FISHGUARD'S Holy Name School has been named as only one of two Welsh launch schools for Edtech50 Schools, a UK initiative to find the 50 schools that are using education technology to make the biggest difference to pupils, staff and parents.

Edtech50 Schools kicks off with a nationwide tour of some of the leading techie schools in the UK including Holy Name Primary, which will be talking to the Edtech 50 team about how their use of technology has helped them to develop more collaborative working in the school.

Abbie Davis, head teacher, at Holy Name Primary School was a winner of the prestigious 2018 EdTech50 awards. She was named as one of 11 innovative educators, and was invited to the House of Lords earlier this year to celebrate this achievement.

"We have used edtech to develop staff skills and systems ensuring maximum efficiency and high-quality collaborative working," she said.

"Use of effective edtech systems allows staff to plan and work together achieving maximum productivity with minimum wasted effort or expense.

"Our aim is to enable the highest standards to be achieved in our school by all the pupils ensuring they are ambitious, capable learners, ready to learn throughout their lives - confident to use technology effectively and creatively."

Edtech50 Schools is an Education Foundation initiative. The foundation is a leading not for profit social enterprise organisation set up to accelerate and support positive change in the British education system and beyond.

The initiative has been welcomed by Kirsty Williams, Cabinet Secretary for Education, who said:

"Emerging technologies have completely revolutionised education and our schools in Wales are certainly plugged into this.

"Digital competence has become a crucial skill to an individual's success and that's why I've made it part of our National Mission to provide all learners with high-level digital skills. I wish all our schools in Wales the best of luck in reaching Edtech's top 50."

Ty Goddard, Founder & CEO, Education Foundation added:

"Holy Name Primary School is a brilliant examples of good edtech use. We want to find other pioneering schools that are showing outstanding digital leadership.

"There is great potential for edtech to help make a difference but it needs to be the right technology, implemented effectively, and with the right support for staff."

You can nominate a school for the Edtech 50 Schools by visiting https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/edtech50schoolsNominations close on Friday 18th January 2019. Following this, an independent judging panel will select the top 50 schools, which will be announced in April 2019.

The prestigious final list of the 50 UK schools using edtech in pioneering ways will be announced in the spring term. Successful schools will be featured in the Edtech 50 Schools publication and be invited to a House of Lords reception in London celebrating edtech in schools.

Edtech 50 Schools is supported by Intel and partners JISC, NetSupport, and the Independent Schools Council Digital Group.