BESA Industry Newsletter - October 2024
British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA)
The trade association for the UK’s educational suppliers sector.
Dear BESA community,?
Welcome to the first edition of BESA's Industry Newsletter on LinkedIn!
We have had an action-packed month full of valuable insights, exciting events, and lots of community engagement. Read on to find out what's been happening at BESA.
Research Spotlight: The Fiscal Landscape in English Schools Report
As school funding remains a crucial factor in shaping educational outcomes, this brand new research report seeks to demystify the often complex financial operations within schools, highlighting key trends, patterns, and challenges.
Findings from the report include:
? Expenditure vs Income: In the last two years, schools in England have spent almost ￡2 billion more than they received
? Agency costs: Spend on agency staff by English schools has increased by 28% in 1 year and 59% in 5 years
? Information on Year-End Reserves for primary, secondary and special schools
To provide the industry with vital information on school funding, we are pleased to make this report publicly available. BESA members can log in to access the report here. Non-members and educators can access the report through this link.
Our focus session earlier this month gathered members to dive deeper into the research and explore the data on how schools across England are funded, and how those funds were allocated and spent during the 2022/23 academic year.
Members can log in to watch the full session here.
Policy Sessions and Working Groups
This month we help two roundtable sessions, for the first of which we were joined by Jonathan Simons , Partner and Head of Education at Public First . Jonathan led the conversation around what is known about the education policy priorities, and likely direction, of the new Labour government.
At our most recent roundtable with senior leaders from BESA member companies, we were joined by guest speaker Frank Norris MBE FCCT for our final CEO Roundtable session of the year. Frank discussed the current state of Ofsted and the challenges it faces in the education sector, offering a detailed look into the inspectorate’s last 20 years.
If you know a senior business leader who might like to get involved in these discussions, let us know.
Members joined us for three Special Interest Group meetings this month, across STEM, EdTech and the Women’s Network.
We'd like to thank Jane Mann , Managing Director at Cambridge University Press & Assessment , for her brilliant contribution and years of service as Chair of BESA's Women's Educational Suppliers Network.
This month, we welcomed Kat Cauchi from NetSupport as the new Chair for the Women Educational Suppliers Network, who led an insightful discussion with updates from network members, followed by a talk from SJ W. on holding inclusive meetings. The network took away valuable insights from the discussion led by SJ, who was named in the most influential women in UK tech 2024 longlist, Global Thought Leaders and Influencers on Education 2024 and a winner of Tech Women 100 2023. Also discussed was the status of mentorship within the education sector, and flexibility at work including the support needed for working parents. The BESA Women's Network is open to all genders, and both members and non-members from across the sector - you can apply to join here.
If you'd like to get involved in one or more of BESA's 9 Special Interest and Working Groups, click here.
We also hosted the Curriculum Review Working Group's second roundtable this month, which focused on Assessment within the curriculum. BESA members exchanged frank views around the current issues in assessment across KS1 to KS4.?The momentum continues as we work to respond to the Government's call for evidence.
Members can find out more about joining the Working Group here.
Event Highlights?
In collaboration with the brilliant team at Bett Global , we held this free event to help members connect and explore opportunities for investment in educational resources and services.
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The event brought together leading investors, start-up founders, and industry experts to explore investment opportunities, share success stories, and discuss the future of education. From exploring investment trends to hearing powerful start-up success stories and diving into sector challenges, the day was filled with learning for everyone involved.?Here's what one delegate had to say about the event:
"Having been a teacher for 5 years in an international school abroad before returning to the UK to work in EdTech, this event really shone a light on the challenges faced by schools, leaders and the sector itself. The talks and panelists were highly supportive, engaging and delivered key insights into the world of the education sector and the way innovative solutions and technology might help to shape the journey." - Joseph Vernazza, Account Manager at PAGS
This month, Jodie Lopez from Edtech Ninja UK shared actionable tips on connecting with teachers online, understanding teacher engagement on social media and optimising and leveraging the right platforms. One standout takeaway? Being seen and being kind are two foundations of building a social presence.
Members can find out more in-depth takeaways here.
Last week, we brought together industry experts to discuss the application of AI in educational businesses. From ensuring accessibility and compliance to what foundational AI literacy looks like, if you're keen to understand AI’s impact on business and education and want to learn about practical applications, this event provides the basis.
Due to popular demand, we are pleased to make the training recording available to purchase for members and non-members for a limited period of time.
Upcoming Events
We are delighted to announce that our member-exclusive Winter Business Insight Day and Annual General Meeting (AGM) is taking place on Thursday, 7 November 2024 at Church House in Westminster. This annual event brings members together for a day of collaboration and learning.
The panel sessions this year cover a range of topics including engaging with the new government and sustainability in schools. Find out more here.
Export Support Activity
Last month, we supported BESA members Cyber Square - AI & Coding for Schools, Edulink One (Overnet Data Ltd) and Renaissance Learning (GL Assessment) at DIDAC India 2024 in Delhi.
The three-day event saw a footfall of close to 21,000 delegates and 290+ exhibitors from 38 countries, and was an incredible opportunity to connect with and learn from educators and suppliers in the region.
We were on hand to support BESA members at Bett Asia a 2024, including Best Practice Network, CENTURY Tech, FFT Education, Just2easy Ltd, OxEd and Assessment, Britannica Education, Data Harvest Group Ltd, Flash Academy.
Acting Director General Julia Garvey met with Minsters from Thailand, Malaysia and Cambodia, and also presented at the evening Bett Asia Awards ceremony. BESA members also had the opportunity to meet with His Excellency Dr Vathana Sann, Secretary of State?Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport Cambodia, and Martin Kent, His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner for Asia Pacific.
The day wrapped up with the Department for Business and Trade's Networking Reception, which brought together UK education companies, overseas buyers and visiting members, as well as market and sector specialists.
If you'd like to get involved with future BESA-supported international opportunities, you can find out more here.
Partners and Offers: Exclusive Discounts
Partnership Networking Events offer opportunities to connect directly with senior decision makers from schools. Last month, we partnered with PNE to provide BESA members with up to 10% in discounts on regional and global PNE events. These events focus on practical strategies for growth and offer a crucial stage for connecting with industry stakeholders.
Browse the range of events and discounts to see what may be a good fit for your company.
Whether you're a BESA member or looking into options for membership, get in touch with us to find out more about how you can get involved with the BESA community and our activities.
Thank you for reading and we'll see you next month!
Associate Director at Inspired, specialising in EdTech & Educational Publishing recruitment #EdTech #Education #Publishing #Hiring
4 个月This is excellent! Thank you BESA! I've very much enjoyed reading this first issue, lots of great insight!
BookMachine - a Creative Agency for publishing and education
4 个月Brilliant idea. I look forward to reading the latest from BESA here.