From pilot to platform: Scaling safe, creative and equitable student use of AI at Barton Peveril Sixth Form College
Featured image source: Alexa Steinbrück / https://betterimagesofai.org / https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ CHRIS LOVEDAY, VICE PRINCIPAL (BUSINESS SERVICES), BARTON PEVERIL SIXTH FORM COLLEGE, UK Introduction This case study builds directly on Barton Peveril Sixth Form College’s (BPSFC) initial journey with artificial intelligence (AI) and the development of bespoke AI agents, as outlined in the earlier Impact special issue […]
Integrating AI into productivity, planning and preparation, and pedagogy in schools
Featured image source: David Man & Tristan Ferne / https://betterimagesofai.org / https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ CAT RUSHTON, DIRECTOR OF INSTITUTE, ACADEMY TRANSFORMATION TRUST, UK Introduction As the education system becomes accustomed to a world in which both teachers and students routinely use AI (artificial intelligence), educators are increasingly aware of its transformative potential, alongside the risks that it presents. […]
Reclaiming creativity in the generative AI Era: Dialogic pedagogy as human-centred innovation
BLESSING MAREGERE, SENIOR WORK-BASED LEARNING TUTOR AND PROGRAMME LEADER, LEEDS TRINITY UNIVERSITY, UK Introduction: Creativity at a crossroads As generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) impacts education, the question confronting educators is not whether GenAI should be in the classroom but how it should coexist with human creativity. GenAI-powered writing assistants, adaptive learning platforms and automated feedback systems […]
Use AI for workload, not pedagogy: Prioritising teacher expertise and protecting high expectations for pupils with SEND
Featured image source: Wes Cockx & Google DeepMind / https://betterimagesofai.org / https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ELLY PLANT, JASMINE LEONARD AND ROBBIE COLEMAN, PROXIMA EDUCATION, UK Introduction Inclusion is increasingly in the spotlight, with schools seeking to strengthen provision for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). This shift is driven both by rising numbers of pupils with SEND […]
Effective use of AI to support EAL learners
TOM BEAKES, TRAINER, THE BELL FOUNDATION, UK This article explores where generative artificial intelligence (AI) might be used to help to enhance the learning of students who use English as an additional language (EAL) in integrated classrooms. Learners with EAL are defined by the Department for Education (DfE, 2020) as any child who is exposed to […]
The emerging evidence around the cognitive costs of learners outsourcing thinking to AI tools
DR LUCY RYCROFT-SMITH, FACULTY OF EDUCATION, UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE, UK Introduction This article considers the question: What does evidence suggest are some of the cognitive costs to using generative artificial intelligence tools in education? Research is only just beginning to address the cognitive and practical impacts of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools on learning, especially […]
A pair of ears in every lesson? Using AI to give trainee teachers richer feedback
MILES BERRY, PROFESSOR OF COMPUTING EDUCATION, UNIVERSITY OF ROEHAMPTON, UK AI can now generate detailed, evidence-referenced feedback from a transcript of any lesson, but how does this fit with professional formation? When ChatGPT launched in November 2022, one of the first things that many teachers did was ask it to write a lesson plan. The results […]
Using generative AI: How might teachers integrate it into their practice?
HANNAH OWEN, TEACHING ASSOCIATE AND PHD RESEARCHER, FACULTY OF EDUCATION, UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE, UK The implications of artificial intelligence (AI) use in education are far reaching, potentially enabling new forms of teaching, learning and educational provision, as well as enhancing learning experiences and supporting teachers (Miao and Cukurova, 2024). And while there is much uncertainty about […]
Creative fidelity: Keeping learners in charge of their ideas
TRUDI BARROW, ADVISOR, CLEAPSS, UK ‘Creative fidelity’ is a term that I use to describe the principle of retaining the intent of the author or designer when using artificial intelligence (AI) tools within creative processes. The word ‘fidelity’ is deliberately chosen. It implies faithfulness to something that already exists – for example, a design that […]
Using a learning management system to reframe learning, agency and coherence in primary settings
RACHEL BEYER, GLOBAL DIRECTOR OF TEACHING AND LEARNING – PRIMARY, ONESCHOOL GLOBAL Introduction This article explores how Canvas, a learning management system (LMS), has been used across primary settings within a large group of schools to support coherence, learner agency and professional practice. Rather than positioning technology as an add-on, this approach has reframed Canvas […]
Empowering learners: Using VESPA to frame student autonomy towards teaching and learning
LIZ PYNE, PRINCETHORPE COLLEGE, UK The desire for student autonomy is the ‘holy grail’ of many teachers and school leaders. Teaching students self-regulation of their learning and to understand the skills and processes towards success continues to be an area of discussion and thought. ‘However, ownership and autonomy of learning do not necessarily come naturally […]
