Leadership
Listening to Tom Rees speak is always grounding. His keynote this week was no exception. At its core, it was a call to re-engage with the moral foundations of our education system. A reminder that, despite all our complexity and systems and metrics, we are here for one reason: to give every child the opportunity to live a full, enriched life.
Tom’s message, centred around the lived reality of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), was deeply human and fundamentally civic. As someone immersed in digital strategy, I came away with a simple question: are our technologies serving inclusion, or unintentionally reinforcing exclusion?
Technology with a Moral Purpose
Tom’s speech took us from the East End of 1920s London to the current state of our SEND system. He reminded us of the post-war promise of the welfare state – a promise of education, healthcare and social care for all. But he also laid bare the gaps that still persist, particularly for children with additional needs.
In our world of digital transformation, we must ensure our work upholds that promise. Whether we are rolling out a new MIS, implementing an AI-powered assessment tool, or embedding analytics into the classroom, we must ask: who is this for? Who benefits? And most importantly, who might be left behind?
Technology must be a bridge, not a barrier.
Rejecting the Binary: There Are Only Children
One of the most powerful statements Tom made was this: “There are no ‘SEND children’ and ‘other children’. There are only children.” This simple truth speaks volumes. It challenges the structures and silos that we, sometimes inadvertently, replicate in our systems.
Digital strategy is no exception. All too often, accessibility is seen as a bolt-on, inclusion as someone else’s job, or data on SEND pupils as an afterthought. But real digital leadership understands that inclusion must be baked in from the beginning – in user design, in training, in procurement decisions and in the data we prioritise.
We must stop designing systems for the average child. We must start designing for every child.
SEND and the Evidence Gap in EdTech
Tom challenged us to admit that SEND has not benefitted from the same rigorous, evidence-informed reform as curriculum or assessment. I would argue the same applies to EdTech. While the sector has raced ahead in AI, automation and analytics, we have not yet held our innovations to the standard SEND learners deserve.
We see too many tools that lack adaptive features. Too many platforms that do not interface with assistive technology. Too much inconsistent advice around digital inclusion. And too few partnerships between trusts, tech providers and SEND professionals to co-design what good looks like.
At TransforMATive, we are committed to closing this gap. Whether supporting trusts with AI strategy, procurement, or platform development, we work to ensure that inclusion is not a compliance exercise, but a core design principle.
From Diagnosis to Design: Data That Works for Everyone
Tom also spoke about the “labelling industry” – how we have become too quick to classify children, often inconsistently, and with labels that follow them for life. This made me reflect on our use of data in digital systems.
Are we using data to liberate or to limit? Are we designing dashboards that flag “SEND status” as a risk indicator, or as a signpost for tailored support and strength-based insight?
Digital leaders have a responsibility to reshape how we see and serve our children through data. This includes:
- Developing strength-based data models
- Prioritising accessible and inclusive analytics
- Building systems that reflect potential, not just problems
- Ensuring that SEND and inclusion leads are involved in every tech procurement decision
A Broader, Richer Vision of Education
Tom’s three purposes of education – to educate, to enrich, and to empower – could form the foundation of a digital vision for any trust. These are not just abstract aims. They offer a framework for how we should be using digital tools:
- Educate: Technology must support high-quality teaching and deep learning, not replace it.
- Enrich: Platforms must create opportunities for creativity, connection and joy.
- Empower: Systems must increase voice, agency and belonging, particularly for those who have been underserved.
This is why inclusive digital transformation matters. It is not just about infrastructure. It is about justice.
Conclusion: Holding the Promise
Tom’s grandmother, Connie, lived through two world wars and still carried with her a belief in building a better world for the next generation. Her life, and the values it embodied, were woven through his keynote as a living metaphor for what our education system can – and should – be.
Digital leadership must carry that same promise. Not just to make things faster or smarter, but fairer and more human. To use our tools not simply to diagnose deficits, but to design dignity. To make the system work for every child, especially those it has failed in the past.
That is the promise we must hold. And we must hold it together.
