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BESA Timeline

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2016

Caroline Wright to become Director General in July 2016, with Patrick Hayes joining as her Director

2015

BESA membersā€™ recorded turnover exceeds Ā£2billion for the first time.

2011

BESA involved in creation of the Education World Forum, which in 2016 attracted 82 ministers worldwide

2008

BESA starts the All Party Parliamentary Group for Education with cross-party support And BESA 75th Anniversary

2007

BESA starts BES Dubai as the precursor to GESS Dubai, the main educational event serving the Gulf region

2006

Successfully took the BBC to Europe over BBC Jam as illegal state aid.

2005

Achieved Ā£500million + e-learning credits to support the ed-tech industry.

2002-3

Ran Digital Learning Alliance campaign against the BBC proposal for a Digital Curriculum, supporting members in successful judicial review of BBC.

1999

Observed educational furniture was built based on pupil sizes in 1960s. Started process to create a new European standard for educational furniture: EN1729.

1996

Judicially reviewed YPO as representative of public purchasing consortia to achieve a level playing field for public & private sector suppliers.

1993

British Educational Equipment Association rebrands as British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA)

1991

Introduced the Education Show - BESAā€™s promise to ministers to help schools become ā€˜informed purchasersā€™ under LMS in the ā€™88 Act

1989

Working with UK companies / banks to create the Turkish Universities Project, re-equipping 33 Turkish unis with UK equipment valued at Ā£67million.

1987/88

Working with govt to encourage inclusion in 1988 Education Reform Act of aspects of ā€˜local mgmt of schoolsā€™ & ā€˜curriculumā€™ that support the industry.

1985

Bett launched as the High Technology & Computers in Education Exhibition, by DG Dominic Savage & Timothy Collins.

1970

First full-time DG appointed recognising an ever complicating political environment.

1960

Name change to Educational Equipment Association as industry recognised that its trade body needed to embrace a lobbying role.

1933

Educational Exhibitors Association (EEA) formed to provide UK exhibitions so teachers could access assessing books, teaching aids & equipment.

    Our members

    Looking for quality education products and services? BESA members sign up to our Code of Practice, so you can be confident you are spending wisely with companies you can trust.

    Code of Practice

    This Code of Practice is a mandatory membership commitment given by members to BESA

    Our Team

    The BESA secretariat is a small, dedicated team that works hard to find channels to market for education suppliers

    Research

    BESA publishes over 20 market research reports each year on a wide range of topics. Access our latest reports and the full research archive.

    UK Education Statistics

    There are currently 32,770 schools in the UK. Of these, 3,714 are nurseries or early-learning centres

    News

    Keep up to date with member news, announcements and BESA activities.

                Policy Updates

                Our weekly roundup of policy news, debate and initiatives.

                Resource Our Schools

                The Resource Our Schools campaign has been initiated by the British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA), working with a coalition of organisations and suppliers.

                Writing Powerful Web Content

                An in-depth workshop that will provide guidance and tips on how to write effective content

                Special Interest and Working Group meetings

                BESA recognises the importance of bringing together members with common interests to share ideas, information and maintain a tight focus on each market place.

                GESS Dubai 2024

                Join the UK Pavilion at GESS Dubai 2024, Unleashing Educational Excellence.

                Special Interest Groups

                With such a diverse market, BESA recognises the importance of bringing together members with common interests to share ideas

                International

                BESA works with UK education suppliers to help maximise their export potential, regardless of their stage in their export journey.

                Discounts and Opportunities

                We work hard to identify high-quality providers to the education suppliers sector, and negotiate discounts on behalf of our members.

                Code of Practice

                This Code of Practice is a mandatory membership commitment given by members to BESA.

                LendED

                LendED enables you to search, preview and test education technology products before you buy them, so you can be sure they will meet your needs.

                Supplier Directory

                Looking for quality education products and services? BESA members sign up to our Code of Practice, so you can be confident you are spending wisely with companies you can trust.