The aim of this policy is to outline the guidelines and procedures for ethical, safe, appropriate and effective use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools.
AI will be used to:
Enhance high-quality teaching and learning.
Improve quality and efficiency of the work staff undertake.
Improve administrative and operational systems.
Encourage creativity.
By implementing this policy, both staff and students will aim to use AI responsibly and effectively to benefit them whilst maintaining the highest standards of education, safeguarding, and inclusivity.
This policy relates to all data and content creation including artwork, graphics, text, audio and visual.
This policy applies to all staff, students, governors, volunteers, and visitors who use AI tools provided or approved by the college for the purpose of work undertaken for the College. It covers all forms of AI technology that support learning, teaching, assessment, student wellbeing and administration.
Users should adhere to this policy whenever they engage with the AI tools provided or approved by the college.
This policy will have consideration for, and be compliant with, the following:
All relevant UK government legislation, including the Data Protection Act 2018 and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
Department for Education (DfE) guidance on the use of technology in education.
DfE policy on generative AI in education
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology white paper AI regulation: a pro-innovation approach
Any new and evolving guidance around the use of AI tools in education as and when it is released.
Staff member / team | Responsibilities: |
Senior leadership team (SLT) |
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AI Working Party |
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Governing Board |
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Teachers |
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Head of IT and Estates |
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External parties(suppliers etc.) |
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The following outlines the key principles in relation to the use of AI. At all times, staff must adhere to these principles and think critically and carefully about their use of AI.
Transparency: All staff must be transparent about when and how they use AI. The college encourages all staff to share how they are using AI within their work, so that strong practice can be shared. Staff should never falsely claim that work that has been created by AI (or partially created by AI) is entirely their own.
Accuracy: All staff must proofread and assess AI-generated content before it is used.
Staff must be confident that the content is suitable and accurate. It is expected that AI-generated content is usually a starting point and that edits will often be made before it used.
Purpose: AI should be used to support teaching, learning, and college operations in a way that aligns with the college’s vision, educational objectives and development goals. AI should not be used to replace critical thinking or creative engagement from staff or students.
Privacy: Any data entered into an AI tool should not be identifiable (personal), sensitive or of a confidential nature. For example, if referring to specific students, initials or pseudonyms should be used.
Inclusion: AI should be used in a way that is inclusive and ensures equal access to learning opportunities. Staff should be mindful of biases in AI tools and work to mitigate their impact.
Teaching, Learning and Centre Practice
Teachers can integrate AI tools into their teaching practice to enhance learning experiences.
AI may be used to assist with lesson planning, resource creation, and administration but all content must be reviewed before use.
Centre Control, Approved Systems and Quality Assurance
Teachers should only use the college’s approved AI Tools.
AI is a tool for effective communication/administration, but staff must always ensure that work is checked to ensure the information used is relevant, personal and appropriate. This includes letters, emails, reports and student’s work.
Data Protection and Information Security
Staff must ensure that they do not enter any personal data into AI tools as this will infringe data protection.
Copyright, Intellectual Property and Third-Party Material
Staff must use appropriate discretion and due diligence to assess whether information obtained from generative AI tools infringes upon any third-party rights (for example, branding, logos or third-party academic output) and refrain from using such material. The college will not be responsible for any infringing use.
Assessment Integrity, Marking and Teacher Judgement
AI should not replace teacher judgment in assessment and feedback.
AI can support personalised learning but must not collect personal student data.
Student Use of AI and Malpractice
Teachers should be aware of use of AI by students in completing coursework.
Subject teachers must refer to and acknowledge specific guidance on AI use in coursework in subject related specifications and external accreditation exam board policies.
Teachers must make students aware that non attribution of AI help/content in their work submitted, that may count towards an external qualification (e.g. coursework), is malpractice and may have to be reported to the exam board, leading potentially to disqualification from that unit, that qualification or all qualifications with that exam board (see JCQ regulations – AI Use in Assessments).
Monitoring, Safeguarding and Reporting
The college monitors the use of AI by students using monitoring software. Any misuse of AI which could be a safeguarding concern must be reported to the DSL.
Candidate Awareness and Centre Responsibility
Students will be educated about AI in Tutorials and PGP sessions so that they are well-informed about current developments in technology and its impact on society. This will provide students with strong foundational knowledge that will support their future use of AI.
Permitted Use of AI and Unauthorised Assistance
Students may only use AI to support learning for internal work which will not count towards an external qualification.
AI should be used as a tool for idea generation, research, and creativity but not for automated answers.
Students must acknowledge AI assistance in work.
Coursework, Controlled Assessment and Malpractice
AI must not be used to complete coursework in line with subject related specifications and external accreditation exam board policies.
Students must also be made aware that non attribution of AI help/content in their work submitted, that may count towards an external qualification (e.g. coursework), is malpractice and may have to be reported to the exam board, leading potentially to disqualification from that unit, that qualification or all qualifications with that exam board (see JCQ regulations – AI Use in Assessments).
Confidentiality, Data Protection and Information Security
Students must maintain confidentiality in their interactions with AI tools and must not disclose any confidential or personal information about themselves or any other people to the AI model since then the information may be in the public domain and accessible to others.
