UK government invests in AI-powered teacher support

The UK Government has allocated £2 million to enhance and expand AI-powered teacher tools for teachers in England

These tools aim to streamline lesson planning and quiz creation, ultimately reducing teachers’ workloads and paving the way for a personalised AI lesson-planning assistant for educators nationwide.

AI-powered teacher resources benefit teachers

A recent pilot program introduced an AI-powered quiz builder and lesson planner to thousands of teachers.

These innovative tools enable educators to create customised content aligned with Oak National Academy’s high-quality curriculum, ensuring it caters to their specific teaching requirements.

Boosting educational AI with government funding

The substantial cash infusion into Oak National Academy will refine these AI-driven tools, making them available to all teachers across England at no cost.

The Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, recognises the transformative potential of AI in education, emphasising the value it brings to teachers and students. This investment marks a significant step toward improving the quality of education for the next generation.

Positive feedback from teachers

Initial feedback from teachers who tested the AI tools has been overwhelmingly positive. Teachers have observed a significant reduction in planning time, improved content variety, and valuable assistance in addressing common misconceptions in their lessons.

AI-Powered future for education

With approximately 30,000 teachers already utilising Oak National Academy’s resources, this initiative will help teachers save time on lesson planning.

In addition, these resources will be available on the Open Government Licence, offering access to tech companies interested in developing AI-driven educational products.

This ensures the content produced remains accurate, safe, and high-quality.

Oak National Academy Co-Founder and Chief Executive Matt Hood OBE, envisions AI as a game-changer, enabling teachers to spend more time directly with their pupils.

The project seeks to improve AI lesson planning tools and make them accessible to a broader range of schools and organisations, fostering innovation and the creation of AI-based educational products.

Two-day AI hackathon

This announcement coincides with the launch of a two-day AI hackathon organised by the Department for Education.

This event aims to bring together educators, school leaders, and experts to experiment with AI applications in education.

Over the coming months, the government will work closely with teachers and experts to develop solutions aimed at reducing the amount of time teachers spend working outside of their teaching hours.

Additionally, the results of the AI call for evidence will be published to inform further the government’s efforts to harness AI’s potential while ensuring its ethical and safe advancement in education.