Pupils across England will benefit from more face-to-face time with teachers as the government forges ahead with plans to harness the power of AI to deliver educational excellence.
The Department for Education has today (June 10th) launched a package of measures to transform how schools use AI – including the first ever AI guidance for schools and colleges setting out how schools can safely and effectively use AI to transform the classroom experience for students.
A recent survey showed 43% of teachers rate their AI confidence at just 3/10, with over 60% asking for help applying AI to planning and support tasks. Nearly all teachers wanted safety guidance and additional training.
The comprehensive guidance delivers on this and gives teachers and leaders the confidence to power-up learning and swap wasted hours spent on admin for time spent inspiring our children – as part of our Plan for Change pledge to deliver an excellent education for every child.
Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, said:
We’re putting cutting-edge AI tools into the hands of our brilliant teachers to enhance how our children learn and develop – freeing teachers from paperwork so they can focus on what parents and pupils need most: inspiring teaching and personalised support.
Our Plan for Change demands an excellent education for every child, and making all sure young people are benefitting from the latest technology is a vital step.
By harnessing AI’s power to cut workloads, we’re revolutionising classrooms and driving high standards everywhere – breaking down barriers to opportunity so every child can achieve and thrive.
Developed in partnership with education experts from the Chiltern Learning Trust and the Chartered College of Teaching, it sets out clear principles for AI use, with education standards and child safety at the fore. It makes clear that AI should be used to ensure learning remains teacher-led and that teachers should verify accuracy and protect personal data.
For staff, AI can automate some tasks such as generic letters – giving them hours back to focus on personalised parent communications around children’s education progress and wellbeing.
An additional £1 million of Contracts for Innovation funding will accelerate development of pioneering AI tools to help with marking and generating detailed, tailored feedback for individual students. Building on the successful AI Tools for Education programme announced last August, this investment will take the tools from the design stage into teachers’ hands – meaning world-first AI interventions are a step closer to being classroom-ready.
Paul Whiteman, general secretary at school leaders’ union NAHT, said:
These resources are a welcome source of support for education staff. AI has huge potential benefits for schools and children’s learning, but it is important that these are harnessed in the right way and any pitfalls avoided.
Government investment in future testing and research is vital as staff need reliable sources of evaluation – supported with evidence – on the benefits, limitations and risks of AI tools and their potential uses.
As part of this innovation drive, schools and colleges are being invited to become ‘test beds’ for evaluating promising EdTech products, creating an evidence base for technologies that genuinely improve both teaching quality and pupil outcomes.
These innovations will redefine teaching as a profession, transforming it into a more appealing career choice by significantly reducing administrative workload. It will play a crucial role in attracting and retaining talented educators, accelerating progress toward the government’s pledge to recruit 6,500 additional teachers.
Earlier this week the Prime Minister set out a package of digital and AI training opportunities as part of a new £187m TechFirst programme to bring digital skills and AI learning into classrooms and communities. This package will train up people of all ages and backgrounds for the tech careers of the future, including giving 1 million secondary school students yearly the chance to learn about technology and gain unprecedented access to skills training and career opportunities.
These initiatives form a key element of the government’s ambitious Plan for Change, directly supporting the mission to break down barriers to opportunity by ensuring every child benefits from exceptional teaching.
