Latest news with #DfE
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Teachers can use AI to save time on marking, new guidance says
Teachers in England can use artificial intelligence (AI) to speed up marking and write letters home to parents, new government guidance says. Training materials being distributed to schools, first seen exclusively by the BBC, say teachers can use the technology to "help automate routine tasks" and focus instead on "quality face-to-face time". Teachers should be transparent about their use of AI and always check its results, the Department for Education (DfE) said. The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) said it could "free up time for face-to-face teaching" but there were still "big issues" to be resolved. BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT, said it was an "important step forward" but teachers would "want clarity on exactly how they should be telling... parents where they've used AI". Teachers and pupils have already been experimenting with AI, and the DfE has previously supported its use among teachers. However, this is the first time it has produced training materials and guidance for schools outlining how they should and should not use it. The DfE says AI should only be used for "low-stakes" marking such as quizzes or homework, and teachers must check its results. They also give teachers permission to use AI to write "routine" letters to parents. One section demonstrates how it could be used to generate a letter about a head lice outbreak, for example. Emma Darcy, a secondary school leader who works as a consultant to support other schools with AI and digital strategy, said teachers had "almost a moral responsibility" to learn how to use it because pupils were already doing so "in great depth". "If we're not using these tools ourselves as educators, we're not going to be able to confidently support our young people with using them," she said. But she warned that the opportunities were accompanied by risks such as "potential data breaches" and marking errors. "AI can come up with made-up quotes, facts [and] information," she said. "You have to make sure that you don't outsource whatever you're doing fully to AI." The DfE guidance says schools should have clear policies on AI, including when teachers and pupils can and cannot use it, and that manual checks are the best way to spot whether students are using it to cheat. It also says only approved tools should be used and pupils should be taught to recognise deepfakes and other misinformation. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said the guidance aimed to "cut workloads". "We're putting cutting-edge AI tools into the hands of our brilliant teachers to enhance how our children learn and develop – freeing teachers from paperwork so they can focus on what parents and pupils need most: inspiring teaching and personalised support," she said. Pepe Di'Iasio, ASCL general secretary, said many schools and colleges were already "safely and effectively using AI" and it had the potential to ease heavy staff workloads and as a result, help recruitment and retention challenges. "However, there are some big issues," he added. "Budgets are extremely tight because of the huge financial pressures on the education sector and realising the potential benefits of AI requires investment." Research from BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT, at the end of last year suggested that most teachers were not using AI, and there was a worry among those who were about telling their school. But Julia Adamson, its managing director for education, said the guidance "feels like an important step forward". She added: "Teachers will want clarity on exactly how they should be telling those parents where they've used AI, for example in writing emails, to avoid additional pressures and reporting burdens." The Scottish and Welsh governments have both said AI can support with tasks such as marking, as long as it is used professionally and responsibly. And in Northern Ireland, last week education minister Paul Givan announced that a study by Oxford Brookes University would evaluate how AI could improve education outcomes for some pupils. Teachers 'improving work-life balance' with AI 'Most of our friends use AI in schoolwork' Can you pass your degree using ChatGPT?
