Source · Select Committees · Education Committee
Recommendation 12
12
Accepted in Part
Paragraph: 61
Educational apps lack quality standards and an evidence base, confusing parents.
Conclusion
There are over half a million apps claiming to be educational within leading app stores such as the Apple App Store and Google Play, but no quality standards for educational content or design features that apps must align with to be included in the educational category. As a consequence, parents have little to no confidence in being able to correctly identify high quality versus low quality educational resources online. Many schools encourage the use of educational apps to support learning and engage pupils with subjects such as mathematics, but there is currently a poor evidence base regarding which are most effective.
Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges the lack of quality standards and is working to improve the evidence base for EdTech products. It has appointed the Chartered College of Teaching to develop criteria for evaluating EdTech effectiveness and has published AI safety expectations, though it states it will not mandate individual products or directly set quality standards for apps in app stores.
Paragraph Reference:
61
Government Response
Accepted in Part
HM Government
Accepted in Part
DfE is already working to improve the evidence base around EdTech products and services for schools, working with industry and educational experts. Since the committee’s report was published, we have appointed the Chartered College of Teaching (CCT) to develop criteria for evaluating EdTech evidence based on its effectiveness for teaching and learning. Setting standards and piloting their use in assessing products is the first stage in any process of using evidence to evaluate and communicate—via a quality mark—the efficacy of EdTech products. DfE has published a big-tech backed set of AI safety expectations, outlining capabilities and features GenAI systems and tools should aim towards to be considered safe for users in education. DfE does not actively back or mandate individual products, because we believe that it is up to educational establishments to decide what technology they need to meet their requirements in relation to their educational contexts and circumstances.