A new report published today by Ofsted shares insights into how
‘early adopter' schools and further education (FE) colleges
across England are integrating generative artificial intelligence
(AI) into teaching, learning, and administration.
The research was conducted through 21 interviews with schools,
FE colleges and
multi-academy trust leaders who have been embedding and using
AI for at least 12
months. The findings add to existing knowledge about leadership,
governance and practical applications of AI in schools and FE colleges.
The key findings are:
-
AI champions are
playing a crucial role in creating a buzz around AI and supporting
staff.
-
Leaders highlighted the benefits of using AI to reduce teacher
workload, particularly for lesson planning, resource
creation, and administrative tasks.
-
Interviewed leaders were keen to emphasise they were
prioritising safe, ethical and responsible use of
AI for staff,
pupils and learners.
Read the full report: AI in schools and further
education: findings from early adopters.
The research found that nearly all the providers visited had an
‘AI champion' –
typically teachers with technology expertise who could demystify
AI for colleagues
and demonstrate its potential. Champions play crucial roles in
building staff confidence and demonstrating practical
applications of AI
for specific teaching needs.
School and FE college
leaders said their main reason for introducing AI was to reduce workload for
both teaching and administrative staff, with common applications
including lesson planning, resource creation, and drafting
communications to parents.
Leaders were also keen to emphasise that they were prioritising
safe, ethical and responsible use of AI. They had all taken time to
research and understand the risks and challenges and had
developed mechanisms to address risks related to bias, data
protection, intellectual property and safeguarding.
However, the research has identified that more needs to be done
to understand effective strategies for using AI in the classroom. Some
leaders have not yet thought systematically about how, or where,
AI could be
integrated into teaching and learning, and the
curriculum.
When talking about the challenges, schools discussed the pace of
change in AI, as
well as the fact that there are not many AI tools tailored to school and
college contexts and the specific needs of their pupils and
learners.
Ofsted's report also found that robust and reliable evidence of
AI's impact on
educational outcomes is limited. The report notes that most is
“explorative, short-term and in limited domains”.
Sir Martyn Oliver, Ofsted's Chief Inspector, said:
As the use of AI in
education increases, we need to better understand how schools and
colleges are using this technology to take advantage of its
potential, as well as manage the risks it poses for pupils,
learners and staff.
While we don't directly evaluate the use of AI during inspections, we can
consider the impact a provider's use has on the outcomes and
experiences of children and learners.
