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Hills Road part of newly launched Nation...

Hills Road part of newly launched National PedTech Partnership

Hills Road Sixth Form College is delighted to be part of a major new national initiative aimed at improving the use of digital technology in schools and colleges across the UK.

Published on 16/07/2025

Launched in June 2025, the National PedTech Partnership brings together voices from schools across the UK to examine how digital tools can be used more effectively and equitably in teaching and learning.

Tim Hallas, Head of Digital Pedagogy and Course Leader for Music Technology, is pleased to be part of a new working group for the National PedTech Partnership, a two-year research and development programme launched in June 2025 and aimed at improving the use of digital technology in schools and colleges across the UK.

Student working on laptop sitting outside

The Partnership involves over 750 schools, 250,000 students, and 22,000 staff across the UK and therefore represents around 3% of the national school system.

Co-founded by Dr Fiona Aubrey-Smith and John Murphy, the focus is a ‘pedagogy-first’ approach to educational technology - otherwise known as PedTech, a term coined by Dr Fiona.

[pictured: a Hills Road student using their digital device on campus]

System leaders involved in the National PedTech Partnership have committed to five founding principles:

A belief that digital tools underpin a high impact contemporary school system.
A pedagogy-first mindset about the use of digital (PedTech).
The forward-thinking system leaders involved in the partnership have strategic responsibility for schools/groups.
A commitment to supporting schools beyond the partnership’s immediate networks or groups.
Acting as a community of purpose, transparently scaffolding each other’s learning.

a screenshot from the strategic plan, detailing progress goals

Tim’s participation ensures that Hills Road's experience in post-16 education is represented within this national conversation, and resonates well with our commitment to engaging critically with developments in digital learning.

The College’s existing work in the digital domain - such as AI in education - also aligns closely with the themes under exploration, particularly around innovation, evaluation and responsible integration.

[pictured: the College's digital commitments are explored in the 2024-2028 Strategic Plan]

"It's a pleasure to be included in such a great working group and to hear from all types of schools and colleges across the UK. We are looking forward to exploring how we can continue to learn from all educational settings as to how we can make digital approaches more meaningful and sustainable here at Hills."
Tim Hallas

The work of the Partnership will aim to evaluate and share what works in areas such as curriculum, assessment, inclusion, SEND, and the use of AI in education.

Research findings and practical guidance from the Partnership will be published over the next two years, with a final report and book due in 2026. Further information is available on the Partnership LinkedIn page.

[pictured below: founding members at the launch of the National PedTech Partnership]