Government plans to put AI in UK schools

PM says AI will help reduce teacher workloads

Government plans to put AI in UK schools

Rishi Sunak has announced plans to revolutionise the educational landscape with the integration of AI tools to support teachers.

In a landmark move, the Government is investing up to £2 million in Oak National Academy, an independent educational resources organisation, to enhance and expand the capabilities of AI-powered resources for educators across England.

The initiative, spearheaded by the Department for Education and Education Secretary Gillian Keegan, aims to ease teachers' workloads and empower them with personalised AI-assisted lesson planning tools. These resources, developed in collaboration with Oak National Academy, will enable teachers to craft tailored content aligned with Oak's curriculum materials, catering to pupils' diverse needs.

Transformative potential of AI

With AI-driven innovations already in the pipeline, the investment will bolster Oak National Academy's efforts to refine these tools, making them readily accessible to educators nationwide at no cost.

Prime minister Rishi Sunak said: "AI has extraordinary potential to reform our education system for the better, with considerable value for both teachers and students. Oak National Academy's work to harness AI to free up the workload for teachers is a perfect example of the revolutionary benefits this technology can bring."

AI pilot in schools

Sunak's announcement follows a pilot of the tools in some schools, testing how they work and measuring their ability to reduce teachers' workloads. He said "encouraging feedback" from early users highlighted the efficacy of the tools in streamlining the lesson planning process and enhancing the quality of educational content. The tools were used for activities such as class quiz creation and lesson structuring and planning.

About 30,000 teachers use Oak National Academy's resources every week at present.

AI hackathon

The announcement coincides with the commencement of a two-day AI hackathon organised by the Department for Education, in collaboration with Faculty AI, the National Institute of Teaching, and the AI in Schools Initiative. The event serves as a platform for educators and school leaders to experiment with AI applications in the education sector, fostering an environment of collaborative learning and innovation.

In the coming month, the Department for Education will release the findings of its AI call for evidence, aimed at gauging the perspectives of educational professionals on the ethical considerations and potential of AI in the education sector. These insights will inform the Government's strategy to harness the power of AI responsibly and ethically, ensuring its progress aligns with principles of safety, reasonability and equity.