The Big Computing Leadership Conference 2027

What is the webinar about? Children and young people are growing up alongside AI tools that respond instantly, adapt to them, and feel surprisingly conversational. These moments can spark curiosity and connection, but they also introduce pressures that may shape how young people feel, relate and regulate - and the pace of change is faster than our understanding of its emotional impact. Join us for a fireside conversation where Thrive’s Viv Trask-Hall is joined by digital education specialist, Anthony Magee, and Safeguarding and Mental Health GLF Trust Lead, Fiona Jarman, to explore the emerging ways AI is shaping children’s emotional and social worlds, and how schools can respond. You’ll gain a high-level understanding of the emerging impact of AI, drawing on data and behavioural insights, alongside relational perspectives on supporting young people’s wellbeing as technology evolves.

In this webinar, David Byrne and Mark Heffernan will explore the importance of discussing voice and persona with learners. With the development of AI, it’s become even more important for learners to know their voice, to know how they want to come across, and to stand out from AI generated content. This content is available to Modern English Teacher subscribers.

Episode Date: Thursday 2nd April 2026 Computing, IT and cyber security is one of the fastest-moving areas in post-16 education, and one of the most directly affected by qualification reform. As large applied qualifications are phased out, colleges delivering digital programmes must rethink how they structure provision to meet both learner needs and an industry that evolves by the month. In Episode Four of Defunded, Not Derailed, we move from science to digital, applying the same subject-specific lens to explore what strong Level 3 computing, IT and cyber security provision looks like from here. What qualification alternatives are available? How can colleges design programmes that keep pace with rapid industry change? And what role might V Levels and mixed study programmes play in shaping digital pathways? Gavin O'Meara is joined by Vinay Thawait, Subject Advisor at Cambridge OCR, Aman Purewal from Coventry College, and Kris Hyde from Callywith College, to explore how digital specialists are navigating reform and what curriculum leaders should be considering now. Defunded Not Derailed was produced by FE News in partnership with Cambridge OCR.