Building Educational Bridges: A Fantastic Opportunity for Waterton Academy Trust

Recently, Jonathan Bean had the amazing opportunity to represent Waterton Academy Trust as part of the Building Educational Bridges project. This initiative, involving the Department for Education (DfE), the British Council, Singapore’s Ministry of Education (MOE), and the National Institute of Education (NIE), brought together ten school & trust leaders from across the UK to explore how Singapore uses EdTech to improve learning. This was the second leg of this project, following on from the Singaporean school leaders visiting a (very cold) London in November last year. The Singaporean weather was ‘slightly’ different, and it truly is an incredible country and culture.

A Clear and Thoughtful Approach to EdTech

One of the biggest takeaways from the visit was just how structured and well-planned Singapore’s approach to EdTech is. They have a solid strategy that is used across the country, making sure technology supports great teaching rather than taking over. What’s more, their approach is something that could work in schools here – the implementation wasn’t ground-breaking, just very well structured!

A key theme throughout the visit was the importance of balance between tech and human interaction. This was summed up perfectly in the phrase: “As the use of technology becomes more important, even more so does the importance of the human.” It’s a great reminder that technology should enhance learning, not replace relationships.

Learning from Experts and Visiting Schools

During the trip, the group attended talks at the National Institute of Education (NIE), where professors shared research and best practices on using technology in schools and detailed how technology was interwoven into Initial Teacher Training & CPD. They also visited the Ministry of Education (MOE) and heard directly from key officials, including the Deputy Director for Education, about how Singapore plans and delivers its EdTech strategy whilst placing a significant focus on digital wellbeing and digital citizenship.

A real highlight was visiting three different schools to see how all this works in practice. These visits gave the team a chance to meet school leaders, teachers, and children, and see how technology is used in everyday learning. The schools had a really structured approach, and it was clear that teachers and students benefited from the careful planning behind their use of EdTech.

AI was a key feature throughout the week, and schools in Singapore are using it in such a well-thought out way that it is interwoven throughout the system, all with a focus on pupil outcomes and supporting teachers.

As part of the exchange, each UK leader was paired with a Singaporean school leader to keep the collaboration going. Jonathan was partnered with Noorismawaty Sng-Ismail, the principal of Greendale Primary (https://www.greendalepri.moe.edu.sg/) . They’ve already had some great conversations and will continue to share ideas in the future.

What’s Next for Waterton?

There’s plenty we can learn from Singapore, and it’s exciting to think about how we can bring some of their ideas into our own schools. While we don’t have the same nationwide infrastructure, there are definitely strategies that could work well for us. We’ll be looking at how we can apply these insights in a way that makes sense for our schools. And, of course, we’ll continue working with our UK & Singaporean colleagues, and sharing what we’ve learned within our own Trust. The goal is simple: making sure technology helps, rather than hinders, great teaching and learning!