Independent school pioneering AI says teaching comes first, tools second

Many see the use of artificial intelligence in schools as inevitable, but that does not mean it should be automatic.

This reflects the philosophy at Erskine Stewart Melville (ESM), an independent school in Edinburgh that is integrating artificial intelligence (AI) tools into classrooms with a teaching-first policy.

ESM is far from the first school to make use of AI. Recent studies show AI use is rising in English and American schools, and Mearns Castle High School in East Renfrewshire recently made headlines by appointing a principal teacher of AI.

Despite the rising popularity, surveys show most teachers who use AI have had no formal training. Beyond this, many Scottish local authorities lack specific policies governing appropriate AI use in schools. Most rely on national guidelines or council-wide AI policies that also apply to non-education staff.

Dan Ovenden, ESM’s Chief Digital and Transformation Officer, said his job is to ensure the school takes a different approach.

“The tech companies will drive home a set of messages around these things. But what we wanted to do was make sure that our staff understand the risks, especially in respect to young people, but also the opportunities for teaching and learning.

“But keeping the human at the centre is absolutely key.

“Before we deploy any tools, we roll out training across the school.”

“We laid out a roadmap on how to go about this because we realise what a juggernaut it is.”

Policy is only one aspect of rolling out a new technology. The next step is equipping staff and pupils with the confidence and competence to use it effectively and, in the case of AI in particular, safely.

Jonathan Jack, ESM’S AI Innovation Teaching Lead and junior school teacher, said that this looks different for different age groups.

Mr Jack wrote a dissertation on implementing chatbots in junior school classrooms, and he said this academic approach gave him a degree of caution he believes is important.

“My academic experience makes me say: ‘Let's just stop. Let's look around. Let's not get too excited by the hype or the fear, and let's just focus on actually what we want our students to learn and actually what skills and knowledge we want our staff to have.’”

He said he wants AI used at ESM only when there is a clear teaching purpose.

“The technology will evolve. The teaching and the pedagogy have to come first and the tools second. The tools are a support.

“AI is optional, judgment and understanding is not.”

Mr Jack said these basic skills are crucial before young people work directly with any AI tools. AI is a powerful resource, he said, and like any technology, it can also have drawbacks, so young people need to understand how it works, how to recognise it, and its limitations.

The approach changes across grade levels, he said.

“In the early years, they’re just learning to understand what computers are in general, let alone what AI is, what machine learning is, what robotics is.

“But we can still look at these through stories, through games, through pattern recognition and prediction, which are really the mechanics of how AI learns.

“By the time they get to Primary Five, Six, and Seven, they’re under no illusion that AI is this magical tool.”

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This allows young people to approach AI with a “critical view”, he said, which develops into more concrete practices, like introducing generative AI in P7 and S1.

“The important progression is to come to the understanding before the tools, and then allowing them to explore in a controlled and measured way.”

Teachers across the curriculum can engage with AI tools and the “understanding” Mr Jack described in different ways. In RMPS, for example, lessons cover bias and deepfakes, while other subjects touch on the environmental impacts of AI use.

He said that while it is tempting to liken AI to other technologies incorporated into the curriculum, such as the calculator or computer, it is a mistake to think AI does not need a deft and careful hand.

“We've been here before through all these different aspects of technology, but this is different.”

It would not be responsible to have just one or two staff members with clear knowledge of AI, as other technology and equipment might have isolated specialists.

“This has to be about everyone together having a basic understanding.”

Mr Jack launched the school’s staff training module in September, which provides lessons on the risks and benefits of AI and breakdowns of when and why it should be used.

Most staff have already completed the training, and all will have done so by the end of the October break. Mr Ovenden said parents have access to dedicated guidance on AI, including how the school uses it.

“In the Junior School, AI use is closely supervised by teachers and children do not independently access unfiltered generative AI tools.

“In the Senior School, the focus shifts to responsible use, academic integrity and helping students understand when and how AI can support learning appropriately.”

Pedagogue, a UK EdTech and AI training company, designed ESM's staff training.

Dr Will Van Reyk, co-founder of Pedagogue, said that helping students understand AI technology is crucial.

“If we don’t teach responsible use of AI, then students will teach themselves, and not in a good way.

“The risk is that they not only bypass the most important aspects of learning by using AI as a shortcut, but they do not have the requisite skills for the future, particularly being able to take advantage of AI’s opportunities and work alongside it.”

In November, the Scottish Council for Independent Schools will host a meeting in Glasgow of ICT managers from across Scotland to discuss AI, where Dr Van Reyk will give a keynote.

Having the conference in Glasgow is an important step, Dr Van Reyk said.

“There has been quite a London-centric focus in some of the AI developments in the past. But school leaders in Scotland are looking to the future and know that AI in schools is here to stay.

“However, it is so important that all schools tackle this - I am really keen that AI does not deepen the digital divide that already exists between the independent and state sectors.

“Every child should be able to access schooling that teaches them about what AI is, its risks, and above all its opportunities.”