Alex Purssey, Head of City Learning Centre, the Learning Resources Service and Wandsworth Professional Development Centre, sees this regularly. Before schools work with the service, Ed Tech adoption is often “piecemeal and scattergun,” he explained. “Schools are relying on nuggets picked up from other schools or networks, and
that information isn’t always fully understood.”
That lack of shared understanding leads to inconsistency. Tools are used differently across classrooms. Decisions are made in isolation. And in the background sit unanswered questions about safeguarding, GDPR and exposure. “People are trying things out,” Alex said, “without really knowing how exposed the school might be – whether that’s staff or pupils” what starts as innovation can quickly become a source of anxiety.
For Alex, this is the moment where capacity starts to drain. Time is lost second-guessing decisions. Leaders carry risk they cannot fully see. Teachers hesitate between wanting to innovate and worrying about getting it wrong.
Where confidence replaces guesswork
The shift comes when safety becomes the starting point. “We put safe implementation first,” Alex said. “We’ve already done a lot of the testing, so schools don’t have to.” Instead of staff experimenting alone, tools are explored, tested and understood within an education setting before being introduced more widely. Schools no longer need to individually trial platforms, interpret complex terms or worry about hidden risks. The service creates something close to a walled garden, where staff can learn safely without being exposed to vulnerabilities.
That reassurance changes behaviour. Teachers begin to use approved and piloted tools to support lesson planning, generate resources and manage communication more efficiently.
The City Learning Centre are currently supporting schools with their adoption and implementation of AI. Schools initially implemented AI in a patchwork fashion until the CLC developed draft guidance and a policy for school leaders to help them implement AI strategically and then provided training and support through consultants and linking schools together. “We want teachers to focus on the personal skills that AI can’t do,” Alex said. “So we’re about taking away some of the bureaucratic load and giving that time back.”
Professional learning underpins this shift. Through training and CPD delivered via the Wandsworth Professional Development Centre, schools build shared understanding rather than relying on individuals to work things out alone. “It’s about learning together, in an education context,” Alex explained, “not experimenting in isolation.”
As Alex put it, “Being Wandsworth approved and supported is the golden egg.” It gives schools the confidence to innovate safely, reduces risk, and creates real headspace for staff to focus on what matters most.
Learning Resources Service:
One to Watch
The Learning Resources Service is evolving how it designs and delivers physical resources for schools. By using AI and automation to support planning and selection, the service is developing a more systematic way to build termly resource boxes around subject areas and school priorities. School librarians remain central to the process, using their expertise to shape, sense-check and quality-assure each box.The result is a more responsive, future-facing service that saves schools time while keeping physical resources purposeful and relevant.
Visit resources.smartschool.services
Wandsworth Professional Development Centre (WPDC):
One to Value
WPDC is fully equipped for hybrid and digital learning, but its real strength lies in bringing people together in person. Especially when exploring Ed Tech, there is no substitute for shared space to think, plan and learn collaboratively. Being in the room allows educators to test ideas, ask better questions and learn from one another’s experiences. In a fast-moving digital landscape, WPDC provides something essential – time and space to slow down, explore thoughtfully, and build confidence together.