From the editor
DR JANET RAMDEO ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR IN EDUCATION AND HEAD OF INITIAL TEACHER EDUCATION, UNIVERSITY OF GREENWICH, UK ‘Who gets ahead?’ This question was the basis of a 12-month study conducted by Wilson et al. (2006) examining how the intersectional experiences of disability, age, ethnicity and gender affect teachers’ career prospects. Their findings painted a picture […]
A reflective narrative on supporting international trainee teachers to thrive when teaching in English schools
SHALINI BHORKAR, ROBERT CAMPBELL AND JULIETTE CLARO, ST MARY’S UNIVERSITY, TWICKENHAM, UK Teacher recruitment and retention remain ongoing challenges in England (Maisuria et al., 2023). Most notably, recruitment of modern foreign language (MFL) and physics trainee teachers is particularly stark (DfE, 2025a). To address under-recruitment in these subjects, government bursaries are now available to international candidates. […]
‘Putting the children first, fighting their corner, being prepared to stick their head above a parapet’: Exploring reasons for the SENDCo recruitment crisis
NAOMI ASHMAN, DOCTORAL STUDENT, UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON, UK Introduction There is currently a SENDCo recruitment and retention crisis (Robertson, 2023). Many find fulfilling SENDCo responsibilities unsustainable and are reluctant to remain in the role (Curran and Boddison, 2021). Reasons for attrition include overwhelming workload, inadequate time and insufficient funding for special educational needs and disability […]
Designing new pathways into teaching: Widening access, representation and inclusion in school communities through teacher degree apprenticeships
ANDY DAVIES, PROJECT CO-LEAD; DEPUTY DEAN, SCHOOL OF EDUCATION, SPORT AND HEALTH SCIENCES, UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON, UK LIS BUNDOCK, PROJECT CO-LEAD; ASSOCIATE DEAN (EDUCATION AND STUDENT EXPERIENCE), UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON, UK RICHARD HARVEY-SWANSTON, SENIOR LECTURER, UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON, UK ROB CORBETT, APPRENTICE AMBASSADOR, UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON, UK ALLISON GODFREY, EMPLOYER COORDINATOR, UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON, UK POLLY HERBERT, HEAD OF INITIAL TEACHER […]
Beyond the pipeline: Drivers of ethnic disparities in teacher recruitment, retention and progression in England
JULIET KOTONYA AND KATHERINE ASTON, NATIONAL FOUNDATION FOR EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH, UK Introduction England’s pupil population is becoming increasingly ethnically diverse, yet the ethnic make-up of the teaching workforce remains unrepresentative (Demie and Huat See, 2022). This shows up in schools as disparities in who enters teaching, who remains and who progresses into leadership. Representation of teachers […]
A case study of implementing inclusive academic assessment practice for trainees in an employment-based ITE programme
FRANCINE MCMAHON, AMBER DUIVENVOORDEN AND KATHERINE KINSHAW, SCHOOL OF EDUCATION, BATH SPA UNIVERSITY, UK Introduction Inclusive practices in higher education institutions have been exploring different academic assessment practices to meet the diverse needs of cohorts. This has been in response to the Bristol vs Abrahart case (Equality and Human Rights Commission, 2024) and a growing awareness of […]
Enhancing action in supporting international pre-service science teachers via self-study
ROBERT CAMPBELL, ST MARY’S UNIVERSITY, TWICKENHAM, UK RACHEL DAVIES, KING’S COLLEGE, LONDON, UK DAN COTTLE, UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM, UK CAROLINE NEUBERG, LEEDS TRINITY UNIVERSITY, UK ELEANOR WYLIE, INSTITUTE OF PHYSICS, UK Introduction Since 2022, international pre-service science teachers (PSSTs) specialising in physics have also been eligible for a bursary, resulting in a fourfold increase in international applications to study PGCE […]
How can training on culturally responsive mentoring support the integration and inclusion of international trainee teachers on a secondary PGCE?
JULIETTE CLARO, LECTURER IN EDUCATION, ST MARY’S UNIVERSITY TWICKENHAM SCHOOL OF EDUCATION, UK; CO-CHAIR OF THE UCET SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP IN SUPPORTING INTERNATIONAL TRAINEE TEACHERS In the last two years, the number of international trainee teachers on the PGCE secondary at St Mary’s University has exponentially increased, reflecting the national trends in the teacher labour market […]
‘We train dogs but we educate people’: How listening to student voice shapes successful and wider outcomes in initial teacher education – findings from a co-research approach
MEGAN STEPHENSON, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, LEEDS TRINITY UNIVERSITY, UK DEBORAH GARCIA, HEAD OF ITE PARTNERSHIPS, LEEDS TRINITY UNIVERSITY, UK SAMANTHA WILKES, SENIOR LECTURER, LEEDS TRINITY UNIVERSITY, UK ALICE BOYCE, SCHOOL OF EDUCATION AND CHILDHOOD PRIMARY GRADUATE AND EARLY CAREER TEACHER, LEEDS TRINITY UNIVERSITY, UK Abstract This think piece explores what has helped a long-established university provider of teacher education […]