On Thursday 24 April 2025, Durston House hosted an engaging workshop titled "AI: The Art of the Possible." The event was a resounding success, with participation from colleagues at AIEOU, parents, and Dr Sara Ratner who leads the AIEOU interdisciplinary hub. The audience delved into the rationale and background of AI, followed by discussions on safeguarding and the legal ramifications of its use, including data protection, General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and intellectual property considerations. The workshop then focused on engaging effectively with AI and the importance of input quality for optimal output.
Engaging Staff, Parents & Wider Community
Organising an event of this scale was no small feat. AI has been a hot topic for some time, and staff are already incorporating it into their work. There is an urgency for schools to confidently embrace AI, as older pupils are likely already experimenting with it, and children often show more adventurousness in their application of IT compared to many adults. The aims behind the workshop were to equip staff with skills and knowledge surrounding AI, so they would be confident in the future when using AI safely with pupils and supporting students in terms of safeguarding.
Fortunately, three Durston House parents who are industry leaders in their respective fields offered their expertise and support as explore AI, the legal ramifications of AI usage and how we can use AI as an assistant rather than in place of human thinking. The AIEOU group played a crucial role in the workshop's success, fostering collaboration with other educators and colleagues from schools based in London. Both staff and the wider audience greatly valued Sara's insights, with a key message that teachers must protect their pedagogy.
Overall, there was a shared sense of achievement in realising that Durston is ahead of the curve in its vision towards effectively integrating AI into education.
Promoting Best Practice
A working party comprising colleagues from various roles within the school has been instrumental in steering the project and guiding staff along the way. Now, some time after the event, the big questions remain: where do we go from here? How do we maintain the momentum, especially given the busy school environment, the multitude of initiatives running simultaneously, and the demanding workload of teachers?
It is important to remember that AI can support and alleviate some of this workload. This ties back to one of the main objectives of the training: the quality of input into the AI model directly affects the quality of output. Staff have been supported in this regard and, since the workshop, have been tasked with using AI and reporting back on its effectiveness via Teams. This initiative will help share best practice and build confidence in the role that AI can play.
Enhancing Outcomes for Pupils
The pupils are the beating heart of the school – so where do they fit in amongst these grand plans? How can they be supported, and can they use AI in their own learning? The answer: Watch this space! With Year 8 students having now completed their assessments and scholarship exams, we are embarking on an exciting cryptocurrency project. Students will use AI to create their own meme coin, which will be pitched and floated on a simulated Durston House market. This initiative will encourage critical thinking and facilitate an exciting scheme of work that would have been difficult and time-consuming to execute without AI. The scheme of work was created by AI, and AI will further be used to help create the market simulation. Part of the learning will involve considering safety when using AI. Students will also learn about reliability of information (eg hallucinations), sharing intellectual property and the basics of data protection. Finally, it is important to note that students will use appropriately licenced AI models that are suitable for children and education.
Future Steps
Looking ahead to next year, Durston House will continue to build upon using AI in supporting staff workload and enhancing teaching and learning. There are so many possibilities and staff are keen to use AI effectively to analyse the wide range of pastoral and assessment data the school has. Durston House also aims to use BI (Business Intelligence) to drive efficiencies and help the school function more effectively as a business and organisation. Our main goal is to use AI to support our creativity and passion for teaching and learning. While AI will never replace us, it can certainly assist us. That said, Durston House recognises that human connection and positive attachments are critical in ensuring our holistic approach to pastoral care is achieved.
