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The Independent
5 hours ago
- Science
- The Independent
Pupils could gain more face-to-face time with teachers under AI plans
Pupils could benefit from more face-to-face time with their teachers under the Government's plans for artificial intelligence (AI) use in schools. The Department for Education (DfE) has launched guidance for schools and colleges in England on how teachers can use generative AI safely. It suggests AI can cut down administrative tasks – such as generating letters, reports and planning lessons – to give teachers more time to work with pupils. But the guidance also calls on teachers to always check outputs generated by AI for 'accuracy' and it insists that personal data should be protected. School leaders' unions have welcomed the resources but they said further investment is needed to unlock the potential benefits of AI in education. The support materials suggest that generative AI could be used to help teachers with formative assessments – such as generating quizzes and 'offering feedback on errors' – as well as generating 'exam-style questions'. Generative AI tools can also help staff with administrative tasks such as composing emails and letters, policy writing and planning trips, it added. One section of the guidance demonstrates how AI could be used to generate a letter to parents and carers about a head lice outbreak at the school. It said: 'Strategic implementation of AI can cut down administrative tasks for leaders, teachers and support staff, particularly in areas such as data analysis, lesson planning, report generation and correspondence. 'This could allow educators more time to work directly with students and pupils and help to reduce workload if implemented well.' But educators should only use AI tools 'approved' in their setting, it added. AI should also only be used by teachers for formative, low-stakes marking – such as classroom quizzes or homework, the DfE has said. Paul Whiteman, general secretary at school leaders' union NAHT, said: 'These resources are a welcome source of support for education staff. 'AI has huge potential benefits for schools and children's learning but it is important that these are harnessed in the right way and any pitfalls avoided. 'Government investment in future testing and research is vital as staff need reliable sources of evaluation – supported with evidence – on the benefits, limitations and risks of AI tools and their potential uses.' Pepe Di'Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: 'The great potential of AI is in easing staff workloads which are driven by system-wide pressures and are a major cause of recruitment and retention challenges. 'If we can get this right it will improve working conditions and help address teacher shortages. 'However, there are some big issues which need to be resolved and paramount is ensuring that all schools and colleges have the technology and training they need. 'Budgets are extremely tight because of the huge financial pressures on the education sector and realising the potential benefits of AI requires investment.' The DfE has said it is investing an extra £1 million in funding to accelerate the development of AI tools to help with marking and generating detailed, tailored feedback for individual students. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: '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 added: 'By harnessing AI's power to cut workloads, we're revolutionising classrooms and driving high standards everywhere – breaking down barriers to opportunity so every child can achieve and thrive.'
The Independent
17-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
School leaders' union launches legal action against Ofsted over report card plan
A school leaders' union has launched legal action against Ofsted over the potential impact of their inspection proposals on the mental health of headteachers and school staff. The NAHT school leaders' union issued a claim to the High Court for judicial review on Friday as it says that adequate consultation has not been conducted regarding the education watchdog's report card plans. The claim comes ahead of the NAHT's annual conference in Harrogate North Yorkshire, this weekend. Under Ofsted's plans, which were set out in a consultation in February, schools in England could be graded across eight to 10 areas of a provision using a colour-coded five-point scale. They would receive ratings, from the red 'causing concern' to orange 'attention needed', through the green shades of 'secure', 'strong' and 'exemplary' for each area of practice. The NAHT has said Ofsted's report card proposals involve an increased number of graded sub-judgments, which school leaders fear will only increase high-stakes accountability and pressure. A motion to be debated at the NAHT annual conference on Saturday calls for the introduction of Ofsted report cards as a measure of school accountability to be 'opposed'. The motion, on which conference delegates will vote, calls for all 'legal and industrial options' to be explored fully to protect the mental and physical health and wellbeing of school leaders and staff. Last year, the Government announced that headline Ofsted grades for overall effectiveness for schools in England would be scrapped. Previously, Ofsted awarded one of four single-phrase inspection judgments: outstanding, good, requires improvement and inadequate. The move came after Ofsted faced criticism after the death of headteacher Ruth Perry. Mrs Perry took her own life in January 2023 after an Ofsted report downgraded her Caversham Primary School in Reading, Berkshire, from the highest to the lowest overall effectiveness rating over safeguarding concerns. On Monday, Julia Waters, Mrs Perry's sister, joined education professionals in an open letter to Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson calling for proposed changes to Ofsted inspections to be delayed. In a fresh statement, Prof Waters said: 'I share the frustration of headteachers. Everyone agrees that schools and teachers should be accountable for the quality of the education they provide. But this new system, proposed for itself by Ofsted, could be worse than the flawed and dangerous process it replaces. 'We have enough evidence from repeated inquiries and other national systems that show what might work better for pupils, parents, and teachers as a system of school inspection in England.' Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the NAHT, said: 'Somehow the focus on school leader mental health and wellbeing has got lost along the way during Ofsted's consultation process. 'We must not forget that the catalyst for these changes was the tragic death of Ruth Perry and widespread acceptance that the inspection regime was placing school leaders under intolerable pressure. 'However, there appears to have been very little thought given to the impact on the wellbeing of school leaders in the drawing up of these plans and the consultation that followed. 'School leaders are deeply concerned that the new report cards could result in an even worse system than before, with potentially disastrous impact on workload, wellbeing and retention. 'We have tried engaging with Ofsted and explaining this, but so far these concerns have fallen largely on deaf ears. 'We have been left with little choice other than to pursue this action.' An Ofsted spokeswoman said: 'Supporting the mental health of those we inspect is an important part of the development of our proposals and we are already hearing positive feedback through our inspection tests. 'Our legal team have responded robustly to NAHT. 'Their suggested claims are plainly untenable. 'If legal action is launched, we will resist and seek costs.'
