Copyright and AI in Schools
August 7, 2024
AI tools have made it incredibly easy for teachers and students to copy, remix and share text, images and music in seconds – but copyright law has not suddenly disappeared. This practical playbook walks through everyday AI workflows in schools and shows where real legal and ethical risks arise, from copy‑pasting AI outputs to uploading pupil work. You will find simple risk tiers, plain‑language concepts, and concrete classroom rules, plus ready‑to‑adapt policy and consent wording. The aim is not to turn every teacher into a lawyer, but to build confident “copyright hygiene” habits that keep your school, staff and students safer.
SearchGPT vs Google for student research
August 5, 2024
OpenAI’s new SearchGPT promises faster, more focused answers than traditional web search – but what does that mean for school research? This practical guide walks students through a full research workflow, from first background scan to final bibliography, showing when to use SearchGPT and when Google (or other search engines) still works best. With concrete example queries, ethical guardrails, and citation workflows, it is designed as a student‑friendly playbook that teachers can share or adapt. The focus is on safe, critical and policy‑aligned use of AI.
When AI Helps vs When It Harms Learning
August 2, 2024
As AI tools become part of everyday school life, the real challenge is no longer “AI: yes or no?” but “AI: when and how?”. This article offers a developmental, research-based framework to help schools decide when AI should act as a scaffold and when it risks becoming a shortcut. With concrete, age-banded classroom rules from early primary to post-16, it focuses on protecting productive struggle, metacognition and deep work, while still harnessing AI’s potential to personalise, explain and extend learning.
Human + AI: The Co‑Pilot Model in Teaching
July 25, 2024
AI is often seen as a planning tool or a distant threat, but its real power emerges when it works alongside teachers in the live flow of the school day. This article walks through a full day in three phases – before, during and after lessons – showing which tasks stay firmly human, which can be safely delegated to AI, and how to design simple, repeatable co‑pilot routines. You will find practical examples for different subjects, safeguards for professional judgement and data, and ideas for working with colleagues to embed a sustainable Human + AI approach.
September AI Readiness Checklist
July 22, 2024
Treating AI like any other major infrastructure change is the safest route to a successful September rollout. This staged, summer-long AI readiness playbook is designed for school and college leaders who want to move beyond experimentation and towards reliable, safe and sustainable AI use. It walks through clarifying use cases, mapping data flows, tightening security, updating governance and acceptable-use policies, and planning targeted staff training. With concrete, week‑by‑week tasks for IT, safeguarding and pedagogy leads, you can arrive in September confident that AI supports teaching and learning – not the other way round.
Summer Learning Loss and AI Tutors
July 17, 2024
Summer learning loss remains stubbornly persistent, particularly in maths and reading, and many schools simply cannot run full-scale holiday programmes. This research-grounded guide explores how AI-powered tutoring can offer targeted, low-prep support over the break, even with limited staff time. Drawing on evidence from high-impact tutoring, it outlines practical models such as take-home AI tutors, short online clinics, and family-supported use. You will find concrete subject examples, clear guardrails for equitable and balanced use, and advice on working with families. The aim is to help you design a realistic, sustainable summer strategy that genuinely lightens your load.
Planning for Autumn: LGR22 unit plans with AI
July 16, 2024
Autumn planning can feel like rebuilding everything from scratch, especially when you want clear LGR22 alignment and documentation that stands up to scrutiny. This workflow shows how Swedish primary teachers can use AI to draft two full 10-lesson units—one in History (Medeltiden i Norden) and one in Geography—while explicitly evidencing the terminsplanering triangle: syfte, centralt innehåll and betygskriterier. You’ll also generate an audit-friendly mapping table, a fully planned Digerdöden lesson (Lesson 5), and a shared subject glossary, without manually rewriting your whole scheme.
AI for SEND: Beyond Personalisation
July 15, 2024
AI tools are often promoted as “personalisation engines”, but that is not enough for learners with dyslexia, autism and ADHD. This practical playbook shows teachers and SENDCos how to turn Automated Education’s tools into concrete, repeatable support plans. You will find sample pupil profiles, step‑by‑step prompt examples and ready‑to‑copy classroom workflows for reading, writing, behaviour and assessment access. The focus is on neurodiversity‑affirming practice, safeguarding and realistic classroom routines, so you can quietly embed support for SEND pupils in everyday teaching rather than bolt‑on interventions.
Llama 3 and school budgets
July 10, 2024
Meta’s release of Llama 3, an open‑source AI model, is being hailed as a turning point for education. But for school and college leaders, the real question is not “Is this exciting?” but “Does this change our budget, risk, and data‑protection picture?” This pragmatic buyer’s guide explains what Llama 3 actually means for schools, compares total cost of ownership with closed models like GPT‑4 and Claude, and sets out realistic hosting, privacy and procurement options. It focuses on practical decision‑making rather than hype, so you can plan the next 1–3 years of AI adoption with confidence.
Designing AI‑Resilient Assessments
July 8, 2024
Generative AI has changed how students complete written work, but it does not have to undermine meaningful assessment. This article offers a step‑by‑step playbook for designing ‘AI‑resilient’ portfolio, oral and practical assessments that focus on learning rather than policing. You will find ready‑to‑copy task briefs, sample rubrics and clear AI usage rules that can be dropped straight into existing units without rewriting your whole curriculum. The aim is not to ban AI, but to design assessments where authentic understanding, process and performance still matter most.
AI in Summer School Programmes: Engaging Students Over the Break
July 5, 2024
Summer school and holiday programmes can be a powerful time to explore AI in playful, low-pressure ways – without letting screens take over. This practical age-banded playbook offers ready-to-use project ideas for primary, lower secondary and upper secondary learners, along with low-device options to support equity. You will find family communication templates, clear safeguarding guardrails and planning tips for clubs, camps and at-home learning. Ideal for teachers and leaders who want to keep pupils curious, creative and safe with AI over the break.
AI for Outdoor Learning: Fieldwork Cycles That Start in Nature
July 1, 2024
Explore how to design AI-supported fieldwork cycles where pupils collect data outdoors, then use AI back in the classroom to analyse, compare and reflect. Discover practical project ideas for different age bands, clear guardrails to protect time in nature, and a simple checklist to get started.
Claude 3.5 Sonnet vs GPT‑4o: a buyer’s guide for education
June 24, 2024
Anthropic’s Claude 3.5 Sonnet now beats GPT‑4o on many benchmarks, but what does that actually change for schools, universities, and edtech platforms? This pragmatic guide focuses on classroom practice, assessment, and product design, with concrete rollout checklists rather than technical deep‑dives.
AI Literacy in Schools: Why It Matters Now
June 21, 2024
AI is rapidly becoming as fundamental as reading and digital citizenship. This article outlines what whole-school AI literacy really means, why it matters now, and how leaders can phase implementation with concrete cross-curricular examples, CPD plans, policy guidance, and a 90‑day quick-start checklist.
Creating Your School's AI Acceptable Use Policy
June 16, 2024
AI tools are arriving in classrooms faster than most policies can keep up. This practical guide walks school leaders step by step through building a clear, workable AI Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) that you can copy, paste and adapt. It translates high‑level principles – safeguarding, data protection, academic integrity and staff conduct – into concrete clauses, role descriptions and consent wording for staff and students. You will also find advice on keeping your policy “live” as AI tools and laws evolve, plus a simple checklist to take you from first draft to governing body approval.