After spending time at BETT, here's what I'd want if I were an educator.
Not another tool.
A system.
Dr Helen Crompton's SETI framework (Social Ecological Technology Integration) became the lens through which I made sense of what I saw at BETT.
Her insight:
Technology alone doesn't transform education.
You need layers of support around it.
For a teacher to successfully use AI, they need support at every level.
At the individual level, this means time to learn, training that builds genuine skills (not checkbox workshops), and leadership that actually believes AI can work, not just chasing the latest trend.
At the school level, it means tech support when things break, funding for the tools that work, and protected time for implementation.
Not ‘we bought the licenses, figure it out.’
At the trust or district level, it means clear policies on what's acceptable, training at scale, and infrastructure that actually functions, WiFi that doesn't drop during lessons, devices that last more than a year.
And at the national level, it means standards, curriculum integration, and cultural norms that support rather than resist change.
Dr Helen Crompton's point: when any layer is missing, the whole thing falls apart. |
We've got the tech, but what are we setting up? Are you going to have training? Tech support? Funding? We have to think about all those pieces.
I saw this pattern working for Poland
Tomas Kulasa, from Poland's Education Ministry described their systematic approach:
We brought to schools over 700,000 mobile devices, 100,000 distance learning kits, 12,000 AI laboratories for primary and secondary schools. And we have teacher training for 900,000 teachers. We have a monitoring system. The whole system, we don't have separate projects, but we have system solutions.
Not just devices.
Not just training.
A complete system.
Matt Britland from Francis Holland Schools Trust, described a similar systematic approach at his trust.
We created an AI policy. We set up an AI strategy working group. We've got six CPD sessions organised. We're using the UNESCO AI framework and mapping what we're doing against it. We're very clear that if anyone wants to use an unapproved platform, there needs to be a risk assessment.
Oak National Academy built Aila, but made the underlying content open for others to use.
Ecosystem thinking.
The tools I’d want aren’t the flashiest.
They're the most thoughtfully integrated.
Google’s Notebook LM
Free, accurate, creates podcasts/study guides/videos from documents for educators.
Dr Helen Crompton showed it in action: I put in some of my research that was open access, and it said things that made me kind of go, 'Wow, I wish I had put that in the paper.' This is very accurate.Khan Academy's Writing Coach + Schoolhouse
Not because the tech is novel, but because the design philosophy centres on human learning and connection.Canva's Affinity
Professional-grade design tools, free forever for students, even after students leave school, removing economic barriers to skills development.
Jason Wilmot from Canva: ‘Making Affinity free is always a key part of our goal. Every student, regardless of background or where they live, can develop real-world, career-ready skills without any barriers.’Oak's Aila
Because it keeps teachers in control while reducing cognitive load.
What I wouldn't want: Tools that promise to replace teaching, AI detectors with false-positive rates that punish honest students, or solutions that solve problems teachers never identified.
Time saved only matters if it's actually given back to teaching.
Dr Helen Crompton said it well:
Instead of asking what AI will do in education, ask: What will AI make possible?
What this signals
FIELD NOTES
Educator Decision Makers
Factor SETI principles into procurement. A brilliant tool in a broken system delivers zero value. Before buying, ask: What support exists at each level?
Educators
Before adopting any AI tool, audit your SETI layers. If the answer is "we have the tech but nothing else," don't expect magic. Push for the infrastructure first.
This is part one of my BETT 2026 series.
Next: The Question Nobody Asked
1 According to research highlighted by Dr. Hannah Fry at BETT and the BACP, we are facing a 'loneliness paradox' where over 70% of people report that loneliness is actively damaging their mental health, with a staggering number of young adults experiencing these feelings at least once a week.