Digital maturity gap: Digital Promise for Education Coalition response
10am – 2pm22 June 2026
London
techUK, 10 St Bride Street, London, EC4A 4AD
Join techUK for the Digital Promise for Education Coalition, bringing together leaders from education, industry, research and government to respond to the Digital Maturity Gap in England’s schools. Building on previous discussions and recent policy developments, this session will explore the structural barriers to digital progress and begin a shared conversation on defining a clear, collective direction for the role of technology in education.
Key takeaways
Understand the key barriers shaping digital maturity in schools
Explore insights from the Digital Maturity Gap discussions and Schools White Paper
Engage with cross-sector leaders on a shared vision for education and technology
Contribute to shaping a collective approach to improving outcomes for learners
England’s schools are navigating a complex and uneven digital transition. Previous discussions on the Digital Maturity Gap highlighted a set of interconnected challenges, including capability gaps among educators and leaders, uneven infrastructure, funding and procurement constraints, limitations in accountability, and the absence of a shared national vision.
At the same time, the Schools White Paper sets out a number of ambitions, including investment in connectivity, a national data spine, digital support plans for children with SEND, and a greater role for schools in delivering joined-up local services. While these initiatives signal progress, there remains a risk that, without a unifying framework, individual strands develop in parallel rather than as part of a coherent system.
This event brings together organisations from across the education and technology landscape to begin defining that shared direction. The session will explore how a collective approach can support more effective adoption of technology and deliver improved outcomes across the education system.
What will be covered
The structural challenges shaping digital maturity in England’s schools
The implications of the Schools White Paper for technology and education
The role of collaboration across education, industry, government and research
Opportunities to move from shared understanding to collective action
Agenda
10:00–10:30 | Arrival and networking
10:30–10:50 | Welcome
An opening address drawing on the journey from EdTech to PedTech the idea that technology in schools must be led by pedagogy rather than product and inviting attendees to engage as active participants in the coalition conversation ahead.
10:50–11:00 | The gap
A short scene-setting presentation drawing on last year's Digital Maturity Gap workshop and the signals and open questions in the Schools White Paper, mapping the structural challenges that persist across the system and setting out why techUK believes it has a meaningful role to play in addressing them.
11:00–11:30 | Poverty to promise
Two perspectives that together frame both the stakes and the ambition of this coalition. The first sets out what is at risk for the children most exposed to digital poverty if the system fails to act. The second sets out what becomes possible when ambition is matched with the right conditions — and why this coalition moment matters.
11:30–11:45 | Break
11:45–12:25 | Digital as capability
Digital maturity in schools touches every role, from trust leaders and headteachers to school business professionals and network managers. This panel brings together influential membership organisations across the sector to share how they are supporting their members on digital, explore where their approaches connect, and consider what more might be possible through greater collaboration. A conversation about collective ambition as much as individual practice.
12:25–12:35 | The invitation
Before the industry session, attendees are invited to sit with a single question: given what we have heard this morning, what should this coalition actually do?
12:35–12:55 | From ambition to implementation: what industry can deliver
A short panel of technology providers and infrastructure partners reflecting on what the coalition's ambition means from their perspective, what they can commit to, what they need from the system to deliver it, and where the gap between product and practice currently lies. Bringing together voices from connectivity, platform, device and procurement to consider how industry aligns behind the coalition's shared direction.
12:55–13:35 | Lunch
13:35–14:15 | The founding question
Drawing on the five barriers to digital maturity identified at last year's workshop — people and capability, infrastructure, funding and procurement, accountability and incentives, and the absence of a shared vision — attendees discuss a set of questions at mixed tables. Each group considers where their organisation is best placed to contribute, what mutual support could look like in practice, and what the coalition should build on rather than duplicate. This is the moment to move from shared diagnosis to shared commitment.
14:15–14:30 | Close
Austin Earl
Senior Programme Manager, Education and EdTech, techUK
Austin Earl
Senior Programme Manager, Education and EdTech, techUK
Austin leads techUK’s Education and EdTech programme, shaping strategies that support the digital transformation of schools, colleges, and universities. His work focuses on strengthening the UK’s education technology ecosystem, enhancing core technology foundations, and advancing the adoption of emerging technologies to improve educational outcomes.
Austin also chairs the EdTech Advisory Panel for AI in Education, contributing to national discussions on the future of EdTech, AI, and the UK's Education system.
techUK’s Education and EdTech programmeseeks to address this challenges by bridging the gap between education, the tech industry, and policymakers. We ensure that education institutions can effectively adopt technology that enhances learning, streamlines operations, and supports skills development. Visit the programme page here
Attend three workshops by Trusted Research
Between January 2026 and March 2026 we will be hosting Trusted Research for three workshops.
The Get Britain Working White Paper, which was co-authored by the secretaries of state for DWP, DHSC, DfE, and HMT, sets out plans to set the country on a path to bring down economic inactivity and improve employment outcomes.
This analysis examines what the Schools White Paper signals for the role of technology in education, highlighting infrastructure investment, data reform and AI as enablers of wider system change. It explores emerging demand across digital platforms, interoperability and inclusion, alongside structural reforms that may reshape procurement, governance and delivery expectations.
Our members develop strong networks, build meaningful partnerships and grow their businesses as we all work together to create a thriving environment where industry, government and stakeholders come together to realise the positive outcomes tech can deliver.
Senior Programme Manager, Education and EdTech, techUK
Austin Earl
Senior Programme Manager, Education and EdTech, techUK
Austin leads techUK’s Education and EdTech programme, shaping strategies that support the digital transformation of schools, colleges, and universities. His work focuses on strengthening the UK’s education technology ecosystem, enhancing core technology foundations, and advancing the adoption of emerging technologies to improve educational outcomes.
Austin also chairs the EdTech Advisory Panel for AI in Education, contributing to national discussions on the future of EdTech, AI, and the UK's Education system.
