AI in Schools: From Conversation to Capability
Last week we had the opportunity to attend an invitation-only event hosted by Veracross at The Perse School in Cambridge, bringing together IT leaders from some of the UK’s leading independent schools, EdTech partners and sector influencers to discuss one of education’s most talked-about topics: Artificial Intelligence.
The morning’s discussions highlighted just how varied the sector’s approach to AI remains.
Some schools are already embedding AI into everyday operations, providing staff with tools such as Microsoft Copilot and even appointing dedicated AI specialists. Others are taking a more cautious approach, viewing the current landscape as something of a “wild west” where governance, security and best practice are still evolving.
What was particularly interesting was the range of practical applications already emerging. Schools reported using AI to support:
- Student report writing
- Leadership and management reporting
- Parent communications
- Translation services for multilingual communities
- Administrative efficiencies across school operations
However, enthusiasm was balanced by some very real concerns.
Data security, safeguarding, sustainability and the growing number of third-party AI tools entering the market featured heavily in the discussion. Several attendees highlighted the potential challenge of reassuring parents that their children’s data is being used responsibly and securely within AI-powered systems.
Perhaps the biggest takeaway was that the conversation has moved beyond whether schools should engage with AI and towards how they can do so safely, effectively and strategically.
The event concluded with a preview of Veracross’ forthcoming AI-powered analytics platform, VC Studio, scheduled for launch later this year. The demonstration showcased how natural language querying could help school leaders extract meaningful insights from complex data sets without requiring specialist reporting skills.
While AI’s long-term role in education is still being defined, one thing is becoming increasingly clear: schools are moving from curiosity to capability, and the next few years are likely to see rapid innovation in how educational data is accessed, analysed and acted upon.
A concern was raised about the influx of potentially unsecure 3rd party AI tools, which could make parents consider saying “I don’t want my child’s data in any AI data centre” which would cause serious issues for any school.
What are you seeing in your school or trust?
Are you actively deploying AI tools, cautiously exploring the possibilities, or waiting for the sector to establish clearer standards and guidance?
Some schools are really embracing AI with one employing an AI specialist and giving all staff access to Microsoft’s Co-pilot, whilst others are watching from the sidelines, including automated translations.
VC Studio is due to be launched in September 26 and securely hosted on the AWS platform and uses the Claud ai Engine.
We were shown a powerful tool allowing users to ask a range of questions from precise to vague and receive meaningful answers.
These images don’t do the power of the system justice, but there’s a webinar this Wednesday (17th June) at 3pm To register visit https://bit.ly/3S7RWB2