CONTENTS Dear Reader,


Welcome to the latest issue of Education Today!


First things first, Happy New Year! As 2025 gets underway,


the education sector is eagerly awaiting the recommendations of the government’s curriculum and assessment review. These won’t be published until later on in the year, but in the meantime, January brings two things: the start of the Spring term, and Bett UK, which is taking place this month at London’s ExCeL. It’s promising to be bigger and better than ever - and we have you covered with exactly what to expect in this month’s Bett Show Highlights preview feature.


Our Feature Focus this month is on Alternative Provision, as we hear from DfE accredited online alternative provision provider Academy21 to find out what’s working when it comes to alternative provision. We’re carrying on the AP theme with our regular View from the Classroom feature, too. After speaking to schools who are choosing online AP through EDClass, Sal McKeown reports her findings.


In our Buildings, Maintenance & Refurbishment feature, David Loxam, Head of School Property Management at Casserly Property Management, takes a look at what schools need to bear in mind when it comes to building compliance.


Meanwhile, I take a look at where school trips currently stand in the education landscape. Few would dispute that school trips are vital when it comes to offering students a well-rounded educational experience - but many schools are struggling to deliver them.


Elsewhere in the issue you will find all the usual news, views and expert insights - and as ever, we always love to hear from you, so please get in touch via email, or you can reach us @EdTodayMag on X.


Charlotte Westwood Managing Editor


On the cover...


Business Director: Carl Hearnden Managing Editor: Charlotte Westwood Artwork Editor: Kirsty Hood Secretary: Tracey Ballard Published by:


Datateam Business Media Limited, London Road, Maidstone, Kent ME16 8LY Tel: 01622 699128 (Advertising) Tel: 07969 141997 (Editorial) Fax: 01622 757646 Email: education@datateam.co.uk Circulation: Curwood CMS Ltd datateam@c-cms.com Tel: 01580 883844 Fax: 01580 883849 Subscription Prices 2020 Number of editions per year: 11 UK: £52 Overseas: £132


The Publishers cannot accept responsibility for any discrepancies either in copy or between products and/or services listed. Nor can they be responsible for illustrations and/or copy for products which lead to infringement of copyright


Avantis Education, creator of ClassVR, explores how virtual and augmented reality can help schools to teach the reality of climate change, and discusses why immersive experiences create deep emotional connections that inspire students to take positive action. Visit Avantis Education on stand NJ30 at Bett, or read the opinion article on pages 12-13.


u https://www.avantiseducation.com/ In this issue...


6-13 BETT SHOW HIGHLIGHTS What’s happening at Bett UK 2025 14-18 NEWS


The latest from across the sector 20 WELLBEING


With Mark Solomons, Founder of Welbee 22 BESA CORNER


With BESA members ReadSpeaker and The Wisdom Partnership


23 VIEWS


With BESA’s Peter Doyle; and Alex Harris from BBC Teach


24 CONTRIBUTORS


With Sal McKeown and Class People’s Naomi Howells


25 SEND


With Emma Sanderson from Options Autism; and Dewi Bennett of Ethos Academy Trust


26-27 VIEW FROM THE CLASSROOM


Sal McKeown tells us which schools are using EDClass to bring the classroom online


28-31 VIEWS & OPINION


Comments and insights from across the sector 32-34 FEATURE FOCUS: ALTERNATIVE PROVISION


With Academy21 36-38 FEATURE: SCHOOL TRIPS


With Charlotte Westwood, Managing Editor of Education Today


40-41 FEATURE: BUILDINGS, MAINTENANCE & REFURBISHMENT


David Loxam, Head of School Property Management at Casserly Property Management 44 FEATURE: COMPUTING & I.T.


With Acer For Education 46 FEATURE: COMPUTING & I.T.


With Leo Hanna, UK Executive Vice President at TechnologyOne


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