BBC News
4 hours ago
- BBC News
Teachers can use AI to save time on marking, new guidance says
Teachers in England can use artificial intelligence (AI) to speed up marking and write letters home to parents, new government guidance materials being distributed to schools, first seen exclusively by the BBC, say teachers can use the technology to "help automate routine tasks" and focus instead on "quality face-to-face time".Teachers should be transparent about their use of AI and always check its results, the Department for Education (DfE) Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) said it could "free up time for face-to-face teaching" but there were still "big issues" to be resolved. BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT, said it was an "important step forward" but teachers would "want clarity on exactly how they should be telling... parents where they've used AI". Teachers and pupils have already been experimenting with AI, and the DfE has previously supported its use among this is the first time it has produced training materials and guidance for schools outlining how they should and should not use DfE says AI should only be used for "low-stakes" marking such as quizzes or homework, and teachers must check its also give teachers permission to use AI to write "routine" letters to section demonstrates how it could be used to generate a letter about a head lice outbreak, for example. Emma Darcy, a secondary school leader who works as a consultant to support other schools with AI and digital strategy, said teachers had "almost a moral responsibility" to learn how to use it because pupils were already doing so "in great depth"."If we're not using these tools ourselves as educators, we're not going to be able to confidently support our young people with using them," she she warned that the opportunities were accompanied by risks such as "potential data breaches" and marking errors."AI can come up with made-up quotes, facts [and] information," she said. "You have to make sure that you don't outsource whatever you're doing fully to AI." The DfE guidance says schools should have clear policies on AI, including when teachers and pupils can and cannot use it, and that manual checks are the best way to spot whether students are using it to cheat. It also says only approved tools should be used and pupils should be taught to recognise deepfakes and other misinformation. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said the guidance aimed to "cut workloads"."We're putting cutting-edge AI tools into the hands of our brilliant teachers to enhance how our children learn and develop – freeing teachers from paperwork so they can focus on what parents and pupils need most: inspiring teaching and personalised support," she Di'Iasio, ASCL general secretary, said many schools and colleges were already "safely and effectively using AI" and it had the potential to ease heavy staff workloads and as a result, help recruitment and retention challenges."However, there are some big issues," he added. "Budgets are extremely tight because of the huge financial pressures on the education sector and realising the potential benefits of AI requires investment."Research from BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT, at the end of last year suggested that most teachers were not using AI, and there was a worry among those who were about telling their school. But Julia Adamson, its managing director for education, said the guidance "feels like an important step forward".She added: "Teachers will want clarity on exactly how they should be telling those parents where they've used AI, for example in writing emails, to avoid additional pressures and reporting burdens."The Scottish and Welsh governments have both said AI can support with tasks such as marking, as long as it is used professionally and in Northern Ireland, last week education minister Paul Givan announced that a study by Oxford Brookes University would evaluate how AI could improve education outcomes for some pupils.
BBC News
15 hours ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Prudhoe High School safety report due 'imminently'
Investigations into damage that forced a school to close are said to be nearing are working to determine the cause of cracks that appeared in the structure of Prudhoe High School, in Northumberland, in building, which opened in 2016, has been closed for almost four months with pupils being taught 16 miles (25kms) away at Washington, near Cheviot Learning Trust academy chain, which runs the school, said the completion of tests was "imminent", adding: "We will then be able to update on how the building can be repaired." It said it would then allow plans to be formulated for September and government said it hoped to return pupils to the site as soon as possible.A Department for Education (DfE) spokeswoman said: "We have worked closely with Prudhoe Community High School and the Cheviot Learning Trust to return students to face-to-face learning at the earliest opportunity."We are continuing to work with the school and the trust in next steps." Wait 'too long' Prudhoe Community High School cost £14.6m under the previous Conservative government's priority school building programme (PSBP).Tory councillor Guy Renner-Thompson, cabinet member for education at Northumberland County Council, said the DfE "needs to release the detailed report on the condition of the building" as soon as possible."The school building is still under warranty. It shouldn't cost the taxpayer anything to put right," he said."Parents and the council have waited too long for further information about the school."Renner-Thompson also said he continued to believe a site formerly used as Hexham Middle School was a more suitable solution than sending children to Washington and back on buses each council has said it offered the building to the DfE as an alternative but was turned middle school on Wanless Lane closed in 2021. It is 10 miles (16kms) from Prudhoe and benefits from existing transport links, according to Local Democracy Reporting DfS has not commented on reports it was offered the site. Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
BBC News
