Expert Predictions For EdTech In 2026

If you were to walk into a classroom in the UK in 2025, you’re more than likely going to find tech being used. According to the Technology in Schools Survey 2025, carried out by IFF Research for the Department for Education, screens and devices now sit comfortably together with exercise books and pens now.

Teachers said interactive whiteboards dominate lessons, the teachers survey found that 89% used them at least sometimes, with 77% using them a lot of the time. Laptops and notebooks followed closely, used by most teachers during teaching time.

Desktop computers continued to anchor many classrooms, particularly in secondary schools. IT leads reported that 98% of secondary schools had desktops available for pupils, compared with 47% of primary schools. This gap reflected how older pupils often work on fixed devices rather than shared tablets.

Primary schools leaned more heavily on tablets. The IT leads survey showed that 87% of primary schools had tablets available for pupils, while only 55% of secondary schools did. Laptops cut across both phases, available in 90% of primaries and 95% of secondaries, though often shared between pupils rather than issued individually.

Where Is AI Fitting Into Teachers’ Working Days?

AI was introduced into schools gradually. The Technology in Schools Survey 2025 found that 44% of teachers used generative AI at least sometimes, based on responses from 1,211 teachers. The tools appeared most often away from pupils, during preparation time.

Lesson planning led the way with the teachers survey showing that 35% used generative AI for planning lessons at least sometimes. Administration came next at 20%, followed by written feedback such as reports at 15%.

Use during lessons stayed rare and only 7% of teachers said they used generative AI when delivering live lessons. Marking sat even lower at 5%. Primary teachers were more likely to use AI for written feedback at 19%, while secondary teachers reported higher use for marking at 8%.

These patterns are similar to findings from the School and College Voice Omnibus Survey from November 2024, which also showed AI supporting background tasks rather than classroom delivery.

Who Decides What Technology Schools Buy And Use?

Decisions about technology leaned heavily on professional trust rather than marketing. The teachers survey found that 38% valued advice from other teaching staff when choosing technology. A further 32% looked to other schools known for using technology well.

Mentions of leadership staff as a trusted source rose to 31% in 2025, up from 22% in 2023, according to the teachers survey. Research bodies such as the Education Endowment Foundation were named by 23% of teachers.

Formal evaluation fell behind daily use. The leaders survey found that only 22% had a clear evaluation plan to check how well technology worked. A further 13% monitored success informally, while 29% had no plan and no intention to create one.

What Is Holding Schools Back?

Money dominated every discussion because in 2025, 96% of primary leaders and 90% of secondary leaders said budget limits restricted their use of technology, according to the leaders survey. High costs and training expenses followed closely.

Infrastructure showed improvement in places. The report records £45 million in government spending on connectivity, including £25 million through the Connect the Classroom programme. Among primary schools, leaders reporting Wi Fi problems fell from 55% in 2023 to 46% in 2025.

Views on impact stayed cautious as the leaders survey found that 67% of primary leaders said technology helped pupil attainment, compared with 64% of secondary leaders. The figures refer to edtech as an established classroom tool in 2025, influenced more by budgets, habits and school leadership than by headline grabbing innovation.

What Do Experts Predict For 2026?

EdTech has a long way to go, and this year may bring so much more. Here’s what experts predict…

Our Experts:

• Auditi Chakravarty, CEO, AERDF
• Sasha Rabkin, Chief of Programme Strategy and Innovation, AERDF
• Michelle Tiu and Aubrey Francisco, Co-Executive Directors, AERDF’s EF+Math Programme
• Temple Lovelace, Executive Director, AERDF’s Assessment for Good Programme
• Sam Burgio, President & Chief Operating Officer, Jenzabar
• Chris Burton, EVP of Experiences and Design, Sign In Solutions
• Aditya Nagpal, Founder & CEO, Wisemonk

Auditi Chakravarty, CEO, AERDF

Investing in Education R&D Will Be Vital to Solving Pressing Education Issues

“In 2026, we will see more talk about the need for research and evidence to guide education decisions in K-12 education. Reports on student achievement continue to show that K-12 students are not where they need to be academically, while concerns about the impact of new technologies on student well-being are on the rise. Many in the education space are now asking what we can do differently to support student learning as AI solutions rapidly make their way into classrooms. Investing in research and development with a focus on understanding teaching and learning in the age of AI will be vital to addressing current education issues.”
 

