AI in English Schools: What Parents Need to Know in 2026

A new report on artificial intelligence in English education argues that schools need a clearer and more coordinated response to AI. Written by historian and educator Sir Anthony Seldon and Tim Bunting, a founding partner of Balderton Capital, the report was published for the think tank Public First and covered by Schools Week, Tes and LBC.

Its central argument is that England is trying to educate pupils for an AI-less world that no longer exists and that the country's response has fallen behind other countries. For parents, the most important point is that AI use among young people is already widespread, while confidence in how schools are preparing pupils appears much lower.

The Public First report includes a survey of 4,021 young people aged 11 to 24 in England, carried out in August 2026. According to that survey, 87 per cent had used an AI tool, while only 9 per cent believed schools and universities were preparing them very well for a world with AI.

The report responds with recommendations for government, schools, assessment and inspection. It does not, however, change any current school rules.

How are pupils already using AI for schoolwork?

The Public First survey suggests that AI is already part of everyday learning for many young people. According to the report, 63 per cent of secondary pupils surveyed had used AI for homework. The report also found that 77 per cent of surveyed young people had used AI to understand difficult concepts.

For parents, those two findings matter because they show that AI is not only being used to generate finished work. Young people are also turning to it as an explanation tool when they find a topic difficult.

The survey raises a separate question about trust. According to the Public First report, 47 per cent of the young people surveyed said they trusted AI more than a human for fact-checking, with young men more likely to say this. That finding is particularly relevant when discussing how children decide whether information is reliable.

Sir Anthony Seldon told LBC that nearly nine in 10 young people were already using AI, quietly and largely alone. He argued that education could not wait for perfect certainty before responding.

For families, this makes conversations about AI use increasingly practical rather than theoretical. It is useful to know when a child is using AI, what they are asking it to do and whether they are checking the information they receive.

Do schools have clear AI rules yet?

The Public First survey indicates that many young people do not see clear and consistent rules around AI use in their schools. According to the report, 30 per cent of surveyed young people said their school had clear rules on AI use.

That leaves an important issue for parents. A pupil may be using AI for homework or to understand difficult material while still being uncertain about what their school considers acceptable. Different tasks may also raise different questions. Using an AI tool to help understand an idea is not necessarily the same activity as relying on it to produce work for submission.

The report argues for a more organised national approach rather than leaving individual schools to work through these questions without a common framework.

It recommends that every school should have an AI strategy approved by its governors by September 2027. It also recommends staff and pupil AI champions in every school, with the aim of making responsibility for AI more visible within school communities.

For parents, the immediate practical step is simpler. Ask the school what its current policy is, particularly for homework, revision and submitted work. The proposed national arrangements are recommendations for the future, so present school guidance remains the relevant starting point.

What does the report want schools to change?

The report sets out a 10-point action plan designed to speed up England's response to AI in education. Its recommendations range from changes inside government to new expectations for schools, exams, data and Ofsted.

The report recommends temporarily moving responsibility for AI in education away from the Department for Education's existing arrangements and placing it with a rapid response unit on AI inside the department. The report proposes that this unit should be led by an external expert and begin on 1 November.

It also recommends a national AI education adoption framework and a school template for rollout from September 2027. Alongside the proposed requirement for every school to have a governor-approved AI strategy by September 2027, the report calls for staff and pupil AI champions.

The report further recommends creating a network of 100 AI champion schools and colleges. It proposes changes to education data collection through federated data models and says Ofsted should look for innovative data collection, open data sharing and willingness to learn and work in networks.

Under the report's proposal, Ofsted would also downgrade schools whose AI strategies were weak.

These are wide-ranging recommendations, but they share one theme: the report wants AI planning to become a structured part of education rather than something handled informally by individual pupils or teachers.

Could AI change GCSE and A level exams?

Assessment is one of the areas the report says should change. Its recommendation is to reform exams so that assessment focuses on human competencies that AI cannot replicate.

