TO BE PUBLISHED June 2026
Starting from:
£99 + VAT
Format: DOWNLOADABLE PDF
This conference will look at the future of artificial intelligence use in England’s schools and colleges.
It follows the Education Secretary’s recent announcement of planned updated safety standards to safeguard pupils’ wellbeing and development, including new Generative AI Product Safety Standards for suppliers, focused on child-centred design and filtering harmful content, and a wider programme for building the evidence base for safe, effective use while strengthening staff digital skills.
Considerations for implementation
It will bring stakeholders and policymakers together to discuss practical implications of these proposals, and examine next steps for implementation in schools, multi-academy trusts and colleges. Delegates will consider how the Department for Education’s Generative artificial intelligence in education guidance is being applied in practice, looking at issues around risk assessment, safeguarding, supervision and decision-making, along with options for clarifying responsibilities, accountability and support arrangements.
Sessions will assess latest thinking and examples of effective practice in how AI can support teaching and learning, in areas such as lesson planning, feedback and adaptive support. Establishment of clear boundaries around reliability, bias, and data protection will be discussed, as well as practicalities of putting in place appropriate human oversight.
Attendees will assess the way forward for use of AI to reduce workload in assessment and marking. They will also consider how the unintended creation of additional workload can be avoided, such as the need for additional checking and assurance requirements, or erosion of professional judgement - alongside implications for qualification standards and academic integrity in the context of Ofqual’s consultation on on-screen assessment.
Digital literacy
Further discussion will examine priorities for building AI and digital literacy through the curriculum, as highlighted in the Curriculum and Assessment Review, and on developing progression routes - including the reformed computer science GCSE and emerging proposals for AI and data science qualifications at Level 3 - without narrowing curriculum breadth or widening inequalities. Sessions will also consider workforce priorities, including recent statements on accelerating staff skills development and deployment capacity, drawing on Skills England’s assessment of sector skills demand and the Government’s ambitions set out in the AI Opportunities Action Plan.
Overview of areas for discussion
- policy and next steps: updated DfE safety standards and Generative AI Product Safety Standards - expectations for schools and colleges - roles of central government, regulators and delivery bodies
- teaching and operations:
- AI use in classrooms, lesson planning, feedback and learner support - application across school and college operations
- governance, risk assessment and assurance at school, trust and college level
- workload, assessment and marking:
- reducing administrative and assessment burdens for teachers and lecturers - effective use of AI in feedback and marking
- risks of over‑reliance and unintended workload growth - implications for professional autonomy
- assessment and qualifications:
- strategies for addressing authorship and malpractice risks associated with AI use - assessment design and coursework practices
- interaction with Ofqual’s consultation on on‑screen assessment - maintaining confidence in qualifications across schools and colleges
- staff priorities:
- professional development for teachers, lecturers and support staff - leadership capacity to manage AI adoption responsibly
- staff confidence, accountability and decision‑making - engagement with workforce and representative bodies
- learner skills:
- practicalities of embedding AI literacy, online safety and responsible use, and critical understanding across subjects
- alignment with the Curriculum and Assessment Review - supporting progression in skills through primary, secondary and further education
- curriculum pathways and access:
- computer science GCSE reform and related changes - assessing emerging AI and data pathways at Level 3 - post‑16 progression routes in schools and colleges
- participation, inclusion and avoiding narrowing of the curriculum
- preparing the future workforce:
- alignment with Skills England’s assessment of sector skills demand - role of schools and colleges in preparing learners for future pathways
- employer engagement, regional planning and long‑term workforce supply under the AI Opportunities Action Plan
