In 2019, LEO started its journey of digital transformation, investing significant time, resources and human energy into an ambitious new future. 

Pupil outcomes at LEO Academy Trust have continued to improve as every member of staff and every child in Key Stage 2 was given their own Chromebook, and every child in Early Years and Key Stage 1 was introduced to on-demand access to an iPad or Chromebook to support their learning. 

A year on from publishing the first LEO PedTech Impact Report, we are now ready to embark on a new chapter and review the incredible progress we’ve made so far, including incorporating more AI and accessibility tools that support all learners in achieving their potential. 

Here you’ll find all the highlights from our latest report, focused on LEO’s improved attainment and pupil outcomes following our PedTech approach to digital learning. 

Changing Learning, Changing Lives 

Much has changed at LEO since publishing the first PedTech Impact Report. 

Since 2023, three new schools have joined LEO Academy Trust: West Ashtead Primary, Hurst Park Primary, and Shawley Community Primary, which recently celebrated receiving ‘Good’ in all areas in its latest Ofsted inspection. 

Year after year, we have continued to see improvement in attendance, attainment and progress in learning across all primaries, all the while regularly hosting visitors from a broad range of schools, contexts, and backgrounds. 

To strengthen our network of partners and share our expertise as a Trust, we have been hosting a range of ‘Discovery Days’ that enable schools, teachers and leaders, policymakers, and researchers to visit LEO schools and better understand the active ingredients behind LEO’s success stories. All LEO schools take turns at hosting these visits, demonstrating the widespread embedding of LEO’s pedagogy-first approach to digital learning. 

In the latest update on our impact and pupil outcomes at LEO Academy Trust, we have identified impressive and sustained progress across all Key Stages, and particularly among SEND and disadvantaged learners. 

Attainment 

Aggregated data on attainment across LEO Academy Trust continues to outperform national averages. 

Significantly, the outperformance of disadvantaged children at LEO in Writing is nearly 6 times that of the national average (2.9 compared to 0.4), with Reading and Maths on similar trajectories. 

When it comes to end-of-Key Stage 2 age-related expectations across Reading, Writing and Maths combined, disadvantaged children across LEO are outperforming the national average by more than 6% (72% compared to 66%). 

These impressive results showcase the Trust’s unwavering commitment to Excellence, one of our core values, which we continue putting into practice through an ambitious and comprehensive curriculum. 

SEND  

We know that there is compelling evidence of the impact of a pedagogy-first approach to digital learning on children with potential or diagnosed special educational needs. 

While the volume and level of needs entering mainstream classrooms continue to increase nationally, the number of LEO children on the SEN register is decreasing despite the high levels of need still entering LEO classrooms.  

Additionally, during our Discovery Days, visitors to the Trust routinely comment on how difficult it is to identify children with SEN in LEO classrooms due to our Universal Design for Learning (UDL) approach, our implementation of PedTech principles, and consistently high-quality teaching and learning. 

To explain how this is possible, the SEN Lead at Hurst Park Primary School comments: 

“Before a child goes onto the SEN register, teachers are expected to demonstrate that quality-first teaching is in place for that child. If the child still isn’t meeting their potential, then we have a discussion between the teacher, parents and child about what their specific, explicit needs are. By identifying those together, we can then look at what provision might help address those needs and what that might look like both at school and at home. This level of detail, combined with the child having a 1:1 Chromebook that is going back and forth between home and school, means that we can be really creative with interventions, support and family engagement. It might be videos, daily communications through SeeSaw, teaching the child and their family to use a particular accessibility tool - whatever it is, we work on it together.” 

We focused on developing a sustainable and scalable approach to PedTech across all key stages and schools, helping us bridge the accessibility gap and give all learners the tools to choose what’s best for them independently, no matter their learning style and special education needs. 

Across the Trust, we use one shared Google ecosystem, providing 1:1 Chromebooks on-demand for all children, leaders, teachers, and teaching assistants, equipped with core teaching tools (Now Press Play, SeeSaw) and core learning tools (such as Read&Write, OrbitNote and Mote). 

This small suite of tools is embedded into everyday practice and sustained over time, allowing all learners to feel more empowered in their learning journey. 

Progression 

Children at LEO begin their digital journey gently within Early Years, building up skills cumulatively over time so that they can benefit from digitally enhanced learning and teaching in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. 

This deliberate approach to building digital skills, alongside the consistent practice that children experience in their everyday lives at LEO, creates a high level of digitally literate young people, ready to conquer the future ahead of them. 

Our approach is underpinned by the LEO Digital Progression Framework, which sets out core skills for each year group, term by term and is designed to improve digital fluency and support consistent academic progress. 

The framework empowers pupils with age-appropriate digital toolkits by systematically introducing Chromebook tools and features, enabling teachers to enrich everyday teaching and learning across all key stages. 

This progression model not only enhances the learning experience for pupils but also mirrors the professional development provided to staff and leaders. The Trust ensures a cohesive digital culture across its schools by aligning pupil access with adult training. 

“The youngest children get used to having a Chromebook, and then that becomes their normal experience, so we can build on that. In Year 3, they start learning about things like Nearpod and LbQ [because of our Progression Framework], so when they go up to the next class, you can confidently assume that they have these skills, and what you plan in your lessons just makes use of that as a starting point. That frees you up to focus on quality teaching and learning across the curriculum rather than constantly teaching new digital skills in order to use digital tools, and when you do focus on digital skills, you are adding incrementally to what they are already confident with, rather than constantly learning more and more different things. There is a cumulative impact because children and adults are all building on what they’ve done before, so you get maximum benefit in terms of how these things are actually used in practice.” 

• Key Stage 2 Teacher, Shawley Primary 

LEO EdTech Expo 2025 

LEO Academy Trust pupil outcomes are further strengthened by a deep-rooted belief that every individual, whether child, staff member, or community partner, is a learner with the capacity to grow and to support the learning of others. This vision underpins all strategic and operational decisions, transforming educational ambition into measurable, real-world impact. 

Driven by the Trust’s leadership and a solution-focused mindset, this philosophy ensures that innovation in education is both scalable and sustainable. It's this embedded approach that continues to drive successful outcomes and foster strong school systems and partnerships within the Trust. 

As part of our commitment to educational innovation, we are proud to be hosting the EdTech Expo on behalf of the London EdTech Hub on June 19, 2025. To learn more or reserve your place, please visit the EdTech Hub website or view our event flyer.