Should AI Be in Schools? What the UK’s Early Report Tells Us
Picture this. You’re a teacher buried under a week’s worth of marking, lesson planning, and admin emails. It’s 10:45 PM on a Thursday. You’ve reheated your tea three times, and your eyes are blurry from staring at spreadsheets. What if, instead of marking all those papers yourself, AI did 80% of the legwork and flagged only the answers you really needed to see?
That’s the promise some early AI tools offer—and according to a new UK government report, a few schools and colleges are actually making it happen.
But is it a silver bullet? Not quite.
Here’s what we learned from the latest UK report—and how it stacks up against places like Estonia and Finland that are already years ahead in the AI-in-education game.
🟡 At a Glance
- The UK is experimenting, not committing. Pilots show real promise, but training and policy gaps are holding things back.
- Estonia is going all-in. A national rollout this September includes ChatGPT Edu access for all 16–17-year-olds.
- Finland focuses on literacy first. Every citizen gets free AI education, and teacher training is front and centre.
- Top benefits: reduced teacher workload, better personalised learning, faster feedback.
- Top risks: digital inequality, weak governance, ethical blind spots, and overreliance.
What the UK’s Early Adopters Are Saying
In June 2025, the Department for Education published a candid review titled “The Biggest Risk Is Doing Nothing.” It analysed 21 UK schools and further education colleges that tried incorporating AI tools—mostly generative AI like ChatGPT—into teaching and admin tasks.
The Good Bits
- Time savings. Teachers saved hours each week by using AI to generate lesson content, feedback, and even revision guides.
- Better support for students. Tools helped personalise content for struggling learners, especially those with SEND requirements.
- New energy. Educators described a surge of creativity and renewed engagement.
As one school leader put it:
“We’re not looking to replace teachers. We’re trying to free them up to be more human.”
The Challenges
- Very few guardrails. Only a minority of schools had clear AI policies. Most teachers were improvising.
- Big training gaps. 75% of leaders said their teams lacked the skills to use AI effectively. There was almost no formal training.
- Ethical concerns. Who owns AI-generated lesson content? Are students’ essays being scraped to train models? How do you handle cheating?
In fact, some schools reported increased workloads where AI tools were misused or needed constant double-checking.
When AI Pilots Fail: Learning from the UK’s Bumps
Remember NoMoreMarking? It was supposed to use AI to auto-grade handwritten assessments. In practice, teachers had to double mark everything because the software misread content. Instead of saving time, it added hours.
There have also been cringe-worthy experiments with “teacherless” AI-led classrooms. A few UK schools quietly piloted this in 2023. It didn’t go well. Students disengaged, critical thinking dropped, and parents revolted.
These misfires prove something important: AI in education can work—but not without oversight, support, and human judgment.
Meanwhile in Estonia: The AI Classroom Is Real
Estonia is known for digital innovation. This year, it’s launching AI Leap 2025—a national programme that gives AI access (including ChatGPT Edu) to 20,000 students and 3,000 teachers. That expands to nearly all students aged 16–17 by 2027.
Why It’s Working
- Strong infrastructure. Estonia already had e-school platforms and digital literacy programmes thanks to its earlier “Tiger Leap” in the 1990s.
- Clear policies. The rollout is GDPR-compliant, with ethical oversight and public-private partnerships (OpenAI, Anthropic).
- Equity built in. Low-income students receive devices and internet access.
Still, 40% of Estonian teachers report feeling underprepared. And some critics worry students are becoming too dependent on AI and losing their research skills.
Finland: Teach the Teachers First
Finland takes a slower but arguably deeper approach. Their philosophy? You can’t use AI well if you don’t understand it. That’s why they created the “Elements of AI” course—a free online programme taken by over 2% of the country.
AI is now embedded into Finland’s curriculum—not just in computing but in arts, history, and science. Teacher training includes AI literacy and critical thinking around automation.
Standout Moves
- Free AI education for the public
- Curriculum-wide integration, not just a one-off subject
- Emphasis on how to think about AI, not just how to use it
The challenge? Rural and under-resourced schools sometimes lag in infrastructure and staffing. But overall, Finland’s model is considered one of the most thoughtful worldwide.
How Do These Countries Compare?
| Category | United Kingdom | Estonia | Finland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strategy | Pilot-focused, early guidance | National rollout (AI Leap 2025) | Literacy-first, integrated curriculum |
| Teacher Training | Minimal, ad hoc | In progress, national plan | Strong, tied to national AI course |
| Equity Focus | Limited (access skewed by income) | Built-in device support | Partial, varies by region |
| Governance | Weak policies, low clarity | Ethical, GDPR-compliant | National AI ethics guidelines |
| Rollout Status | Experimental stage | Beginning national access | Mature policy and curriculum integration |
What the UK Needs to Do Next
If the UK wants to keep up, it needs to stop dabbling and start planning. Here’s what would help:
- Train educators. Make AI literacy part of teacher CPD. That includes prompt writing, bias detection, and ethical usage.
- Set national standards. Every school should have an AI policy covering data, copyright, cheating, and usage limits.
- Support digital equity. Fund hardware and internet access for lower-income students to avoid widening the learning gap.
- Keep humans in charge. AI can help but shouldn’t be allowed to fully replace teacher judgment, feedback, or support.
- Learn from past mistakes. NoMoreMarking and bot-only classrooms show that implementation is just as important as innovation.
So, Should AI Be in Schools?
Yes—but carefully.
Used well, AI can free up time, boost learning, and open up personalised pathways for students. But without training, policy, and equity, it risks deepening divides and doing more harm than good.
The truth is, AI is already in schools—whether we plan for it or not. The question now is: Will we lead its use, or let it run unchecked?
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