Who we are
We are education system heads and leaders from schools, Multi Academy Trusts, and school groups who collectively represent leadership in over 400 schools, encompassing approximately 32,000 staff, and ¼ million young people across England.
The Shape the Future Leaders Coalition serves those involved in school leadership, including the many stakeholders working within and around schools, to support safe, purposeful, and intelligent approaches to the use of AI by young people and the school workforce.
To join the Coalition, you must be (or nominate) a member of your school's senior leadership team (or equivalent). This includes business leaders in a school or trust. All schools are eligible.
We look forward to working together.
What we do
The Coalition was founded from education system leaders who took part in a project that ran from February to July 2024 examining how MATs and school groups should respond to the challenges and opportunities presented by AI in education.
The Coalition's mission is to advance the use and understanding of ethical AI in education. It will focus on seven key areas for inquiry and research:
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AI & Digital Pedagogy will examine how AI tools might transform teaching practices, instructional design and classroom interaction patterns. This might include investigating the potential integration of AI-powered learning tools, their possible impact on pedagogical approaches, and the development of new teaching strategies that could effectively leverage AI capabilities. Leader: Lex Lang, Deputy Headteacher, Caterham School
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Leveraging Data and Generating Insights will explore how schools might effectively utilise the vast data generated through AI systems to inform teaching and learning decisions. This might include investigating potential approaches to data analysis, visualisation and interpretation that could be accessible to educators, as well as examining how data-driven insights might be meaningfully integrated into pedagogical decision-making. Leader: Richard Alton, Deputy Headteacher, Epsom College
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Business, Operations Systems and AI will explore the strategic integration of AI-enhanced solutions across school, college and trust environments. This will include evaluating how artificial intelligence can streamline administrative workflows, optimise communication networks and facilitate data-driven leadership decisions whilst strengthening operational efficiency. Leader: TBC
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Addressing Inequity and the Digital Divide will examine how AI implementation might interact with existing patterns of educational inequality and explore potential strategies to ensure equitable access and outcomes. This might include investigating issues of technological access, digital literacy development, algorithmic bias, and approaches to using AI to potentially reduce rather than reinforce educational disparities. Leader: Rowena Kidd, Deputy Head Teacher, Stretford High School
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Implementing Innovative AI will explore potential approaches to designing, developing and implementing novel AI applications tailored to specific educational needs. This might include investigating processes for identifying opportunities for innovation, co-designing AI tools with educators and learners, and establishing potential frameworks for effectively integrating new AI solutions into existing educational ecosystems. Leader: Alice King, Associate Principal, Beauchamp College
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Special Educational Needs and Disability and Personalised Learning will investigate how AI technologies might support individualised learning experiences for students with diverse needs and abilities. This might include examining how AI tools could potentially assist in identifying learning differences, adapting content and assessments to individual requirements, facilitating more accessible learning environments, and empowering educators to deliver more responsive and tailored instruction whilst maintaining high expectations for all learners. Leader: Heba Al-Jayoosi, Inclusion & Research Lead at Mayflower Primary School, Deputy Regional Lead at Whole School SEND
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Early Years will investigate how AI technologies might enhance developmental learning experiences for children in pre-school and reception settings. This might include examining how age-appropriate AI tools could support play-based learning, language acquisition and early numeracy skills, exploring potential frameworks for introducing digital literacy foundations whilst maintaining priority on physical and social development, and investigating how AI might assist educators in observing, documenting and responding to individual developmental trajectories. Leader: TBC
Who we do it for
The Shape the Future Leaders Coalition serves three stakeholder groups:
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Education system leaders and senior leadership teams
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Teaching professionals and administrative faculty in schools and colleges
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Learners in all educational phases and of all abilities, along with their carers and parents
While AI offers significant potential to enhance educational practices, its integration must be approached thoughtfully and responsibly. Schools must balance technological innovation with the fundamental human aspects of education, ensuring that AI enhances rather than replaces crucial human interactions in the learning process.
The Coalition underscores the need for a nuanced, context-sensitive approach to AI integration, recognising that there is no one-size-fits-all solution for teachers and learners.
As the education sector navigates this complex landscape, ongoing multi-stakeholder collaboration, research, and adaptation will be essential to harness AI's potential whilst addressing its challenges.
The needs
The outcomes
We believe education system leaders and their schools can benefit greatly from AI's transformative potential.
The Coalition engages in the following activities:
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Regional hubs to support the development of networks with local contextual opportunities and challenges
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Quarterly virtual learning-lunch meetups for briefings on the latest industry developments and sector issues
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Knowledge exchange of use of and implementation of AI
The Coalition serves as a starting point for education system leaders to develop comprehensive strategies for AI integration, aiming to create learning environments that prepare students for success in an increasingly AI-driven world, while maintaining the core values of education.
Research reveals that AI technologies are catalysing profound reassessments of educational paradigms. These reassessments encompass all aspects of education, including learning, teaching, curriculum, assessment, and systemic structures.
The Coalition focusses on the delivery of three key outcomes:
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The development of clear AI strategies and robust governance frameworks that address critical areas such as staff development, curriculum adaptation, equity and access, and ethical considerations
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Thoughtful addressing of concerns about data privacy, ethical use of AI, and the potential exacerbation of existing digital divides as education systems incorporate AI into their strategies
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Engagement with broader stakeholders to ensure that AI implementation aligns with community values and expectations
The Data
All this data and more can be found in the Shape of the Future Report
Which areas are the highest priority for your MAT to evaluate?
Better outcomes for both learners and teachers along with safeguarding are among the top priorities for the participating MATs.
This is consistent with our findings from data gathered from over 1500 educators at different workshops and conferences, who are excited about the opportunities offered by AI, yet unsure of how to best safeguard against the potential threats.
Safeguarding priorities
Amongst safeguarding priorities, protecting children from misplaced trust in AI is a top concern, followed closely by protecting children from fake news, and inappropriate content generated by AI.
Interestingly, an over-reliance on AI, and a concern for children becoming deskilled ranks much lower.
Which skills and capabilities do you think will be important in an AI-rich world?
Critical thinking tops the list of competencies considered important for students in an AI rich world, followed closely by Emotional self-understanding, Creativity, and Metacognition.
Common AI use cases in MATs
A breakdown of the common uses of AI technology in the classroom.
Our current MAT policies take account of issues raised by AI, (eg. data, privacy, safety, safeguarding)
Participating MATs tended to be proactive in terms of creating school or trust level policies addressing AI. Some chose to have an overarching AI policy that incorporated a wide range of associated issues (e.g. data security and privacy, roles and responsibilities, safeguarding etc), whereas others chose to embed AI considerations across the whole suite of school or trust level policies.
MAT leaders often spoke about the role of policy-shapers and -makers (e.g. DfE, Ofsted, Ofqual), and the ways in which guidance usually comes after schools have already had to respond to real-world events. There was frustration that guidance tends to focus on regulations and accountability, rather than innovation, and often transfers responsibility to school organisations without providing sufficient support.
Join the Coalition
We are currently accepting new members for the Shape the Future Leaders Coalition. Contact us below for more information.
In order to be eligible:
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You must be a member of your trust or school group's senior leadership team, or equivalent. This includes business leaders in a trust or school group
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Please get in touch with the relevant member of the senior leadership team if the above does not describe you
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All schools are eligible, not just those in a trust or school group
Shape the Future Leaders Coalition is supported by Educate Ventures Research.
Are you a Digital or Innovation Lead but not a senior leader? Click below instead to join the 'Safe AI in Schools' Professional Learning Community on LinkedIn.