In this episode, we sit down with Gemma Gwilliam, head of digital learning, education, and innovation at the Portsmouth Education Partnership. Gemma shares insights into her unique role, leading the implementation of a digital strategy across all 62 schools in Portsmouth - a city where every school, whether part of a trust or local authority, is united under the same partnership.

She reveals her creative approach to leveraging technology in and beyond the classroom, explaining how she builds collaboration and gets everyone on board with her vision. Gemma also opens up about a pivotal moment in her career: a challenging lesson observation that almost made her leave education, and how it has shaped her professional journey. She discusses her forward-thinking ideas on using technology to transform lesson observations, and how schools and trusts can better support neurodivergent staff.

Additionally, Gemma shares her perspective on the controversial ban of mobile phones in schools, explaining why she disagrees and how technology can be a powerful tool for supporting neurodivergent students.

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To find out more about Gemma, visit her LinkedIn profile.

All views expressed in this episode are the guest's own. Any mention of commercial providers, resources or products is on the guest’s recommendation and should not be considered an endorsement by The Key.