Sasha Rabkin, Chief of Programme Strategy and Innovation, AERDF

We Will Explore AI’s Role in Education as Teachers and Classrooms Expand Use of AI Solutions

“In 2026, conversations will shift from the early implementation of AI to the more fundamental, and even existential, questions posed by AI about the future of learning. While the incremental progress, challenges, and opportunities will persist, bigger questions will emerge about how we as educators make sense of this moment and demonstrate the dexterity and creativity this moment invites and requires. In addition, the evolution of generative AI will allow us to significantly increase the capacity, technical complexity, and elegance of education research and development.”

Michelle Tiu and Aubrey Francisco, Co-Executive Directors, AERDF’s EF+Math Programme

Executive Function Skills Will Be an Even Bigger Focus in Math Instruction

“In 2026, as schools continue to navigate the rise of AI, we anticipate increased attention to the need to support students in developing strong cognitive skills, including executive function (EF) skills such as working memory, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility. Math teachers nationwide already recognize these skills as essential for navigating complex math problems and deeply understanding core math concepts. In the coming years, we predict that more teachers and districts will seek out curricula and tools that embed EF skills development directly into instruction – not as an add-on, but as a foundational part of how we support students in engaging in mathematics.

“Professional learning will shift towards better equipping teachers to observe, assess, and support students’ EF skills in math classrooms, in ways that are asset-based and culturally responsive. As educators gain the curricula, language, evidence, and confidence to teach EF skills intentionally, math classrooms will shift towards a more holistic approach to instruction — where EF skill supports are embedded as an essential part of the math education that students receive.”

Temple Lovelace, Executive Director, AERDF’s Assessment for Good Programme

A New Assessment Era Will Give Teachers Information Faster, Allowing Them to Use Data to Support Student Learning in Real Time

“In 2026, I anticipate seeing greater adoption of assessment that blends learning opportunity across content, using durable skills embedded in academic learning as the lever to power the future of learning. New assessment tools will be designed to deliver accurate, insightful data on how students express these connected skills as early as PreK, using that as the catalyst for breakthrough learning that expands across home, school, and community contexts.

“Assessment focused on understanding students’ strengths will help educators tailor learning to each student’s unique needs at the moment of instruction, not after. This year, we will see an increased focus on assessment processes that allow learners to be measured alongside milestones of their own developmental trajectory, so we move beyond a core of learning that is no longer common, but customised.”

Sam Burgio, President & Chief Operating Officer, Jenzabar

Student Success Models Will Become Predictive and Fully Connected
“The next generation of student success models will anticipate, not react. Institutions will harness connected data ecosystems that detect early signs of disengagement and trigger timely, personalised interventions, long before a student considers leaving.

“Success teams will operate as one, sharing real-time insights across advising, academic, and financial systems. Static reports will give way to live dashboards that predict outcomes and guide action. Colleges that embrace this shift will see higher retention, stronger completion rates, and a measurable rise in student confidence.”

Chris Burton, EVP of Experiences and Design, Sign In Solutions

“On-campus security is a persistent challenge, as new AI-driven threats are proliferating, and as campuses manage greater growth.

“Every school needs to know who is onsite at any moment to protect its students, staff, visitors, and infrastructure, account for everyone during emergencies, and prevent risks before they materialise.

“Balancing safety and increasingly complex risks with an open learning environment and AI-driven threats that maintains trust while managing limited budgets will remain a challenge in the next three to five years.

“Manual visitor logs and paper-based processes create vulnerabilities that understaffing only amplifies. Critical information gets lost between shifts, visitor patterns that should raise red flags go unnoticed, and emergency response teams lack real-time data about who’s actually on campus.

“The most overlooked gap is the disconnect between digital literacy training and physical security operations.

“There’s also a critical need for cross-functional emergency preparedness that integrates visitor management systems with a broader crisis response.

“Decision-makers often view visitor management as a simple administrative function rather than a foundational safety and operational intelligence platform.”

Aditya Nagpal, Founder & CEO, Wisemonk

“My prediction for 2026 is that the divide between “EdTech” and “HR Tech” will vanish.

“Currently, companies hire people based on their past degrees. By 2026, I think we will switch to “Just-in-Time Skilling” that integrates directly into the hiring process.

“Instead of general learning platforms, we will see highly specific AI training modules that provide skills to a new remote hire the moment they sign a contract. For example, a developer in Bengaluru won’t just get hired by a US startup. They will enter an automated EdTech pathway that prepares them on that company’s code base and culture before their first day.

“EdTech will shift from focusing on “getting a degree” to “reducing time-to-productivity” for global teams.”