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The Thomas’s Approach to AI in Education
At Thomas’s, we have always balanced tradition with a forward-thinking approach. In a world increasingly shaped by technology, the emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) presents both new opportunities and complex challenges. We are approaching this with a careful and considered mindset, focusing on how AI can be implemented thoughtfully and effectively to support our teachers and enrich student learning.
We have taken a deliberate, pedagogy-first approach to AI. It is currently used as a productivity tool for our teachers and where appropriate, in teacher-led activities designed to spark creativity and enhance learning. This ensures that teachers are supported, while our students continue to learn in a safe and age-appropriate environment.
The result is a strategy that prioritises high-quality teaching, strong digital citizenship and the safeguarding of every learner.
A Tool To Enhance Teaching
AI is influencing every sector, from healthcare and law to finance and the creative industries. At Thomas’s, we recognise the importance of understanding its impact. We believe students should encounter emerging technologies gradually and critically, with a strong sense of digital citizenship at the core. Our digital education therefore, focuses on online safety, critical thinking, creativity and responsible digital citizenship. We aim to develop the core skills a Thomas’s student needs to thrive safely and ethically in a technology-rich world.
For teachers, AI is already proving to be a valuable resource. Used responsibly, it can support lesson planning, resource creation and the reduction of administrative workload.
These efficiencies ensure their focus remains on creating inspiring lessons, providing personalised feedback and fostering the classroom interactions that spark our students’ curiosity.
Our Pedagogy-first Approach
At Thomas’s, teaching and learning come first; technology plays a supporting role. We have resisted the temptation to adopt new AI tools extensively. Instead, we pilot resources with care, evaluate their impact and embed only those that show genuine benefits for our pedagogical aims, with full agreement from the Education Board.
In practice, this means AI is used to enhance teacher-led activities. In an English lesson, for example, students might write their own character descriptions, which the teacher then uses an AI image generator to help illustrate. The class can then compare the images with their writing, discuss how effectively their words conveyed the intended character and refine their descriptive language. In History, a teacher might use AI to produce an age-appropriate draft summary of an event (which they first check for accuracy), then critique it with the class to model fact-checking and encourage critical thinking. At Thomas’s, AI remains firmly in the teacher’s hands, serving as a tool to enrich teaching, not replace it.
Safeguarding and Ethical Guidelines
Our approach is underpinned by a robust safeguarding and digital citizenship framework. We are acutely aware of the risks associated with AI, including data security, bias and misinformation. For this reason, only trained teachers use approved AI tools and their use is guided clearly by our AI policies and Thomas’s guidelines.
Our next step is to involve parents more deeply in this conversation. Through workshops and information in our weekly newsletters, we will help families understand our approach. We aim to be transparent, reassuring parents that their children are not experimenting with unregulated technologies, but are instead benefiting from the thoughtful and indirect application of AI by their teachers.
Building Teacher Confidence and Expertise
As part of our digital strategy, we have established a group of Digital Champions, teachers from across our schools who receive training and support. In my role as Head of Education Innovation, I will be coaching them and our year group teams in the effective use of digital tools, including AI.
We provide regular professional development focused on our pedagogy-first approach, AI awareness and online safety. The emphasis is not on replacing teacher judgment but on equipping our teachers to make informed, critical choices about when and how technology can support their teaching.
Developing AI Literacy In Students
AIthough students do not use AI tools directly, they are central to our approach. Our existing curriculum already includes age-appropriate discussions about algorithms, online ethics and misinformation. Over the next year, we will develop this further into a formal AI literacy curriculum, ensuring a progressive pathway for students to understand how this technology is shaping the world.
For instance, a teacher might present an AI-generated news summary and ask students to critique it, posing questions like ‘What information might be missing?’, ‘Could there be bias here?’ and ‘How would you check these facts?’. In this way, students develop a critical lens, learning to question technology thoughtfully. Our aim is for our students to be equipped to enter higher education and the workplace with the ability to use such tools thoughtfully when the time is right and in a safe and responsible manner.
An Evolving Strategy
Our approach to digital learning is not static. As new tools emerge, we will continue to evaluate them through a reflective process, asking critical questions for example, Does it enhance teaching and learning? Does it align with our pedagogical values? Is it safe, ethical and age-appropriate?
What remains constant is our commitment to a student-centred approach, where technology supports but never overshadows the relationship between teacher and student. Pedagogy comes first at Thomas’s with technology blended into our teaching and learning approach.
Innovation Guided By Our Core Values
For our alumni, the conversation around AI may feel like a new chapter in the school’s story. Yet, the principles guiding our approach are the same ones that have always defined a Thomas’s education: kindness, academic excellence, care for the individual and robust preparation for the world beyond our classrooms.
By focusing on teachers’ use of AI and embedding it in carefully designed teacher-led activities, we protect our students while ensuring they benefit from the highest quality of teaching. At the same time, we are equipping them with the critical thinking skills they need to face the future with confidence. AI is not about replacing our teachers; it is about empowering them, ensuring that a Thomas’s education remains rooted in human connection, creativity and thoughtful enquiry.
Rhodri Smith
Head of Education Innovation
