The two-year contract, worth up to £1.5m, starts in Spring 2020. It will involve Sigma supporting the DfE on developing and improving a range of its products and services, as part of its digital transformation strategy.

It will include improving the user experience of services designed for, and delivered to, teachers, schools, parents and children.

Shaun Gomm, commercial director at Sigma, said: “This is a pivotal partnership for Sigma, and one that will see our expertise put to use as a leading UK user experience and design agency. We are looking forward to further developing our relationship with the DfE and working closely together to improve the everyday lives of teachers, parents and pupils.

Jack Collier, deputy director of digital at Department for Education, added: “We need to think beyond just building digital products and transactions. We want to consider the longer-term experience of our users over time and build stronger relationships with them. This will give us richer insight and a deeper understanding of their changing needs. That insight will enable us to get better at supporting them to achieve their goals.”

Sigma is part of Sigma IT Consulting – a Swedish IT Services firm with more than 4,000 staff throughout the world.