Mark Osborne

Mark Osborne, Director of ICT & Communications, has won the Bronze Pearson National Teaching Award in The Award for Digital Innovator of the Year category. We are delighted and proud of Mark and his team for achieving this award, which is even more noteworthy as the Pearson Awards are rarely given to members of support staff.  In this case, Pearson said it was in recognition of our work in digital innovation across a large multi-academy trust.

The Pearson National Teaching Awards are the ‘Oscars’ of the teaching profession!  First established in 1998, the awards are an annual celebration of excellence in education, recognising the amazing work of teachers across the UK.  Digital technologies can be used in many creative ways within education, to improve teaching and learning outcomes, as well as safeguarding students and staff whilst using digital devices.  Harnessing and embracing the power that technology can offer in education, makes a daily difference to students and staff alike.

Mark explains: “The Trust uses Google Workspace for Education, and we rapidly expanded our use of its functionality during the pandemic to enable students to experience live class lessons whilst at home.  We were also an early adopter of a system called Smoothwall Monitor, which monitors keystrokes and screen views.  This enables immediate real-time alerts to be sent to designated staff when any harmful content is viewed, or safeguarding concerns are highlighted through typed text.  And a suite of cyber security systems protect the Trust’s IT networks and users from cyber attacks, viruses, malware etc.”

“We are delighted that Pearson have recognised the innovative way we are using technology to protect our students and staff, while enhancing the way we deliver education.  We are always looking for ways to support students to achieve their potential and enhance their life chances, and technology allows us to innovate and evolve, to ensure we can do that.”