In keeping with the shifting nature of the current educational landscape, trusts growing and absorbing schools is becoming more and more common.

With this, managing digital tools can very quickly turn into what can be likened to the “Wild West”, with hundreds of apps that do the same thing coming together and creating digital clutter, as opposed to helping to achieve their original goal of helping MATs and their educators drive student success.

But for Jo Stone, Pedtech Lead for Discovery Trust Schools, the solution to this isn’t just about finding a better platform. It goes way beyond that.

For Jo, it’s about delving deeper into the alignment of purpose over platform and ensuring that every piece of tech in the classroom directly reflects the intrinsic human values of the community it serves and delivers teaching outcomes.

As Discovery Trust prepares to transition its schools to Skolon in September 2026, at BETT 2026, Jo shared how streamlining their digital ecosystem is helping them live-out their core mission: fostering belonging, driving ambition, and ensuring equity for every learner.

Technology should reduce barriers, not create them

At the heart of the trust’s mission are three integral, foundational values: Belonging, Ambition, and Equity. Reflecting on these values, Jo highlighted during her EdTalk that when technology is disorganised, it actively works against these principles: “So to pull it into one platform was so crucial… But that starts to get really difficult because your list starts to become really long, and you have to obviously look at the GDPR, you have to look at the safeguarding elements about all these apps as well..”

Furthermore, it can be suggested that true equity in education means giving every single child equal, frictionless access to learning tools.

When a student spends ten minutes trying to remember a password or navigating a confusing layout, valuable learning time is lost. By using Skolon’s clean, single sign-on (SSO) platform, the trust is removing those digital roadblocks, especially when a portal is simple and accessible, it creates a sense of belonging.

Thus, every pupil, regardless of their technical confidence, can log in and instantly feel equipped to learn.

The power of focus: Less is more in sustainability

Within her EdTalk session, Jo mentioned that one of the key reasons the Trust chose to partner with Skolon is a shared commitment to global sustainability. But true sustainability isn’t about checking every single box; it’s about deep, intentional impact.

While the United Nations outlines 17 Global Goals for Sustainable Development, Skolon purposefully focuses on doing six of them exceptionally well. This philosophy deeply resonated with the Trust’s leadership.

Curating a tech stack follows the exact same logic. Rather than overwhelming teachers and pupils with a chaotic influx of apps, the trust is focusing heavily on a few sustainable, highly impactful tools.

Educators in the trust are encouraged and empowered to explore the Skolon App Store, but new tools are vetted through a structured pipeline of pilots and research & development.

This disciplined focus ensures the continuation that data privacy (GDPR), student safeguarding, and pedagogical value always come first.

Supporting ambitious learning as a Microsoft Showcase Trust

As a certified Microsoft Showcase Trust, boasting 15 individual Microsoft Showcase Schools, the Trust has always held a high bar for ambition by using technology to redefine what is possible in the classroom.

However, with great power comes great responsibility and therefore, an ambitious learning environment requires infrastructure that can keep up.

By integrating Skolon as the central gateway, both pupils and teachers gain immediate, direct links to Microsoft 365 alongside their other core learning apps.

This seamless blend of top tier tools and curated educational software allows students to collaborate, innovate, and push the boundaries of their potential and subsequently, gives school leaders powerful, aggregated data insights to see exactly how and when apps are driving engagement.

Moving forward together

The journey toward their streamlined digital ecosystem begins with a phased rollout this September, supported by a dedicated network of grassroots Blended Learning Champions in every school.

By partnering with Skolon, the trust isn’t just upgrading its software—it is reinforcing its values. Because when technology fades into the background, human impact can finally take center stage.

Are you ready to see how Skolon can help align your school’s digital strategy with your core educational values? Use the button below to discover how our platform works!