4 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Hope for Somerset special school after extra £1.5m of funding
Nearly £1.5m of extra council funding will be provided to prevent a new special needs school from closing after less than a View School in Somerset was funded by the Department for Education (DfE), but "significant operational difficulties", including water ingress and faulty gates, meant it was not able to welcome more students in have criticised the DfE for not putting in enough money, with one saying it was "outrageous" for the council to have to "carry the can".The DfE has been contacted for comment. The government funded the building of Hill View Special School, near Yeovil, after accepting a bid by Somerset County Council to create more SEND spaces, the Local Democracy Reporting Service free school opened in September 2024 for 60 children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and is run by the Oak Partnership Trust. But within the first month, it reported "significant operational difficulties", including substantial problems with the fabric of the included water ingress (forcing several classrooms to close), faulty gates on the car park (presenting a safeguarding issue), door fastenings which easily broke off, incorrectly installed "non-climb fences" and staff school put short-term emergency measures in place, but the disruption had caused its pupils to "become significantly dysregulated", damaging their education and wider quality of life, according to a report to the council's a series of visits, the DfE agreed to provide £684,000, allowing off-limits classrooms to be gradually the trust is still forecasting a deficit of £868,000 for the end of this academic year – and without a significant increase in pupil numbers and associated funding, it would have to "surrender" the school back to the DfE to avoid bankruptcy, it said. At a meeting on Wednesday, Somerset Council's executive agreed to allocate £1,433,000 from its dedicated schools grant (DSG) to the a statement, councillor Frances Nicholson said: "The DfE's official insisted on their design and contractor, saying they knew best – and they failed. They have put some money in to rectify their mistakes, but it's not enough."What is absolutely outrageous is that the council is being asked to carry the can for the DfE."Claire Winter, the council's executive director for children, families and education, said that not providing this funding would lead to even higher costs for the council in the years ahead. She said: "The cost of providing alternative spaces for children who could not be schooled at Hill View runs into the many millions of pounds. "Fixing this is the least these children deserve."By September they should be able to use the bulk of the building, and we are expecting 20 more children to enter the school in the autumn, with a further 20 pupils joining in February 2026."Demand for SEND education resources has vastly exceeded government funding for years, with Somerset's own Dedicated Schools Grant deficit now predicted to exceed £100m in light of this Liberal Democrat leader of Somerset Council, Bill Revans, is to write to the DfE to express the council's concerns about the school's delivery.
Belfast Telegraph
4 days ago
- Business
- Belfast Telegraph
Trump's tariffs ‘could see 1,000 fewer jobs in NI over next 15 years'
The Department for the Economy has released modelling of the impact of President Trump's tariffs on Northern Irish exports, which model a range of scenarios. Since the US President's 'Liberation Day' in April, there has been concern around the world about the impact of US tariffs on global trade and national economies. From April 4, the US imposed a 10% tariff on UK goods entering the US. After signing the 'Prosperity deal' between the two countries, the tariff on UK steel has remained at 25%, avoiding the jump to 50% imposed on other nations. DfE said it had used a framework called 'Computable General Equilibrium' to model a variety of outcomes of the tariffs. Uncertainty has accompanied the tariff policy as President Trump has already instituted pauses for a number of them, and has hinted at the possibility of deals with individual nations. There is also uncertainty as to what industries will be hit, as Trump has long favoured tariffs on steel, for example, but other industries such as pharmaceuticals have hoped to avoid tariffs altogether. The 1,000 fewer jobs does not refer to job losses, but to how many fewer positions would be created as compared to a situation where the tariffs were not imposed. The baseline scenario would still result in 800 fewer jobs being created in Northern Ireland, with a general reduction to GDP of around £85m, or 0.15%. DfE has considered four different outcomes, which include a 10% tariff that excludes pharmaceuticals, a 10% tariff that includes that industry, a 10% general tariff with a 20% rate for pharmaceuticals and a 10% general tariff that excludes aerospace products. While the overall impact may be low, the department anticipates a greater hit to exports within industries, modelling a baseline scenario reduction in the machinery sector of 2.24%. In a scenario where pharmaceuticals are hit by a 20% tariff, the department anticipates that sector would fall by 4.77%. The conclusion to the DfE report highlights the potential impact on the regions within Northern Ireland. 'It is also likely that many of the businesses impacted will be in specific geographic areas e.g. Mid Ulster and Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon council areas. 'This is due to the importance of the manufacturing and pharmaceutical industries to these areas, which will have implications for the regional balance agenda being taken forward by the department. 'In addition, the tariffs will negatively impact business investment over the long term which will serve as a headwind against efforts to increase investment and improve productivity.' The model is based on the impact to exports, and does not incorporate the changes to imports, or the effects of potential retaliatory tariffs from the EU. A tariff is an additional cost applied to imports, typically imposed on goods or services where they cross national borders.
