Leading supply teaching agency inspires girls at edtech event

20 girls from North East primary schools have had the chance to attend the British Educational Training and Technology Show at ExCel, London thanks to the support of First Class Supply.

Pupils, aged from 7 to 11, who attend 5 primary schools in the North East, visited the exhibition with their teachers as part of the Little DigiLadies project, an initiative designed by the North Tyneside Learning Trust to support girls in engaging with technology at a young age and raising awareness around technology-based careers.

Lesley Robinson, director at First Class Supply, commented on the partnership:
“We jumped at the chance of being the official sponsor for the Little DigiLadies visit to the BETT show in London.

“The event has given our future female teachers and leaders an opportunity to see how technology forms part of our everyday life and it really opened their eyes to how many careers there are in technology nowadays.

“The BETT show is a leading exhibition for the education technology industry attracting thousands of attendees from all over the world each year. It is a great experience for anyone, let alone these 20 students who were proudly representing their region.”

The schools who attended the BETT show included Battle Hill Primary School, Denbigh Community Primary School, Hadrian Park Primary School, Hazlewood Primary School and Redesdale Primary School.

Little DigiLadies, part of a wider DigiLadies initiative designed to empower women ICT leads in schools, was introduced to fill a need within Key Stage 2 education where children are often starting to look at what careers they are interested in choosing.

Laura Dickinson, eLearning lead practitioner at North Tyneside Learning Trust, said:
“DigiLadies was launched to promote girls and women in education technology, designed to empower our female ICT Leads in local schools and the girls they teach in Key Stage 2, supporting them to engage with technology so that they feel that there is a real opportunity for them in later life to engage in a tech-based career.

“Our visit to BETT showed the girls the potential of technology and all of the careers that they can engage with when they are older and considering their options.

“The visit was only possible because of the generous donation from our official sponsor, First Class Supply, a company which shares the same values and ethos as DigiLadies. It was a natural partnership for us.”