In this episode, host Philippa Wraithmell is joined by Hugh Viney, Founder and CEO of Minerva Virtual Academy, to explore how one online school is redefining what learning can look like.

What started during lockdown as a response to students thriving outside traditional classrooms has become one of the UK's fastest-growing accredited online schools. Hugh shares the journey from concept to community, a story shaped by mentorship, wellbeing, and flexibility. Together, Philippa and Hugh discuss how Minerva supports students who struggled in mainstream education, why connection and belonging are central to its success, and how the model is now expanding to reach families across the Middle East.

They also unpack what it means to balance innovation with academic rigour, the realities of teaching and learning online, and how culture and kindness have helped Minerva buck the national trend on teacher retention.

This is an honest and inspiring conversation about choice, creativity, and the future of education, one that proves being "virtual" can still feel completely real.

This episode of The EdTech Podcast features Abdul Chohan, VP of Learning at Showbie, former chemistry teacher, and international education advisor, in conversation with Philippa Wraithmell.

Abdul reflects on his experiences working with schools across India since 2012, tracing the country's journey from traditional, exam-centered classrooms to innovative, learner-centered environments.

He discusses the nation's growing focus on skills development, employability, and teacher empowerment, alongside striking examples of resourceful EdTech use in both urban and rural contexts. From schools combining CBSE, IGCSE, and IB curricula under one roof to rural students enabling digital literacy within their families, Abdul highlights a culture of resilience, creativity, and fearless experimentation that positions India as a global hub for educational innovation.

The conversation invites educators worldwide to rethink barriers and embrace a mindset of possibility — proving that transformation begins with courage, not connectivity.

This episode features Sidney Sutton, Digital Learning Lead at Oberoi International School, Mumbai, in conversation with Philippa Wraithmell. Together, they discuss the transformation of education and EdTech across India over the past decade.

Sidney reflects on the country's deep cultural respect for education, the growth of collaborative teaching communities, and the infrastructure foundations required to make technology integration sustainable. He outlines India's emerging role in AI and homegrown EdTech innovation, as well as how schools are approaching ethical AI, digital citizenship, and responsible adoption of new technologies.

The conversation highlights a central theme: how educators can balance innovation with intention, keeping learning, relationships, and human connection at the core of technology-driven education.

This episode features Hema Mandanna, history teacher and administrator at Mallya Aditi International School, Bangalore, in conversation with host Philippa Wraithmell. Hema reflects on her 27-year teaching journey and the evolution of education technology in India's tech capital.

The discussion covers key themes of teacher autonomy, professional development, and the integration of iPads and accessibility tools that transformed learning for students with diverse needs. Hema recounts how early adoption of EdTech positioned her school to handle challenges such as remote learning and inclusivity, ensuring technology serves pedagogy rather than the other way around.

The episode also examines the school's proactive engagement with AI in education, ongoing teacher training, and how a culture of openness and collaboration fosters confident, critical thinkers. Hema's story stands as a testament to how innovation and equity can coexist when educators lead with trust, creativity, and compassion.

In this special episode, Philippa Wraithmell is joined by the Digital Futures Group — Gemma Williams, Daren White, Emma Darcy, Gary Henderson, James Garnett, Jonny Wathen (and a shoutout to Abid Patel!) — a collective of leading UK and European educators and edtech voices redefining what meaningful digital transformation looks like.

Together, they ask the big questions:

Are we truly innovating, or just dressing up old systems in new tech?

Do frameworks from the DfE, EU, and OECD genuinely help schools, or add to the noise?

Is EdTech narrowing or widening the equity gap?

And what must we unlearn if we're serious about futureproofing education?

Expect bold honesty, shared insight, and a challenge to every assumption about what progress in education really means.

Welcome back to a new season of The EdTech Podcast! Our founder, Sophie Bailey, is thrilled to be back, sharing what she's been up to over the past few years and introducing our brand-new host, Philippa Wraithmell.

We’ve missed you! The EdTech Podcast is back. Join us to hear where Sophie’s journey has taken her, meet our new host, and discover what’s in store for this exciting new chapter.

Welcome back to a new season of The EdTech Podcast! Our founder, Sophie Bailey, is thrilled to be back, sharing what she’s been up to over the past few years and introducing our brand-new host, Philippa Wraithmell.

We've all seen the headlines - AI is revolutionising everything from how students learn to how teachers teach. The promise of personalised learning paths, automated grading, and AI teaching assistants has created a gold rush mentality in education technology. But in our rush to adopt these powerful new tools, are we moving too fast?

Today we'll explore why when it comes to AI in education, we need to learn fast but act more slowly and thoughtfully. We'll look at both the tremendous opportunities and serious risks that AI tools present for students and educators. We'll examine where AI can truly add value in education versus where human teachers remain irreplaceable. And most importantly, we'll discuss why comprehensive AI literacy and training is absolutely crucial - not just for educators, but for everyone involved in shaping young minds. Drawing on insights from leading experts on the frontlines of AI in education, we'll provide a framework for thinking about how to implement AI tools responsibly and effectively. Whether you're a teacher, administrator, policymaker or parent, this episode will give you practical guidance for navigating the AI revolution in education.

Talking points and questions may include:

• • Opportunities and risks of the tools:
    • Adaptive or personalised learning paths, automated marking and feedback, content generation, analytics and teaching assistants, but also inaccuracy and lack of transparency, data risks, biases, ethics and safeguarding, and like social media, the unintended lasting consequences
  • Where AI is best placed:
    • Is it EdTech and tools in the classroom, the augmentation and elevation of human intelligence, or is it just learning about AI and what it can do and why (is knowledge=power enough?)
  • Why it is so important that understanding and training are emphasised and why everyone needs to have such training
    • Without it there can be safeguarding disasters, skills training can be insufficient, many AI tool providers are offering free training to learn to use their tool but this is consumerised and inadequate and can be ethically questionable; do we want successive generations to only be producing AI tools that are exploitative and using our data and our IP without our consent, or do we want to help people with technology and for the partnership to be of most benefit to them?

Guests:

• Rt. Hon the Lord Knight of Weymouth, Jim Knight
• Rob Robson, ASCL Trust Leadership Consultant

In our third episode on AI in UK schools, Professor Rose Luckin explores AI integration further with two very special guests helping to lead the way with AI in their institutions.

Talking points and questions may include:

• What is the extent of AI penetration in your schools, including teacher usage, classes avoiding it, student use, and any strategies or evaluation plans in place regarding reactive or proactive AI adoption?
• No AI is risk-free, so concerns around impacts on learning, creativity, authorship, assessment, and whether students genuinely understand AI-generated content are critical issues
• Safeguarding measures must address the risks of AI providing misleading, biased, or explicit content without consent as these technologies proliferate in classrooms
• Comprehensive AI training is needed for educators at all levels to ensure smooth technology transitions while maintaining human-centric learning approaches as new tools and understanding are required

Guests:

• Harvey Trump, Educational Consultant, Global Educational Consultancy, Egypt
• Avani Higgins, Director of School Improvement, Leathersellers' Federation of Schools