Welcome to the Berkhamsted IT Conference
Tuesday 28 November 2023 | Berkhamsted School, Castle Campus | 09:30 – 16:00
We are delighted you have been able to join us for Berkhamsted’s IT Conference: a vibrant, practical, live event centred around educational technology.
Please see below:
- Our Safeguarding guidelines whilst on site
- Details of our Fire Evacuation Plans for the day
- How to access the Wifi
- Details of how you can submit your Q&A questions
- Agenda for the day
Please see staff at the Welcome Desk if you have any questions.
We hope you have a good day. Please remember to share photos and experiences of your day on LinkedIn using #berkhamsteditconference
Safeguarding guidelines whilst on site
All delegates and sponsors must to be accompanied by a Berkhamsted employee (wearing a Berkhamsted Lanyard) anywhere outside of todays venue, Deans’ Hall. If you need to leave site before the end of the day please approach any member of staff and they will be happy to assist.
The Berkhamsted Schools Group is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects staff and visitors to adopt a child-centred and co-ordinated approach to child protection and safeguarding.
- Child Protection and Safeguarding
- Any child can be abused and therefore has the right to be safeguarded.
- Safeguarding children is everybody’s responsibility.
- It is your duty to recognise and respond.
- Maintain an ‘it could happen here’ attitude.
- Please raise any concerns about a child or our safeguarding practice with the Headteacher of the Boys School: 01442 358031.
- If you have any concerns about a member of staff please refer to the Principal: 01442 358002.
Fire Evacuation Plan for today
There are no planned drills today. If the fire alarm sounds everyone is to evacuate Deans’ Hall (main hall or breakout rooms) in an orderly fashion via the signed exits and meet on the large grassed area that you walked passed when entering Deans’ Hall. This is also known as the Grass Quad. Berkhamsted Staff (wearing blue Berkhamsted lanyards) will guide you out of your location through these fire exits.
It may be necessary to take a register.
How to access the WiFi
Search and connect to the WiFi network called;
2023 IT Conference
No password required
How to post your Q&A questions
Click on the relevant link to post questions to the speakers
15:30 | All Delegates | Interactive Q&A Session focusing on AI
Today’s Agenda
Please make your way with the Berkhamsted guides for Tea/Coffee/Pastries and networking in Deans’ Hall.
Please take your seat to hear from Laura Knight, Senior Consultant.
As per your personalised agenda, please head to your first breakout session:
Breakout Room A – Deans’ Hall
Academic / SMT – The reality of AI in the classroom: from strategy to implementation, Adam Webster
Breakout Room B – DH101
Technical / SMT – 1:1 Model at Berkhamsted, Prad Samtani
Breakout Room C – DH103
Technical / SMT – 1:1 Model at RGS, Sarah Buist
Breakout Room D – DH015
Academic / SMT – Developing a Digital Strategy in a Prep School, Ronan Mc Nicholl
Please grab yourself another refreshment
As per your personalised agenda, please head to your first breakout session:
Breakout Room A – Deans’ Hall
Academic / Pastoral – Tracking using Power BI, Nick Cale
Breakout Room B – DH101
Technical / SMT – 1:1 Model at RGS, Sarah Buist
Breakout Room C – DH103
Technical / SMT – Power Platform, Dan Raymond
Breakout Room D – DH015
Academic / SMT – Exploring Generative AI in Education: Reflections and Futures, Rachel Evans
Please join the Berkhamsted team in Deans’ Hall for a buffet lunch and the opportunity to network with the other delegates and sponsors.
As per your personalised agenda, please head to your first breakout session:
Breakout Room A – Deans’ Hall
Academic / SMT – The future of onscreen assessment, Pearson
Breakout Room B – DH101
Technical / SMT – Power Platform, Dan Raymond
Breakout Room C – DH103
Academic / SMT – The reality of AI in the classroom: from strategy to implementation, Adam Webster
Breakout Room D – DH015
Pastoral / SMT – 1:1 Safeguarding at Berkhamsted, Laura Knight
As per your personalised agenda, please head to your first breakout session:
Breakout Room A – Deans’ Hall
Technical / SMT – Power BI Technical Overview , Chris Wye
Breakout Room B – DH101
Academic / SMT – Exploring Generative AI in Education: Reflections and Futures, Rachel Evans
Breakout Room C – DH103
Academic / SMT – Teacher Panel (Senior / Sixth)
Breakout Room D – DH015
Academic / SMT – 1:1 Model at Berkhamsted, Hannah Butland
Please join us back in Deans’ Hall for an interactive Q&A with our panel.
