A New Era: How Artificial Intelligence (AI) is Supporting Teaching and Learning
Executive Summary
This thematic report explores how artificial intelligence (AI), and generative AI (GenAI) in particular, is currently being implemented and its emerging impact in schools and pupil referral units (PRUs) across Wales. The evidence base includes visits to a broad range of schools, conversations with school leaders, teaching staff, and pupils, as well as an extensive survey of staff in schools and PRUs. The report aims to help schools and policymakers understand and address the opportunities and challenges of AI and to provide real-world examples of effective engagement.
The report concludes that a coherent national approach is necessary to ensure the security of data and maximise the potential of AI to support teaching and learning, inclusion and effective leadership in schools and PRUs in Wales, and to mitigate the challenges and risks. This includes clear national guidance and support frameworks alongside structured professional learning. These will be crucial in ensuring that AI enhances teaching and learning: sustainably, equitably, safely and ethically.
Overall, many schools are still in the early stages of exploring AI. In most cases, initial use is driven by individual staff members who have an interest in digital innovation and see the potential benefits of AI on their professional practice. However, a few schools have begun embedding AI strategically within their broader digital strategies and school improvement plans, demonstrating clearly how AI can effectively support teaching and learning and school leadership and management. At present, schools are largely exploring the potential and challenges of AI independently and with limited support and collaboration within and across Wales’ 22 local authorities.
Teachers across the sectors included in this review consistently reported substantial workload reductions resulting from AI use, notably in areas such as lesson planning, resource creation, differentiation of learning materials, and report writing. For example, teachers describe how AI-generated scaffolds, worksheets, and creative prompts enable them to focus more on the quality and personalisation of their teaching. In many cases, teachers note how AI allows them to produce better quality resources that are more closely linked to the needs and interests of pupils. Staff in special schools and PRUs particularly highlight the benefits of AI-generated communication stories and bespoke literacy pathways, which enhance engagement and inclusivity for pupils with complex additional learning needs. Crucially, where the use of AI is proving most beneficial, it is within the context of a clear understanding of effective pedagogy and child development. However, teachers also highlight concerns that an overreliance on AI could deskill less experienced teachers, for example in ensuring that lessons and activities are well-linked to the next steps in pupils’ learning. Digital innovations in education rarely succeed without a clear focus and reflection on the impact on pupils.
Pupils show interest in the creative opportunities provided by age-appropriate AI tools, especially in primary and special schools. Engagement is strongest when pupils participate in collaborative, creative projects such as digital storytelling, podcasting, and visual arts. At secondary level, pupils use AI effectively for independent learning, including summarising revision notes and generating personalised quiz questions. However, many secondary teachers expressed concerns about potential over-reliance on AI, stressing the need to guide pupils in critical, ethical use of these tools. Leaders stressed the necessity to adhere to malpractice guidance regarding the use of AI in assessments leading to qualifications.
A few schools have integrated AI into their assessment, feedback, and reporting policies. Where this occurs, it is often through individual experimentation rather than strategic planning. Teachers using AI in assessment contexts find it promising for formative feedback and summarising assessment data but consistently emphasise the necessity for professional scrutiny to ensure accuracy and fairness. Some schools have begun using AI to draft letters and pupil reports, substantially reducing administrative workloads, freeing up staff time for more strategic and pupil-focused activities.
Schools increasingly recognise AI’s potential to support equity and inclusion, especially for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds or with additional learning needs. However, there is also the risk of a digital divide, as pupils who can afford paid-for AI tools may gain advantages that others cannot. Despite the potential benefits of AI, schools also identify challenges including limited digital confidence among staff, uneven access to training, ethical concerns around AI bias, and safeguarding and data protection issues. Staff highlight the need for clear guidelines, structured professional learning, and a national approach to ethical AI use.
Strategic leadership in a minority of schools has driven successful AI implementation through comprehensive professional learning and clear policies. In a few cases, collaborative cluster-based professional learning has proven effective in developing staff confidence and a unified approach. In many schools, professional learning around the use of AI has been limited to the informal sharing of practice. While this is beneficial, it has not substantially improved staff confidence compared to strategically driven professional learning programmes.
AI is being used effectively in school administration to streamline routine tasks, such as drafting letters to parents, summarising reports and the creation of new school policies. A few schools have introduced robust procedures to ensure data protection and compliance with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requirements. Overall, however, too many schools that have begun to explore the use of AI remain unclear of their statutory duties regarding the protection of personal data. In Wales, the Hwb platform and Digital Competence Framework (DCF) have underpinned efforts to embed digital learning and equity since 2012, with recent Welsh Government guidance and training materials further supporting schools, practitioners, and parents to address the opportunities and challenges of AI.
Case study videos
To further inform the report, during the spring term of 2024, inspectors visited a sample of 21 English and Welsh medium primary, secondary, special and all-age schools across Wales. We selected most of these schools because they had indicated in their survey response that they were engaging positively with AI. We chose a few schools because of other information, for example due to a recent inspection suggesting that staff were undertaking interesting work with AI. During the visits, we spoke with leaders, staff and pupils, looked at examples of pupils’ work and documentation, such as policies and teachers’ planning. Where possible, we identified examples of effective practice for inclusion in the report. The work of many of these providers is further exemplified in the following video case studies:
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