Al Kingsley MBE is an author of four EdTech books and speaker at events such as ISTE, Bett UK, LEAP and GESS Dubai, Al’s unique insight comes from his 30+ years of EdTech and governance experience across multiple roles including CEO of NetSupport, chair of Multi-Academy Trusts, member of the Forbes Technology Council, chair of his region’s Governors’ Leadership Group, and more.
Navigating AI in schools is complex – and implementing it in the right way for your school requires slowing down to think strategically. It isn’t about being ‘first’ with any aspect of it; it’s about discussion, wise decision-making and creating space for purposeful conversations that put your staff and students before the technology.
This is exactly what my practical, eight-step Governance, Strategy and Implementation framework is designed to support; an approach to AI that is considered and inclusive – and led by you with your unique school context in mind.
1. Begin with Purpose
AI should always actively support your school’s development goals, whether that’s reducing teacher workload, improving outcomes for learners, or providing more inclusive learning opportunities. So, before you plunge into the technology, ask the fundamental question: What is the purpose of AI in our school community?
Bringing different perspectives to the table will provide you with valuable insights, so the answers should come from your senior leadership, school board members, teachers, IT staff, students, and parents. A six-week period of listening and explaining before you implement anything might feel slow, but it prevents months of resistance and confusion later, especially in schools with high parental expectations.
2. Next, the Foundations
Your infrastructure supports everything. So, before you get too ambitions with your AI plans, revisit the basics and ensure you have reliable Wi-Fi across campus, sufficient up-to-date devices, secure data storage, and clear accountability when things go wrong.
However, cultural readiness is just as important. Do your teachers feel confident experimenting with new tools, or are they secretly overwhelmed? Pitching your plans at the right level is key, as is encouraging a culture where feedback flows both ways and leadership remains open to change.
3. Start Small
Schools often juggle multiple challenges – attendance, assessment frameworks, recruitment, wellbeing, and more – and technology can’t fix everything simultaneously. So, choose two or three priority areas where AI might genuinely help – for example, automating administrative tasks so teachers can focus on pedagogy, and enhancing accessibility for students with special needs. Link these priorities to your School Improvement Plan and make it all visible, as your staff are more likely to support any changes when they understand why and how things will happen.
4. Opportunities and Risks
AI is fast. It can generate lesson plan drafts in seconds, translate documents instantly, and identify student data patterns staff might miss. However, it can also be inaccurate, biased, and compromise privacy if it’s not managed properly. That’s why your school needs to pay particular attention to data protection laws and seek expert advice if you’re unsure about anything.
Despite these hazards, don’t let fear jeopardize your AI progress. Knowing how to understand and manage the risks responsibly is the key.
5. A Stand-Out AI Policy
Your AI policy needs to stand out from your regular policy documentation – and it needs to be read! So, keep it engaging, short, and clear, and bring it into everyday use. Why? Because it should answer the questions your students, staff and parents are asking right now: Can students use ChatGPT to draft homework? Can teachers use AI for grading or planning? Who approves new tools and based on what criteria?
Build your school’s AI policy around these five key elements:
- Clarity on acceptable use
- Tool approval processes
- Data protection
- Transparency of risk
- Ongoing training and review.
Keep it front and centre for staff, students and parents, and make it accessible with visual representations and summary cards, so everyone can digest and understand the information clearly.
6. Trial Tools Wisely
Resist the temptation to be swayed by impressive demos or conference presentations, because what works in one school won’t necessarily work in yours. To maximise a trial of any AI tool, set up a focused 6-8 week pilot program with a clear goal from the outset – for example, whether it can reduce teacher planning time by 30% in eighth-grade English classes.
Track both quantitative data (time saved, improved grades) and qualitative feedback (teacher confidence, student experience). If a pilot doesn’t deliver results, abandon it. You will have learned from what didn’t work, and this will inform your decision-making further down the line.
7. Keep Feedback Flowing
As your AI implementation will affect everyone, make sure everyone has a voice. Students should be able to say whether tools help their learning or not – and identify unintended consequences. Staff should be able to say whether AI saves time or creates additional work – and if it is clunky or confusing. Parents should understand what’s happening and why, while school board members must feel confident the strategy aligns with the school’s educational goals.
Use multiple feedback channels, e.g., surveys, drop-in chats, digital forms, and class councils, but most importantly, act on the input you receive. People will engage more readily when they see their feedback acknowledged and leading to change.
8. Scale Carefully
Scaling too quickly across multiple campuses or departments can create problems. What works for 30 students may not sustain 300, so expand gradually. Invest in ongoing training and plan for long-term sustainability – not just the technology, but the budget, staff time, and governance structures to support it.
Remember that today’s innovative solutions may be outdated next semester, so your AI strategy must remain flexible enough to evolve.
AI is Impressive, but Remember…
At the heart of any effective AI implementation in the classroom is the teachers. While AI might be able to draft lesson plans or mark papers, it cannot notice when a student has had a difficult day, warmly greet families at the school gate, or adapt spontaneously to create magical classroom moments.
Great teachers using AI as part of their toolkit can accomplish more, but only when school leaders provide a clear direction for its use in assisting human goals. When the plan begins with trust and openness, it’s then that we can use the technology to its greatest effect.