Rachel Evans, Director of Digital Learning & Innovation, Wimbledon High School
Adam Webster, Deputy Head (Innovation), Caterham School at Caterham School
Laura Knight, Senior Consultant
Click on this link to put questions to the panel;
Please join the Berkhamsted team in Deans’ Hall for refreshments and the final opportunity to network with the other delegates and sponsors.
The minibus service to the park & ride will begin at this time. Please speak with the support team to be escorted to the bus stop.
Join our Vice Principal of External Relations, Richard Thompson, on a tour of our historic Castle Campus – first founded in 1541.
The minibus service to the park & ride will be operating at this time. Please speak with the support team to be escorted to the bus stop.
Thank you for attending the conference – we hope you have enjoyed your day. If you have not yet signed up to hear more about the other events planned by Berkhamsted, please do click here to complete our short form.
We wish you a safe journey home.
Description of the breakout sessions
Pearson will showcase the initiatives and endeavours we have undertaken in collaboration with Berkhamsted. Additionally, we will address and provide insights into prevalent inquiries concerning onscreen assessment, including security considerations.
There has been extensive discussion in 2023 about the potential and risks of using generative AI technologies in education. Almost a year on from the launch of ChatGPT, what has been achieved and considered so far? Where could we direct our efforts next? How can we leverage this technology to benefit all learners – and teachers – safely and effectively? In this session, Rachel will offer reflection and horizon scanning, and offer an opportunity for sharing of practical examples and emerging platforms and use cases
A chance to see how real-time data allows teachers and senior leaders track the whole pupil journey from both an academic and pastoral viewpoint.
This session will focus on the key ingredients of developing a successful strategy for Prep aged children. This involves prioritising staff training and developing a culture of sharing and innovation.
Discuss with the teacher panel how 1:1 devices really work in the classroom.
This session explores the steps taken to get a school on the front foot to explore the value of AI in the classroom, some examples of what works (and what doesn’t) and what might be coming next in this space.
Learn about how we manage filtering, monitoring, digital wellbeing and safeguarding in a 1:1 environment.
Learn how Sarah has transformed device provision at RGS and adopted Surface devices throughout their school.
A deep dive into the possibilities of the Power Platform with a live demo of “SCAM” – the St Catherine’s teacher app developed in-house with low code since 2020. A synergy of Power Apps, Power Platform and Power BI provides daily assistance to pastoral, academic and operational workflows.
This presentation will provide an overview of how features and elements interact, and how Berkhamsted has managed the roll-out of Power BI reports.
Hear from the following colleagues
During this conference we’ll be hearing from a number of schools and learning about their journey and successes.
With a passion for digital innovation and education, Sarah Buist currently serves as the Head of Digital Strategy at Royal Grammar School Newcastle. In this capacity, she is driving the school’s digital evolution into the future.
Prior to her role at Royal Grammar School Newcastle, Sarah spent over five years at Durham School, where she served as a Teacher of Geography and also held the position of Head of Digital Learning. During her tenure, she played a pivotal role in integrating digital technologies into the teaching and learning process.
Sarah is dedicated to enhancing the educational experience through technology and is committed to ensuring that students have access to cutting-edge digital resources.
Dan Raymond currently holds the position of Director of Digital Technologies at St Catherine’s School, Bramley, with an impressive tenure of over 11 years. He has been in this role since January 2016, spearheading digital innovation. Dan is deeply committed to revolutionising education through technology. Prior to his current role, he served as the Network Manager, responsible for the management of the school’s digital infrastructure.
