I started the final day of Bett by heading straight to the Arena for the first keynote, Developing digital literacy and student empathy in a world of infinite media. Aidan Kelly from Into Film shared how film can be such an accessible, powerful way to build empathy and critical thinking, especially when navigating algorithms, representation and the sheer volume of online content. The live poll asking “What is the biggest issue facing young people today?” really stood out – with anxiety coming in at 41%, it was a sobering but important reminder of the pressures our students face.

My next session was the one I’d been most looking forward to: Growing up online: Confronting misogyny and protecting young people. Laura Bates and Samantha Booth delivered an honest, challenging and incredibly insightful conversation about the rise of harmful online narratives targeting boys, the impact of biased algorithms, and the role schools can play in responding with empathy and clarity. Laura’s suggestion that we sign up to social platforms “as a teenager” to truly understand the content our young people are exposed to was particularly powerful. This was, without question, my favourite session of the week - full of practical ideas and thought‑provoking moments.

To round off the morning, I joined AI for all: From classrooms to careers, led by Aanya Niaz from the AWS Education Equity Initiative. The panel shared inspiring global examples of how AI is widening access to quality education, from real‑time classroom analytics to creative computing in low‑resource settings. It was an uplifting and practical look at how AI can genuinely expand opportunities for learners everywhere.

Attending events like Bett is always such a privilege, and it reinforces how important it is for us to keep learning, questioning and exploring new ways to strengthen and improve our Trust for the communities we serve.