Schools not ready for AI and 'crying out' for government guidance, report warns

Schools are "crying out" for guidance from government on how pupils and teachers can use AI safely and effectively, a new report has warned.

Sir Anthony Seldon, former head teacher and author on AI in education, says the technology is being used more and more frequently, but that its introduction has been "chaotic and anarchic".

His report calls for the government to roll out a national framework for adopting AI in education in England, including training teachers on how to use it, which schools should use to develop their own "AI strategies" by September next year.

The government says its changes to the curriculum in England will give children digital skills and help them spot disinformation.

Sir Anthony's report, co-authored with venture capitalist Tim Bunting, says schools have not been prepared for AI's arrival.

Sir Anthony co-founded the group AI in Education, which was set up in 2023 to help educational institutions navigate AI safely.

His report argues that getting a grip of AI requires the same level of national urgency as wars and epidemics, and requires a taskforce modelled on the one which helped to roll out the Covid vaccine.

The report recommends a 10-point plan for AI in education in England, including:

• The prime minister delivering a landmark speech to set out the importance of aligning education with how AI is used in the real world

• Schools and colleges developing their own AI strategies, and having Ofsted assess their implementation as part of its inspections

• A mass information campaign to set out the opportunities and risks of AI

• Using AI to transform the way schools and colleges collect and use data to track pupil progress

• Reforming assessments into a "two-lane" system of both exams and a "continuous evaluation of a student's understanding" using AI

The report says its poll of young people suggests many of those who responded thought AI was making education less important in their lives, with some saying it could eventually replace teachers and make universities "useless".

"Put simply, education has not kept pace with how – and how much – young people are already using AI, and that gap is starting to show up as a loss of perceived value in the institution itself," the report says.

A spokesperson for the Department for Education says ministers take the "significant opportunities and challenges" of AI "incredibly seriously".

As well as refreshing the curriculum in England, they say they are building new AI tutoring tools and introducing new vocational routes to get children into successful careers.

Some schools have already embedded AI into the curriculum. Benjamin Barker, principal at King's Leadership Academy in Liverpool, says he wants his students to learn how to use tools safely, while also developing their critical thinking skills.

Student Emma, 12, says she uses AI for her robotics projects, as well as proof-reading her English homework, and believes more students should be taught how to use it responsibly.

"AI is coming into the future. It's getting more advanced," she says.

"There's no way we're going to completely pull back from it. So I think that we should use it to be better people."