Before joining St Catherine’s School, Dan spent seven years at Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys, where he held the role of ICT Operations Manager, focusing on operational excellence. His journey in the education sector commenced as an ICT Technician, and he spent four years and three months in this capacity.
Dan’s true passion lies in harnessing technology to empower both students and educators, ensuring their success in an increasingly digital world.
Adam is an experienced senior education leader who is also running an EdTech startup, developing AI-powered platforms to enhance both teacher and pupil experiences of school. Sphinx AI is building software to meaningfully understand how and when to support pupils, using cutting-edge AI, blended with the critical human interventions and observations of teachers.
He has significant experience developing the effective use of technology in schools, including curriculum design, staff and pupil training, as well as developing the relationship between traditional science based-subjects and the creative arts.
Adam also has experience in safeguarding and in particular utilising and responding to the use of technology in helping young people and parents deal with a range of pastoral concerns.
Adam is a regular writer and speaker on the use of technology in schools and has delivered a TEDx talk on the importance of disruption and change in the education system to meet the changing demands of the future workplace.
Rachel leads on digital strategy and innovation at Wimbledon High School (GDST), working with teachers to evaluate the use of technology for teaching and learning, implementing evidence-based practices. She is passionate about using technology in an authentic way, keeping human relationships at the heart of learning. Rachel is currently working on implementing a human-centred approach to AI in education and is a member of the Practitioners Panel of the Bourne-Epsom Protocol. She is a Trustee of Folio Education Trust where she acts as Lead Trustee for Digital Learning and chairs the Education Committee, Vice-Chair of the Independent Schools Council Digital Advisory Group and a BETT Awards Judge.
Mark joined Pearson Edexcel in February 2007 as a Project Manager in IT, after completing a major system re-write and International English project, Mark was appointed to run the IT development and delivery for the Nation Curriculum Test TOpS contract from 2009 through to 2019, at which point Mark moved into Assessment, managing the online assessment, marking platforms and transforming assessment delivery from paper to onscreen. Prior to joining Edexcel Mark spent two years working on Identity Management and Security for HBOS, prior to that Mark spent eight years as a Technical Project Manager with Arcadia group.
Mark has 30 years experience in IT development and project management. Mark’s work for the second largest fashion retailer in the UK and a major high street bank, has given him fantastic experience of developing systems to process large volumes of transactions, accurately, in short periods of time.
Meredith Reeve is Head of Next Generation Assessment, Qualification Development and Teacher Professional Development at Pearson. She has held leadership positions across a range of teams within Pearson since beginning her career in education over 15 years ago, as a senior secondary teacher and chief examiner in her native country of Australia. With a background in assessment delivery, digital assessment and Standards leadership, Meredith has a wealth of experience across academic, vocational and skills-based based qualifications in the UK and internationally. She is passionate about exploring future models of assessment that elevate the learner experience and best equip young people for the next steps in their lives. As a strategic lead for the future of Assessment in the Schools Product team, Meredith has a key focus on the role of onscreen technologies in assessment.
If you missed our last conference
You can hear from the following Berkhamsted colleagues covering the same topics
Hannah is responsible for teaching, learning and innovation at Berkhamsted. She works closely with both Prad Samtani and Laura Knight across our senior girls, senior boys and sixth schools.
Hannah helped devise the Digital Learning strategy that was so successful throughout the pandemic, ensuring that all our students continued to receive an effective, purposeful and inspiring education.
Prad is Director of IT at Berkhamsted Schools Group and the technical architect behind our sector-leading 1:1 device programme.
Working closely with BT, Prad has now successfully deployed a full Windows-based 1:1 device strategy from year 5 through to year 13. Using Microsoft Surface, our digital device provision is seen by industry experts as one of the most inventive and well-thought through 1:1 programmes around.
Laura leads on Berkhamsted’s strategy for digital learning and staff training. She’s also responsible for digital wellbeing and online safeguarding.
Laura is passionate about developing innovative and inspirational practice. She runs a staff think tank and is a key player in setting the school’s direction for innovation. She’s also Chair of ISC Digital – the Independent Schools’ Council committee for digital learning and IT strategy
