Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her dept is taking to ensure that schools (a) remain up to date with AI technology as it develops and (b) remain equipped to offer support for their pupils.

The department is committed to ensuring that schools can benefit and use artificial intelligence (AI) safely and effectively. We are supporting staff to stay up to date with developments through clear guidance, as well as online support materials to help staff use AI confidently, safely and responsibly. Developed with sector experts, these materials set out what all staff should know about using AI safely with potential use cases and an additional toolkit for leaders to help address the risks and opportunities of AI across their whole setting.

The department has accepted all the relevant recommendations of the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, and will refresh the computing curriculum to build digital confidence from an early age, and to include essential content on AI. Work is now underway to develop the new curriculum, and the department will conduct a public consultation on the draft programmes of study in summer 2026.

The department is investing in the infrastructure and evidence schools need to adopt technology well and make informed choices. This includes setting digital and technology standards and programmes such as the EdTech Testbed Programme and EdTech Evidence Board.

In late January, the department, in partnership with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology also announced plans to work with industry on the development of AI tutoring tools. Central to these plans is that any generative AI tutoring tools are co-created with teachers, are aligned to the curriculum and meet safety standards. As this work progresses, all tools developed will be rigorously tested and evaluated for safety, quality and effectiveness before they are made available for use in schools, ensuring they genuinely support learning and protect pupils.