Conference: The Future of Education: Creating an Education System Fit for the 21st Century

This conference takes place on 24th May, and has a most timely agenda, with a focus on the Big Society, Free schools, and ICT.

Two slots in particular caught my eye, these being Teaching in a 21st Century School and ICT as a Driver of Educational Reform. The former doesn’t sound like it has much to do with ICT, although it should prove of interest nonetheless, as it covers such topics as:

• The role of teachers in driving forward school improvement
• Outcomes of funding reform on teachers and learners
• The effect of free schools on maintained schools
• Accountability - ensuring free schools and academies meet learners’ needs
• Protecting vulnerable learners

The second one includes:

• The role of ICT services in improving efficiency and driving down costs
• Breaking down barriers – ICT as part of informal learning
• The role of cloud-computing in freeing up the learning experience – removing location and timing boundaries
• Encouraging innovation – moving away from central government control

The blurb for the conference as a whole includes this:

With debate still on-going about the future direction of educational reform, this forum will offer delegates an exclusive platform to discuss and examine how best to drive forward school improvement. Sessions will assess the impact of the academies programme, the role communities should play in education provision and the changing relationship between local authorities and schools.

You can view the full agenda here, on the Inside Government website.