESA stuck in a Jam?

BESA (British Educational Suppliers Association) are likely to seek a Judicial Review of the government’s decision to fund Oak National Academy (Oak), but only if their members fund it. This may play well with their edtech and publisher members, but is a non-issue for the many companies who supply things like furniture, pens and paper, […]

3 years ago Education More
 

Don’t waste your time reading the DfE’s latest edtech report

Making sense of the business of edtech has always been a challenge. It’s why I set up the Assignment Report in 2005 and why I read the DfE’s most recent edtech report, published in June, with interest. Business Intelligence (BI) is weak in most education and edtech companies and is too rarely integrated effectively into […]

4 years ago Education More