BETT REVIEW Bett UK 2026: advancing innovation in education
Topics ranged from digital leadership and curriculum design to staff wellbeing, SEND provision and effective procurement. Popular formats such as TableTalks and TeachMeet UK once again provided informal but highly impactful spaces for peer-to-peer learning. Celebrating its 20th year, TeachMeet UK highlighted the strength of grassroots professional collaboration and the continued appetite among teachers to share practice, challenges and solutions.
Importantly, many sessions addressed how technology can support wider school improvement priorities – such as closing attainment gaps, strengthening parental engagement and supporting inspection readiness – rather than existing as a separate digital strategy.
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rom 21-23 January at ExCeL London, Bett UK 2026 brought together the education community at scale, reaffirming its position as the UK’s leading event for education technology and innovation. Across three dynamic days, school leaders, teachers, policymakers, local authorities, EdTech providers and sector bodies gathered with a shared purpose: to explore how technology can support high-quality, inclusive and future-ready education.
This year’s event struck a confident and optimistic note, reflecting both the resilience of the education sector and a growing maturity in how digital tools are being embedded into teaching, learning and leadership. With a strong emphasis on practical implementation, safeguarding, and pedagogy-led innovation, Bett UK 2026 offered timely insights aligned closely with the priorities of schools, colleges and trusts nationwide.
Bett UK 2026 welcomed thousands of attendees from across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, alongside representatives from UK education bodies, academy trusts, local authorities and further and higher education institutions. The exhibition floor showcased hundreds of suppliers, many of them UK-based EdTech companies, offering solutions designed to meet the specific needs of the UK curriculum, inspection frameworks and policy environment.
The event continued to serve as a vital meeting point between educators and industry, encouraging meaningful dialogue rather than technology for its own sake. Exhibitors and speakers alike emphasised the
importance of collaboration, co-design and evidence-informed practice – principles that will resonate strongly with school leaders navigating financial pressures and evolving expectations.
AI and digital strategy in focus AI remained a prominent theme throughout Bett UK 2026, with sessions focused on how schools can adopt AI tools responsibly, ethically and in line with UK safeguarding expectations. Rather than speculative futures, much of the conversation centred on real- world applications already being trialled in UK classrooms, such as adaptive learning platforms, intelligent assessment tools and workflow automation to reduce staff workload.
UK education technology providers demonstrated how AI can support inclusive practice, particularly for learners with additional needs, while also reinforcing the importance of data protection, transparency and professional judgement. These discussions reflected a growing consensus that AI should enhance, not replace, the role of the teacher. Alongside AI, cybersecurity, digital resilience and safeguarding were high on the agenda – all areas of increasing importance for UK schools. A number of UK organisations showcased solutions aimed at supporting compliance, protecting pupil wellbeing and strengthening digital safeguarding cultures. Professional development remained a cornerstone of Bett UK 2026. The extensive programme featured CPD-accredited sessions, panel discussions and workshops led by UK educators, school leaders and sector experts.
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www.education-today.co.uk
Key takeaways:
• Purpose-led EdTech: Technology should support pedagogy, inclusion and whole-school improvement, not operate in isolation.
• Practical AI adoption: Focus shifted to responsible, real-world uses of AI that support learning and reduce workload.
• Safeguarding remains central: Cybersecurity, data protection and pupil wellbeing continue to be critical priorities.
• Professional development matters: Ongoing CPD and peer-led learning are key to successful digital change.
• UK innovation: UK-based EdTech providers are delivering solutions aligned with national education priorities.
• Collaboration enables impact: Partnerships across schools, trusts and suppliers drive sustainable progress.
February 2026
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