Module 1 of 2 · 45 minutes
Using AI as a professional: what it is for and what it must never be given
By the end of this module you will be able to
- State what the DfE says staff may use generative AI for
- Explain where responsibility for the output sits
- Decide what must not be entered into an AI tool
- Explain the rules on pupils' use and supervision
- Describe what the product safety standards expect
Work through it
1 interactive for this module, built on the WAJD Teach engine. Nothing moves until you ask it to, and every one has a written version if you would rather read it.
Watch: Emma and George talk it through
3 minutes. Captions are on, and the same conversation is written out in full below. The voices are computer generated.
Emma George, half my department use AI to plan lessons and the other half think it's cheating. Who's right?
George The Department for Education is on the side of the first half, with conditions. Their guidance on generative AI in education names lesson and curriculum planning, creating resources, tailored feedback and admin as things staff may use it for.
Emma So it's fine.
George It's allowed. And the same guidance says the quality and content of any final document remains the responsibility of the professional who produced it. A worksheet with a factual error in it is your worksheet, whatever drafted it.
Emma So I check it.
George Facts, level, tone and bias. Before it reaches a pupil or a parent. The tool can draft. You're still the teacher.
Emma What can't I put in?
George The guidance recommends personal data isn't used in generative AI tools at all. In a school that's a lot. Names, dates of birth, results, behaviour records, special educational needs, anything about a family.
Emma And safeguarding?
George Never. Not anonymised, not summarised, not to tidy up a record of concern. That one has no exceptions.
Emma I was going to paste a set of essays in to help with marking.
George Then here's the rule that surprises people. A pupil's original work belongs to the pupil. The guidance says schools must not allow it to be used to train an AI model without permission. And permission means the pupil's, or a parent's or guardian's.
Emma I'd never have thought of an essay as intellectual property.
George It is. And whether pasting it in trains the model depends on the tool's terms, which is why you use tools the school has approved.
Emma Can pupils use these tools themselves?
George Only with safeguards, the guidance says. Close supervision, and tools with safety, filtering and monitoring features. And schools must comply with the age restrictions the tools set. Many general tools aren't intended for children.
Emma How do I know if a tool is safe for a class?
George The Department publishes product safety standards for generative AI in education, updated in January 2026. Filtering harmful content, monitoring and reporting, security, privacy and data protection.
Emma That's for suppliers, surely.
George And for whoever chooses the tools. But it gives you the questions. Does it filter? Does it tell us when a pupil hits a filter? What happens to what pupils type? Has the school approved it for this age group?
Emma And the one thing to do tomorrow?
George Ask for your school's list of approved AI tools and what each may be used for. If you're using one that isn't on it, stop and ask.
The written material
What staff may use it for
The Department for Education's guidance, Generative artificial intelligence in education, was first published in 2023 and last updated in August 2025. It is positive about staff use. It names lesson and curriculum planning, creating educational resources, tailored feedback and administrative tasks.
It is equally clear about where responsibility sits. The quality and content of any final document remains the responsibility of the professional who produced it. A resource with a factual error in it is your resource, whatever drafted it.
What must never go in
The guidance says personal data must be protected in accordance with data protection legislation, and recommends that personal data is not used in generative AI tools. In a school that covers a great deal: names, dates of birth, addresses, assessment results, behaviour records, special educational needs, safeguarding concerns and anything about a pupil's family.
There is a second rule that surprises people. A pupil's original work, an essay or a piece of homework, belongs to the pupil. The guidance says schools must not allow it to be used to train an AI model unless they have permission or an exception to copyright applies, and permission means the pupil's, or a parent's or guardian's. Pasting a class set of essays into a tool for marking may do exactly that, depending on the tool's terms.
Pupils, age limits and supervision
The guidance says pupils should only use generative AI with appropriate safeguards in place, such as close supervision and the use of tools with safety, filtering and monitoring features. Schools must comply with the age restrictions set by AI tools, and many general tools are not intended for children.
Online safety, including AI, should be part of the school's approach to safeguarding, and the filtering and monitoring standards apply to generative AI tools as they do to anything else a pupil can reach on a school device.
Choosing a tool: the product safety standards
The DfE publishes product safety standards for generative AI in education, updated in January 2026, which describe what a tool used with pupils should do. They cover filtering of harmful content, monitoring and reporting, security, privacy and data protection, and how the product should be designed and tested.
They are written for suppliers and for the people who choose tools, but they give any member of staff the right questions. Does it filter? Does it tell us when a pupil hits a filter? What happens to what pupils type? Has the school approved it for this age group? The DfE's support materials for staff, refreshed in May 2026 for the new academic year, go through this in more detail.
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