In 2020, we saw the education sector fully embrace edtech, as primary and secondary schools, and further and higher education, moved online.

During the first national lockdown, educators across the country raced to shift lessons online. And, as we kicked off the academic year in September, many universities opted for a blended learning approach – a mix of online and face-to-face lessons – in a bid to attract students back to campus.

With England now in its third national lockdown, there is no doubt that online learning will remain a key feature of the 2021 educational landscape.

SMEs winning edtech contracts

A new report compiled by Tussell says that the public sector edtech market is consistently worth about £160m per year. The report also says that unlike other parts of the public sector, SMEs win almost half of the published contracts. You only have to roam around the ExCel at Bett every year (well, back when we could roam around!) to see the scale of innovation coming from small businesses and tech start-ups.

Most importantly, Tussell found that the edtech market is unconsolidated and is likely to provide easy access for new entrants. So, despite the enormous challenges the education sector is faced with right now, the opportunity for edtech innovation remains.

Spread your edtech message

With technology in education, the end goal was always to have the tech enhancing and complementing the work that the teacher does. These days, educators are desperate to bridge the digital divide and provide that crucial continuity of learning while students work remotely.

At a time when schools and universities need all the support they can get, now could be a crucial point to spread your techpr message to the education sector.