Earlier this year I was commissioned to shoot a Texthelp Marketing Photography project. I was part of a team on an extensive client case study, LEO Academy Trust in the Borough of Sutton and Surrey. We had a fantastic week visiting lots of schools. After photographing and chatting to dozens of children, teachers and parents, I came away feeling incredibly inspired by the amazing difference that EdTech and PedTech (first time I’d heard that one!) can make to learners of all kinds.

I saw in the people we met, lives that had been transformed by the Texthelp apps. Not just breaking down barriers for learners with special educational needs but helping kids of all abilities with literacy.

Breaking down stigma in the classroom

One of things I loved most was the fact that all kids in these schools had the apps. It wasn’t determined by ability. This meant they could all use the tech as they chose without the stigma of having to raise a hand. “Going public” with the fact that they need help and having to wait for a teacher to explain something before they could move on can only hold back a pupils development.

One of the kids in particular who is autistic, raised a lump in my throat. They described how they’d absolutely hated going to school and refused at every possible occassion. Even with a classroom assistant they were seriously struggling to make any progress with literacy. But now they love writing and can’t get enough of school. They are a digital champion for the other kids who come to them for help. That’s a serious swing of the pendulum!!