Safeguarding, Welfare and Appropriate Conduct
Students should not use AI tools for advice on emotionally/socially complex problems or other sensitive issues (for example, medical diagnoses or wellbeing concerns)
AI may be used to assist with a range of tasks (such as formulating policies, risk assessments, strategic action plans, communications, etc.) but the quality, content and suitability of the final output remains the professional responsibility of the staff member.
AI can be used to create summaries or restructure documents but must not change the meaning or create ambiguity.
Staff must use appropriate discretion and due diligence to assess whether information obtained from generative AI tools infringes upon any third-party rights (for example, branding, logos or third-party academic output) and refrain from using such material. The college will not be responsible for any infringing use.
Staff must not use AI tools to make student or other workplace-related decisions that could have significant educational, legal, social or other similar effects (for example, disciplinary, academic assessment, or employment-related decisions).
The use AI bots by staff to attend meetings and record meetings is not permitted.
Staff leading any meeting in college will need to declare to other parties that there is no AI Bots being used in the meeting.
Staff attending meetings in and out of college will need to check at the start of any meetings with other agencies if they are using AI Bots. This is due to the risk of sensitive data/information about students/staff of the college being shared/breached and they might be compromised.
There may be some instances whereby AI Bots will be permitted. It will only be permitted by the Principal/Deputy Principal if it is an approved and carefully licensed product where there are strict confidentiality and functionality rules governing their use. All parties present at any meeting will have to agree to its use.
The college prohibits the misuse of AI. Misuse includes any use of AI that is not in adherence with the principles and guidance outlined in this policy.
If the suspected misuse raises a Safeguarding Concern, the college’s Safeguarding Procedures should be followed immediately.
Suspected misuse of AI by a member of staff should be reported to the individual’s Line Manager in the first instance who will seek advice from their Line Manager and/or HR if appropriate.
Depending on the severity of the misuse, the college may initiate the Disciplinary Process.
If the suspected misuse raises a Safeguarding Concern, the college’s Safeguarding Procedures should be followed immediately.
Suspected misuse of AI by a student should be reported to the Head of Department in the first instance who will see advice from the Vice Principal – Curriculum and Quality.
A graduated response will be used:-
Level 1 – Education and Guidance on use of AI
Level 2 – Academic Misconduct Process (see JCQ regulations – AI Use in Assessments).
Level 3 – Student Disciplinary Process (see Positive Behaviours and Sanctions Policy).
Level 1 – Education and guidance on use of AI
Use when:
Low-stakes work
Misunderstanding or poor judgement
Response:
Explain acceptable AI use
Require work to be redone
Provide AI literacy guidance
Record informally
Generative AI technologies often necessitate storage of vast amounts of data, which includes sensitive personal information of students.
The college recognises the importance of careful data management. Data obtained from the use of generative AI tools is securely stored on protected servers and only shared with trusted third parties, if necessary, in line with our data protection policies. Ensuring data privacy and security is not a one-time activity but a continuous process that must evolve with technological advancements and expanding regulatory frameworks. This policy outlines the college's commitment to maintaining a secure and trusted learning environment where generative AI technologies are employed responsibly. The college strives to balance the benefits of innovation with the necessity of privacy, setting a strong foundation for the students' digital future.
To ensure the effective implementation of the college’s AI policy:
• Staff will receive ongoing training on effective and ethical AI use and best practices.
• Parents will be informed about AI use in college. The policy will be shared via the college website.
• The college will ensure that AI tools used comply with safeguarding and data protection policies.
This policy was presented to the Full Governing Board in Autumn 2025. It will be reviewed as part of the Policy timetable or in response to significant advancements in AI.
This policy must be read in conjunction with the following other policies:
Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy
IT Acceptable use policy
Positive Behaviours and Sanctions Policy (Students)
Data Protection (GDPR)
JCQ Regulations – AI Use in Assessments
Staff Code of Conduct
Staff Disciplinary and Capability
Equality and SEND
IT and Cyber Security
Complaints and Whistleblowing
AI-Assisted Learning | The use of AI tools to support and enhance the learning process, such as adaptive learning platforms and automated feedback systems. |
AI Bias | The tendency of AI systems to produce unfair or unbalanced outcomes due to biases in the data they are trained on or the way they are designed. |
AI Bots | These are software programs that use AI to perform automated tasks e.g. recording minutes at meetings. |
AI Ethics | A set of principles guiding the responsible and fair use of AI, ensuring its application aligns with moral, legal, and social values. |
Artificial intelligence (AI): | An umbrella term for a range of technologies and approaches that often attempt to mimic human thought to solve complex tasks. |
Chatbot | A software application used to conduct an online chat conversation via text, instead of providing direct contact with a live human agent |
Generative AI | AI that can create original content – such as text, images, audio and visual – in response to a user’s prompt or request. ChatGPT and Google Gemini are examples of generative AI chatbots. |
Hallucination (in AI) | When an AI system generates incorrect or misleading information that appears plausible but is not factually accurate. |
Large Language Models (LLMs) | A type of AI model trained on vast amounts of text data to generate human-like text responses, such as ChatGPT and Google Gemini. |
Machine Learning (ML) | A subset of AI that enables systems to learn from data and improve performance over time without being explicitly programmed. |
Natural Language Processing (NLP) | A field of AI that focuses on the interaction between computers and human language, allowing AI to understand, interpret, and generate text. |
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