Education Technology (EdTech) Survey 2020-21. Research Report

Education Technology (EdTech) refers to the practice of using technology to support teaching and the effective day-to-day management of education institutions. In 2019, the Department for Education (DfE) set out its vision to support schools and colleges to embed technology effectively by supporting them to better understand the opportunities and help tackle the barriers to effective adoption and use of EdTech.1 To support the EdTech Strategy and to inform future technology policy development, the DfE commissioned CooperGibson Research (CGR) to conduct research to establish the state and usage of technology across schools in England. The Department for Education began the commissioning process for a survey of the EdTech landscape in schools in early March 2020. The aim of the survey was to understand the current state of technology in schools, in order to: inform the steps government should take to helps schools embed and use technology to support cost savings, workload reductions and improved pupil outcomes; and to help the EdTech sector to understand the technology landscape of the school sector so that they can adapt and develop their tools in ways that reflect the current conditions within schools. Following the decision to close schools in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, the commissioning process for the survey was paused. The commissioning process resumed in July 2020 and, while the original aims remained, the survey included an additional focus on how technology was being used to support remote teaching and learning. This report presents the findings of this research.