More school staff visit BETT 2011

Funding cuts fail to dissuade teachers from tech

The BETT exhibition attracted 14 per cent more head teachers than in 2010, two per cent more deputy heads, and also an increasing number of year heads, bursars, school business managers and school IT managers.

Organiser Emap Connect has released the figures for this year's show. They have not yet been audited but suggest 1705 head teachers passed the exhibition's doors, up from last year's 1494.

There were also five per cent more visitors from the continent, and 17 per cent more visitors from abroad overall, the organiser said.

Ray Barker, director at the British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA), an organisation that works closely with Emap on BETT, said: "These figures add weight to the argument that even in a year of economic uncertainty, the leaders and practitioners running public and private sector education systems remain focused on the benefits of smart investments in the technologies that will benefit the learners in their care."

According to Emap Connect, attendees hailed from a range of tate primary and secondary schools, sixth-form colleges, pre-schools, other colleges and universities.

Visitor numbers from the nursery or pre-school sector were up 50 per cent on 2010, suggesting that exhibitors may look to early-years education for new opportunities, as younger and younger children are offered the benefits of a technology-rich learning environment.

There were also 20 per cent more attendees from independent prep schools than in 2010, according to Emap Connect.

The next show will be held at Olympia from 11 to 14 January 2012.