The report proposes a two-lane assessment model as part of that reform. It does not mean that current GCSE or A level arrangements have already changed. Instead, examination reform is one element of the report's proposed programme for government and the education system.

For parents of children approaching important exams, that distinction is essential. The report is raising a question about how assessment may need to adapt in a world where pupils have access to increasingly capable AI tools. It is not introducing a new examination system for pupils currently preparing for GCSEs or A levels.

The practical approach for families is therefore to continue working with the requirements set by schools and existing courses, while paying attention to future announcements if government or exam arrangements change.

The report's recommendation may also prompt useful conversations about what a child can explain, analyse or solve independently. Whatever tools are available for study, parents can still ask children to talk through their reasoning and show that they understand the material themselves.

What does the report say about teachers and AI?

The report highlights a gap between pupils' use of AI and confidence around AI among teaching staff.

According to the Public First survey, 38 per cent of the young people surveyed said they were better at using AI than their teachers. Separately, a Royal Society figure cited in the coverage says 14 per cent of teachers are confident in their AI literacy.

Those figures do not mean that pupils necessarily understand AI better in every educational context. They do show why the report places emphasis on a more organised approach to AI across schools and colleges.

The recommendation for staff AI champions is part of that approach. The report also proposes a network of AI champion schools and colleges, which would place greater emphasis on schools learning from one another rather than responding separately.

For parents, it may be helpful to avoid assuming that every teacher or every school will currently have the same level of confidence with AI. The report itself is calling for a national framework precisely because approaches are not presented as fully settled.

Questions to schools can therefore be practical rather than confrontational: what guidance pupils receive, how teachers expect AI to be used and how the school communicates changes to families.

Is this new AI report already a rule for schools?

No. This is a report to government from a think tank. It is not government policy, it is not law and schools are not currently required to follow its recommendations.

Nothing in the report changes the rules for this school year.

That point matters because several recommendations are written in the form of specific actions and proposed deadlines. The report recommends a rapid response unit, a national framework, AI strategies approved by governors, AI champions, examination reform, changes to data collection and a different role for Ofsted. These remain recommendations unless government chooses to adopt them and turns them into policy or formal requirements.

Parents therefore do not need to assume that their child's school must already have the structures described in the report.

If a school has its own AI policy, that existing policy is the relevant guidance for pupils and families now. If its approach is unclear, parents can ask the school directly rather than relying on proposals that have not become official requirements.

The report is best understood as an attempt to influence what government and schools may do next, not as a new set of rules already in force.

What should parents do about AI at home?

The report's survey suggests that many children and young people are already using AI, including for homework and for understanding difficult topics. That makes calm, specific conversations at home more useful than treating AI as something children may encounter only in the future.

Parents can start by asking what tools their child uses and what they use them for. A child who uses AI to explain a difficult concept may need different guidance from one who is using it when completing assessed work.

The Public First survey found that 47 per cent of respondents trusted AI more than a human for fact-checking. That makes verification a sensible topic for discussion. Parents can encourage children to ask where information comes from, compare an AI response with course materials and check uncertain claims rather than accepting an answer automatically.

It is also worth finding out what the school currently allows. The Public First survey found that 30 per cent of respondents said their school had clear AI rules, so some families may need to ask directly for clarification.

For children preparing for entrance exams, GCSEs or A levels, AI can sit alongside ordinary study rather than replacing it. Parents can keep the focus on whether the child can explain the topic, answer questions independently and show secure understanding.

• Ask your child which AI tools they already use and what they use them for.
• Check the school's current policy on AI for homework and submitted work.
• Encourage your child to verify AI answers against trusted course materials.
• Ask your child to explain difficult topics in their own words after using AI.
• Keep revision focused on independent understanding as well as access to tools.
• Watch for future school communications about AI policies and classroom expectations.
• Treat the report's proposals as recommendations, not rules that already apply.

If AI is making homework, revision or exam preparation harder to manage, tutoring can provide a clear structure around the subject itself. A tutor can help a pupil identify gaps, practise independent thinking and build confidence with the material while working within the expectations set by their school.