- New report claims only 2% of English schools currently have formal AI strategies
- Lack of clear policies means the sector is not working together to safely define use cases
- Clear strategies, but also room to experiment, are the next steps
New data from Accenture has revealed that although schools across England are already using artificial intelligence to support learning, only 2% actually have formal strategies.
Full implementation strategies aside, only 12% of the 200 high schools surveyed have any type of AI policy, leaving an overwhelming majority investing and implementing blindly.
As a result, most schools are carrying out informal experiments with AI, but at a national level, the lack of coherence or shared learning across the education system could be putting the sector several points behind companies and their enterprise counterparts.
Going beyond experimentation requires a clear strategy
“Many school leaders are navigating this change without clear guidance or the confidence to implement technology effectively,” said Matt Prebble, UK&I director at Accenture.
Still, schools are far behind companies: 27% of senior executives and senior leaders say they have a comprehensive AI strategy, according to data from Gartner (via The times of India).
In addition to surveying around 200 high schools, Accenture also conducted 30 in-depth interviews with school leaders, who generally believe that AI has significant potential to improve education once the teething problems are addressed.
Today, leaders are concerned about plagiarism, protection, and bias. Teachers are also being considered in AI implementation, even if formal strategies are lacking: almost two-thirds (63%) cite a lack of trust in staff.
But early adopters are already starting to see results, with common use cases across education, including lesson planning, quiz generation, and writing mock exam questions.
The separate government reports also imply that AI can help provide personalized feedback and support personalized learning, as well as administrative tasks that would otherwise take away from staff teaching time.
The report also reveals how top-down leadership can affect the role of AI within a given school, with skeptical leaders causing slower and uneven adoption.
“Developing leadership capacity and providing practical support to adopt AI responsibly will be critical to ensuring its benefits are delivered consistently and equitably across the education system,” Prebble added.
Regionally, London leads the way with 29% of leaders using AI every day, compared to just 12% in the rest of England.
Support on how to use and implement AI is starting to be written.
“Safety should be the top priority when deciding whether to use generative AI in your educational environment,” the Department of Education emphasized. Industry regulator Ofsted also supports the responsible use of AI.
But with artificial intelligence no longer an experimental novelty and the pressures of Ofsted monitoring, schools are being urged to consider more detailed strategies as they implement AI.
“The biggest risk is doing nothing and assuming you can continue as is,” an anonymous headteacher told Ofsted in a separate report.
James Toop, CEO of Teach First, also emphasized the knock-on impact that bad strategies could have on schoolchildren: “Ensuring that all young people, regardless of their background or place of residence, can safely benefit from the opportunities presented by AI must be a priority for the education system.
Accenture and Teach First set out five key priorities for schools looking to advance their AI strategies: Principals and leaders should engage with AI more directly and visibly; policies must clearly define purpose and boundaries; early pilots should start where the value is clearest before moving forward; faculty should be given permission to experiment with use cases; and shared learning should complement formal training for a more comprehensive approach.
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