Teach-Secondary-14.1

The ‘Esports, security and student safety’ panel (22nd Jan, 11.35am-12pm, Esports @Bett) is about safeguarding, howwe can develop a safe and secure Esports environment within schools, colleges and universities, and howwe’ve done that atWilmington Academy. Until around five years ago, I didn’t know anything about Esports. I knew online competitive gaming existed, but never realised just howmany people were regularly playing. I teach e-safety as part of the KS3/4 computing curriculum, so I know about online safeguarding and the issues surrounding online grooming and chat messaging inside games. As I tell our pupils, anyone canmake an account and pretend to be someone else online. I’ll be explaining at the session howwe developed a safe and secure environment for our Esports pupils, in which they can effectively communicate with each other and really flourish in what’s a safe environment for them. From the outset, there were hurdles we had to overcome. Discord is an essential online chat tool, and a primary method by which the British Esports body communicates information, but it had been previously flagged by staff for being potentially harmful. That’s fair and right, but it was going to be our chief means of keeping our Esports pupils together and communicating openly with each other. To put that in place I needed to liaise with the school’s DSL, and explain to the governors and SLTmembers why it was such an important tool for the Esports community. I also had to ‘sell’ what Esports was, and its benefits – why it wouldn’t just be about ‘playing games’, but an important way for pupils who would never be chosen for the school’s sports teams to experience competitive match fixtures, and the pride that comes from being part of a team themselves. James Marriott is director ICT and Esports at Wilmington Academy CELEBRATING 40YEARS As Bett heads into its fifth decade, we look at some of the highlights of the world’s biggest edtech show... Table talks Learn from other educators and grow your personal learning network. Bringing together individuals from schools, universities and governments based on chosen topics of interest, TableTalks is the opportunity of the year to connect and collaborate with your peers. Connect @Bett Transforming the way that our community connects and collaborates, you’ll meet new people, discover new organisations and forge meaningful connections that result in positive changes for you, your organisation and your learners. Tech User Labs Learn directly from world-leading experts, with specialised tutorials and working groups designed to help you get the most out of your tech. Tech User Labs is an unrivalled opportunity not to be missed! CPD-accredited content Planning your CPD credits for 2025? Tick it off your list early when you register for Bett UK 2025 with our free CPD-accredited programme, hosting over 100+ hours of quality, CPD-accredited content for you to choose from. With six stages, 300+ speakers and thrilling keynotes from some of the biggest names in education, there’s no CPD opportunity quite like it. The best part? All our content is free for educators. Find out more about the Bett UK 2025 agenda at uk.bettshow.com EXPLORE ESPORTS With Bett once again shining a spotlight on Esports, James Marriott tells us about the discussion panel he’ll be participating in, and the Esports journey he and his students have embarked on at Wilmington Academy in Dartford, Kent... RECOMMENDS UNPARALLELED REPRESENTATION NAHT represents over 50,000 serving school leaders in early years, primary, secondary and special schools, making us the largest trade union exclusively for school leaders in the UK. NAHT is democratically run and supports its members through offering unparalleled protection and representation, using our voice at the highest levels of government to influence policy for the benefit of leaders and learners everywhere. Alongside our members, we work to create a better education system for both educationalists and students alike. Find us at Bett 2025 on stand SS50 ; for more information, visit naht.org.uk EDUCATIONAL INNOVATION Explore the future of learning with Dell Technologies at Bett 2025, where cutting-edge technology meets educational innovation (stands ND10 and NJ80 ). Visitors will have opportunities to get hands-on with the latest laptops, monitors, and devices – each rigorously tested to meet the demands of modern classrooms. You’ll also find an Esports Showdown, alongside Expert Insights from Dell and Intel specialists regarding AI,Windows 11, cybersecurity and more. 38 teachwire.net/secondary