Education Secretary Damian Hinds has challenged the tech industry to launch an education revolution for schools, colleges and universities.

In some schools state-of-the-art technology is bringing education to life by helping children take virtual trips through the Amazon and control robots, while also slashing the time their teachers are spending on burdensome administrative tasks.

However, only a minority of schools and colleges are currently taking advantage of these opportunities. Today the Education Secretary is calling on industry – both the UK’s burgeoning tech sector and Silicon Valley giants like Apple and Microsoft – to help tackle the five biggest issues facing schools and classroom teachers today.

These include developing innovative teaching practices, cutting teacher workload and promoting lifelong learning.

Education Secretary Damian Hinds said:

I’ve been fortunate enough to see technology being used in revolutionary ways. Students are able to explore the rainforest, steer virtual ships or programme robots from their classroom, while teachers are able to access training, share best practice with colleagues and update parents on a pupil’s progress without being taken away from their main focus – teaching.

Schools, colleges and universities have the power to choose the tech tools which are best for them and their budgets. But they cannot do this alone. It’s only by forging a strong partnership between government, technology innovators and the education sector that there will be sustainable, focused solutions which will ultimately support and inspire the learners of today and tomorrow.

There are five key opportunities for the sector to create a step change in education, improving teaching and slashing workload. These include developing innovative:

• Teaching practices to support access, inclusion, and improved learning outcomes for all
• Assessment processes, making assessment more effective and efficient
• Methods for delivery of teacher training and development by upgrading educator support so they can learn and develop more flexibly
• Administration processes to reduce the burden of ‘non-teaching’ tasks
• Solutions to lifelong learning to help those who have left the formal education system to get the best from online learning

In one of his first speeches to the sector at the World Education Forum, the Education Secretary set out his determination to raise the status of teaching as a profession and ensure teachers are able to focus their time and effort on the pupils in the classroom.

Shireland Collegiate Academy in Birmingham helps staff by reducing unnecessary burdens. The school uses many apps and software packages to facilitate the day-to-day running of the school, saving their teachers ‘hours and hours of time’.

Sir Mark Grundy, head teacher at Shireland Collegiate Academy said:

At Shireland Collegiate Academy we have used technology to support staff, students and families for a number of years. We have supported many schools in replicating our processes, and having the interest and advocacy of the Department for Education around using technology for school improvement will make an enormous difference.

Education technology leaders are already working with schools, colleges and universities to help them to embrace technology, with many doing so successfully. The Education Secretary is asking the tech sector to demonstrate how to roll this out more widely across the country, backed up by evidence of the impact they are having on schools, colleges and universities.

Through a package announced in the Autumn Budget, more schools are able to access ultrafast broadband speeds, connecting them to the world of technology and all the things it has to offer.

Over the autumn, the Department for Education will be working closely with the Chartered College of Teaching, the British Educational Suppliers Association and other industry leaders as they develop online training packages, establish an online portal providing free software trials for schools, and bring together industry and school leaders through a series of regional ‘demonstrator’ roadshows.

Commenting on today’s announcement Caroline Wright, Director General at the British Educational Suppliers Association said:

I am delighted that the Department for Education’s plans place teacher training and support at the heart and soul of their future approach to EdTech and recognises that EdTech, when introduced as part of a whole school strategy, has the power to help improve pupil outcomes, save teacher time and reduce workload burdens.

The measures outlined by the Secretary of State for Education today, to support classroom teacher training and development in the effective use of technology, are whole-heartedly welcomed and supported by the EdTech industry sector which BESA represents.

In the coming months, the Department for Education will be working with businesses and schools to ensure they have the infrastructure in place to be in a position to implement some of this technology to improve the school day for both pupils and teachers.

On Thursday 2 August 2018 at Warwick Crown Court, Mr Ajay Kumar Rattu, aged 39 years, of Sanders Road, Hawkesley Village Coventry was found guilty of one count of providing unqualified immigration advice and services. On the same day, Mr Rattu was sentenced to 15 months imprisonment and ordered to pay £2000 in compensation, and an additional victim surcharge.

Mr Rattu promoted the provision of immigration advice and services by word of mouth through his local community, charging £12,000 to submit an application to the Home Office in this particular case. He deceived the victim into carrying out all of the work himself, applications were submitted partially completed and without payment, causing continual refusal from the Home Office and resulting in the victim overstaying his visa. The victim became suspicious and consulted a regulated immigration adviser who referred him to the OISC.

On sentencing, HHJ Potter said:

“You were convicted by a Jury who heard evidence about a man who was concerned about his status in the UK. You held yourself out as a man who was fronting an organisation of lawyers who could help people like him. All you had achieved was taking £12,000 of his money, supplied no assistance, and your advice was worse than useless. This is a fraud in everything but name, aggravated by the cynical way in which you took money from him, aggravated by threats you made to him about what would happen to him. In my judgement your offending was so brazen that I could not pass a non-custodial sentence in this case.”

Speaking about the decision, Deputy Immigration Services Commissioner Dr Ian Leigh, said:

“The OISC is here to ensure that people seeking immigration advice are treated fairly by people they can trust. This was not the case with Mr Rattu. I am delighted with the outcome of this case and hope it sends a clear message to other people considering providing immigration advice to act within the law.”

Innovate UK has up to £1 million for UK businesses to collaborate with partners in India and Europe on healthcare projects targeted at the Indian market.

The investment comes through the Newton Fund. This aims to harness the best of UK research and innovation to create positive development in middle income countries and forms part of the UK government’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) commitment.

It is part of the GlobalStars programme run by the EUREKA network. The programme allows EUREKA countries and non-partner countries to collaborate on research, development and innovation activities across various technology areas and markets.

UK and Indian partnerships

India is a rising global power with a rapidly growing economy. Its large, diverse market offers many opportunities for UK businesses and research organisations.

By working together, there are clear benefits for both countries – strengthening innovation, creating new investment opportunities and boosting trade links.

Joint investment in science and innovation is set to grow between the countries to around £400 million by 2021. This will enable organisations to take on the challenges India faces including agriculture, the environment, climate change and health.

Supporting more affordable healthcare provision

The aim of this competition is to bring forward innovative solutions that tackle the challenges of healthcare provision in India and make this more affordable.

We are looking for projects that are:

• economical
• sustainable
• user focused

Specifically, we are championing a ‘One Health’ approach, which seeks to provide a holistic and integrated healthcare system that improves the patient experience.

Projects should focus on:

• disease prevention and control
• point-of-care diagnostics
• the treatment of infectious and chronic diseases
• improved treatment outcomes
• efficient use of health resources

As a UK business you must submit 2 proposals for your project:

Competition information

• UK businesses can submit their individual applications from 13 August 2018 and must register by midday on 27 September 2018 in order to apply
• joint proposals must be submitted by 1 October 2018
• UK-based businesses of any size are eligible
• you must collaborate with at least one Indian organisation and have India as the primary market for your innovation. You can also collaborate with organisations from Flanders, the Netherlands and Spain
• total project costs can be between £350,000 and £450,000, with a maximum grant of £300,000 available to UK project partners. UK businesses could get up to 70% of their costs
• projects should start by 1 April 2019 and last up to 2 years
• projects must meet ODA and EUREKA GlobalStars requirements
• you can register to attend a briefing event on 22 August 2018 where you can find out more about the competition and how to make a quality application

The joint guidance published on 6 August outlines what it would mean for market access for medicines during the implementation period, including; licensing and packaging, batch release and testing, and the UK regulatory role.

It also covers other points relating to medicines and implementation plans related to EU legislation during the implementation period.