Three Bristol firms in the fast-growing education technology sector are in the running for awards that celebrate innovations transforming students’, teachers’ and parents’ lives worldwide.
The Soundbeam Project, Learning with Parents and Best Practice Network line up against other pioneering businesses across a range of categories in the Bett Awards. 
Produced in association with the British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA), the awards recognise excellence across all realms of EdTech, from digital platforms for monitoring student progress to online resources supporting teacher training.
The awards are a highlight of Bett UK, the world’s biggest EdTech event, which takes place at London’s ExCeL Centre next week and will bring together more than 30,000 educators, innovators and changemakers from around the world.
The Soundbeam Project is shortlisted in the SEND (special educational needs and disabilities) Resources, Products, and Services category for Soundbeam, its device that translates physical movements into musical notes using cutting-edge sensor technology.
It enables people of all abilities to create music, transforming the potential of music therapy and enhancing inclusion for SEND learners.
Learning with Parents is a finalist in the Educational Resource for Parents or Home Learning category. The charity’s digital reading log WeRead makes it easy to track reading progress through audio clips shared between home and school.
Best Practice Network, which provides training and professional development for education professionals, partners with more than 1,500 schools. It is shortlisted for Company of the Year (more than £3m).
Bett head of client engagement Charlotte Kenny said: “A huge congratulations to Best Practice Network, Learning with Parents and The Soundbeam Project.
“They should be immensely proud of the contributions that they are making to transform the education landscape through their innovative and groundbreaking EdTech solutions.”
The Soundbeam Project co-director Cindy Crossland added: “Being recognised as a finalist at the awards, which are a benchmark of excellence in educational technology, is a testament to the determination and creativity of our dedicated team and highlights our mission to integrate our world-class assistive music technology into the learning and teaching experience.
“It is also brilliant to be a part of this global community of EdTech leaders who are so deeply committed to developing innovative solutions that make a genuine difference to the lives of educators and students.”
The winners will be announced next Wednesday. Bett UK 2024 continues until next Friday.
