New DfE AI Guidance

Image of a robot against a blackboard. White background. Orange text: New. Blue text: DfE AI Guidance with video training

: Best Practice Updates; 10 June 2025

New DfE AI Guidance

🤖 📢 The DfE has issued some training and guidance about the use of AI in Education. The guidance aims to help educators safely and effectively use AI to enhance the classroom experience and reduce teacher workload.

Our consultants have been talking to schools this academic year about their use of AI, with many unsure about whether their staff members are using it or not. Our advice to schools is:

🤖Be clear about how your organisation can/can't use AI.

🤖Be clear about which AI tools can be used and which ones can't after you have assessed the risk. Remember to add the information to your privacy notices!

🤖Have an AI policy - our customers can review our AI Best Practice Area for templates and guidance.

🤖Train staff on how to enter prompts and not share personal data when doing so. Review our article: The importance of AI literacy and training staff

Key points from the guidance:

Focus on Teacher Workload Reduction: A primary goal of the guidance is to encourage the use of AI tools to save teachers time, particularly in administrative tasks like marking and writing communications to parents. This aims to free up teachers to spend more time directly engaging with pupils.

Safe and Effective Use: The DfE emphasises the need for schools and colleges to use AI responsibly and safely. This includes being transparent about AI use and always checking the accuracy and appropriateness of AI-generated content.

Human Overview is Crucial: The guidance stresses that AI cannot replace human judgment and deep subject knowledge. Teachers and educators remain central to the educational process, with AI serving as a supportive tool rather than a replacement.

Addressing Risks and Challenges: The DfE acknowledges potential risks associated with AI, such as academic malpractice, student over-reliance on AI, ethical and safety concerns, data privacy issues, and the potential for widening educational inequalities. The guidance aims to help schools mitigate these risks.

Policy Development for Schools: Schools are directed to establish clear policies regarding the permitted use of AI tools within their settings, outlining appropriate applications and rules.

Investment in AI Tools: This guidance builds on previous initiatives, including the "AI Tools for Education programme," which aims to develop and bring world-first AI interventions into classrooms.

Preparing for an AI-Enabled Future: The DfE recognizes the transformative impact of AI on education and the future workforce. The guidance encourages schools to prepare students for an AI-enabled world by integrating AI learning into the curriculum and promoting critical thinking skills.

Collaboration and Evidence-Based Practice: The guidance is informed by a call for evidence from the education sector and emphasises ongoing collaboration with teachers, school leaders, and experts to consider and respond to the evolving implications of AI.