Embracing AI in education will break down barriers to opportunity, writes Bridget Phillipson

22 May 2025, 15:00

By Bridget Phillipson

Education is about opportunity.

Opportunity for all children – to learn, to discover, to go on and live a good life. That's my mission for the children of this country and the mission of our government. Because background shouldn't mean destiny; how you grew up shouldn’t dictate what you go on to achieve.

The barriers we face are huge – both here and across the globe. But challenges on this scale demand fresh solutions.

Too often, debates in education are backward facing, using the past as a comfort blanket, an excuse not to go further. Real reform means using our collective experience whilst also challenging ourselves to be bold and brave. There is perhaps no greater opportunity for boldness and bravery than embracing the transformative potential of Artificial Intelligence in our classrooms.

As I told education ministers from across the world this week at the Education World Forum in London, getting AI on the right track now is the most important challenge for global education in a generation.

AI is already transforming lives across society - helping police catch criminals and improving cancer screening for the NHS. Our children's education is far too important not to be part of that revolution.

Be in no doubt: this isn't about replacing teachers or delivering education by computer. It's about using AI wisely alongside teachers’ expertise and experience to unlock more meaningful time with pupils by giving teachers high-quality and safe tools to deliver world-class education.

High-quality teaching remains the single biggest driver of high standards in schools. That's why we're making AI work for our hardworking teachers – helping them to plan lessons, mark pupil work, and understand and compare the progress of their students in ways that save them time. Using AI to reduce workload is critical if we are to retain good teachers and bring more people into teaching - so that teaching can once again be a profession that sparks joy, not burnout. To support our brilliant teachers further, we are developing online resources to help education staff use AI safely in their classrooms. We expect to publish these resources shortly.

One of our most pressing challenges is attendance – getting children back in the classroom. Our response is rooted in our world-class data, where schools can use an interactive dashboard to drive early intervention. And it’s working. We’ve lost 3 million fewer days to absence this year than last. That’s our Plan for Change in action.

Just last week, we launched a brand-new AI-powered attendance tool, which we think is amongst the first of its kind in the world. It gives every mainstream school in the country access to reports to compare their attendance data with 20 similar schools, highlighting what they're doing well and where targeted intervention is needed.

At yesterday’s Education World Forum, I set out pioneering measures to safely and effectively harness the power of tech to drive up standards for all, including funding the development of global guidelines for the use of generative AI in education.

We will work with countries around the world to collectively agree how AI should be used in schools, because when it comes to our children, safety is the priority.

It builds on work my department has already done alongside leading global tech firms including Google, Microsoft and Adobe who have helped develop a set of expectations AI tools should meet to be considered safe for classroom use.

And we're investing over £1 million to test the tech products being used in schools and colleges – so teachers and leaders can be confident that the tools they invest in will safely and effectively improve staff workload, pupil outcomes, and inclusivity.

But we must ensure that technology serves our educational needs, not the other way around. Face-to-face learning will always remain at the heart of our education system and the tools we are developing aim to support the quality of that time, not reduce it. Giving teachers more time for the work they love - helping students learn and delivering inspiring lessons.

The path forward is clear: we must embrace AI in education, not as a replacement for the human connection at the heart of learning, but as a tool to strengthen and amplify it. Together, we can build stronger, bolder, better education for all.

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Bridget Phillipson is the Secretary of State for Education.

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