ASCL Annual Conference 2025

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We’re thrilled to be attending the ASCL Annual Conference.

Session Programme

What we’re talking about at the conference

Friday 14th March - 14.45-15.30

8.7 billion+ reasons for digital transformation in schools: the case for edtech (r)evolution and making it a reality

Les Hopper, Product Director, ÃÛÌÒapp

Lucy Chowns, Head of Maths, ÃÛÌÒapp

There are billions of reasons for digital transformation in schools. Quite literally, ÃÛÌÒapp’s recent research with The Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr) highlights how strategic annual investment in digital in schools could drive £8.7 billion for the UK economy in ten years alongside saving teachers the equivalent of 5 average working weeks a year, plus benefits for students’ skills, earnings and the environment. Ìý
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Inspired by these findings and the work of digital innovators in schools, this workshop will focus on best practices in the now, practical tools to pioneer the way forward, and interactive debate to shape what could and should exist in future. The aim: an enhanced education system, workforce and economy – both evolved and even revolutionised by technology.Ìý

Find out more

Saturday 15th March -Ìý12.40 - 13.25

Enhancing exam experiences for everyone: inclusion, innovation and investigating what’s possible

Katie McKnight, Head of Assessment Customer Experience and Engagement , ÃÛÌÒappÌý

Irene Custodio, Digital Assessment Design Lead, ÃÛÌÒappÌý

2024 was a record-breaking year for exam access arrangement requests and the number of students, schools and colleges choosing to sit tech-enabled assessments. As we collectively strive for an assessment system that is fair, inclusive and encourages every student to thrive, what can we learn from the now and how do we shape the future?

In this workshop, we’ll address schools' and colleges’ questions – from the full range of exam options and examples of supporting students in different contexts, to emerging trends with digital assessments. Using the latest research and our recommendations for the Curriculum and Assessment Review, we’ll also host an interactive discussion on implications and opportunities for equity and fairness in embracing tech-enabled assessment landscape in future.

Explore our exam options

Start exploring our support and resources

Shaping the future

ÃÛÌÒapp Mocks Service

Curriculum and Assessment Review

The Curriculum and Assessment Review gives us and the wider sector the opportunity to share our views on how curriculum and assessment can bring together a love of learning with fundamental knowledge and skills.Ìý

Explore our insights and recommendations

Making onscreen exams a reality

Thousands of students are already taking our ÃÛÌÒapp Edexcel GCSE and International GCSE exams onscreen, and more options are available every year.

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School Report 2023: Educators pioneering change - a spotlight on education in 2023

The ÃÛÌÒapp School Report

The ÃÛÌÒapp School Report provides an in-depth, independent look at the education system, from the people who work at its core – and is the latest step in our mission to collaborate, listen and learn from each other to drive forward positive change.

Read the 2024 report

Digital in schools

Learn more about the work we're doing with educators, young people and experts to drive new innovations, inspire digital confidence, unlock new opportunities, and support schools and colleges.

Explore insights and support

Explore blogs from ÃÛÌÒapp Schools

  • Digital natives? Using technology to improve learning and assessment with Mary Richardson

    The role of new digital learning technologies is not a vision of the future; it is now firmly embedded in education systems from the nursery to the university. The development of digital resources is fast-paced and it can seem overwhelming to navigate the tsunami of sales pitches promising everything from reduced workloads to perfect assessment. However, step back and remember the wise words of educationalist that “everything works somewhere; nothing works everywhere – so we need to ask ourselves, under what conditions does x work?â€

  • Closing the word gap with Jean Gross CBE

    I rarely meet a teacher these days who isn’t concerned about the growing number of children with speech, language and communication needs.Ìý

    It isn’t likely to get better any time soon if we look at what is happening in the cohort of children who will soon be working their way through the school system. In a recent survey 82 per cent of health visitors reported seeing a year-on-year increase in children with speech, language and communication delays in their pre-school caseloads. And last year, Speech and Language UK estimated that at least 1.9 million primary- and secondary-aged children were struggling with talking and understanding words. That equates to one in five school-aged children – the highest number ever recorded.

  • Grime Opera: A Musical Synthesis

    A False BinaryÌý

    Grime is a style of British rap music that emerged from the UK Garage scene during the early 2000s. The genre is defined by complex syncopated raps over fast beats, initially made famous by a generation of East London artists such as Wiley and Dizzie Rascal, and more recently, revived by the likes of Stormzy, who became the first British black solo artist to headline Glastonbury in 2019. On paper, Grime is perhaps not the natural bedfellow of Classical music. Grime Opera strives to challenge this assumption, uniting young people from a diverse range of backgrounds in pursuit of an authentic musical experience.ÌýÌý