A new era: how artificial intelligence (AI) is supporting teaching and learning: government response

In response to the rapid growth of generative AI (GenAI), the Cabinet Secretary for Education commissioned a thematic review as part of the Estyn remit letters for 2024 to 2025 and 2025 to 2026. The purpose of the review was to gain an evidence-informed overview of how maintained schools and pupil referral units (PRUs) across Wales are currently using AI, while also identifying examples of effective or innovative practice.

Estyn’s report explores how schools are using AI to support teaching, learning, administration and school improvement. The report highlights schools’ growing recognition of AI’s potential, provides examples of effective engagement and outlines the main challenges and barriers to ensuring its safe, ethical and inclusive implementation.

Estyn found that, at present, most schools exploring the potential of AI and how it might enhance teaching and learning, reduce workload and support pupils, are doing so independently. AI adoption is largely driven by digitally curious staff and taking place with limited support and collaboration within and across Wales’ 22 local authorities. While many schools are in the early stages of exploring AI, some have begun embedding AI strategically within their broader digital strategies and school improvement plans.

The report provides examples of purposeful use of AI to enhance pupil engagement and improve efficiency across teaching and administration. Education practitioners consistently reported that a key benefit is the time saved in preparing and adapting learning materials, with special schools and PRUs highlighting benefits for pupils with complex needs. However, the report also raises concerns about the risk of overreliance. Estyn found where the use of AI is proving most beneficial, it is within the context of a clear understanding of effective pedagogy and child development.

The use of AI to support assessment and feedback was found to be less well developed than other applications of AI, with many practitioners and leaders cautious about using AI in this area. 

The report identifies a number of challenges and concerns, which include:

• limited digital confidence among staff
• uneven access to training or resources
• deepening of the digital divide
• ethical concerns around AI bias
• safeguarding and data protection issues

Estyn’s report is clear that the integration of AI in Welsh education should enrich learning experiences and improves outcomes for all pupils. The report concludes that a coherent national approach is necessary to ensure the security of data and maximise the potential of AI to support teaching and learning, inclusion and effective leadership in schools and PRUs in Wales, and to mitigate the challenges and risks.

Recommendation 1

Develop national guidance on the strategic implementation of AI in education

The Welsh Government should:

• provide schools and PRUs with clear, up-to-date guidance on the strategic implementation of the ethical, safe, and inclusive use of AI
• support this national guidance with model policies, templates, and practical tools to help schools/PRUs develop consistent, compliant approaches to AI use

Local authorities and school improvement services should:

• support school/PRU leaders in implementing national guidance and embedding AI into digital strategies and improvement plans that align with their overall priorities 

Schools and PRUs should:

• use national guidance to build on local authority support to develop whole-school approaches to the safe, ethical, and inclusive use of AI
• involve staff, governors, pupils and parents in shaping expectations and practice around the use of AI
• integrate AI into school improvement planning and digital strategies where there is clear value, aligning with broader aims for teaching, learning and well-being

Welsh Government response

The Welsh Government welcomes Estyn’s recommendations as part of our ongoing work to strengthen the national approach to digital education. We are committed to taking a strategic and coordinated approach to the implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) in education, ensuring it is ethical, safe, inclusive and aligned with the values of the Curriculum for Wales.

We will work collaboratively with local authorities and key stakeholders including Estyn, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA) and subject experts to co-design a strategic framework that supports the safe, ethical and effective use of AI.

This framework will build on the existing guidance and key principles, and wider support package for schools, to integrate AI ethically and responsibly, with a strong emphasis on their safeguarding and data protection responsibilities. This includes practical tools such as an AI policy template, training, and classroom resources designed to help school leaders develop and embed their own GenAI policies and practices.

Local authorities and schools play an instrumental role in supporting and informing the national strategic direction on AI in education. The Welsh Government, in partnership with the Digital Learning Cymru Group, will identify the support needed for the safe, ethical and inclusive use of AI in education, ensuring that it is responsive to the needs of learners, practitioners and schools across Wales.

Through the Hwb platform, the Welsh Government has enabled safe access to a range of AI services, including Microsoft Copilot Chat and Adobe Express AI. Google Gemini will also be made available soon, further expanding the range of innovative tools accessible to schools in Wales. Supporting guidance and professional learning is available to help schools use these services in a safe and responsible way. We will continue to work with local authorities to identify and evaluate new services so schools can continue to benefit from emerging technology. This collaborative approach will build on the foundations already laid through the Hwb programme and be informed by the latest research, best practice, and the evolving needs of the education sector.

Recommendation 2

Ensure high-quality professional learning on AI

Through the National Professional Learning and Leadership Education Wales Body, the Welsh Government should:

• build on the widespread use of the Hwb platform and the availability of common AI tools across Wales, to co-ordinate a national programme of professional learning and enquiry on AI
• ensure that the national programme of professional learning on AI supports effective pedagogy and aligns with data protection and safeguarding principles

Local authorities and school improvement services should:

• deliver the national programme of professional learning on AI and support schools/PRUs to apply it to their context
• facilitate collaboration and peer support for improvement through AI-focused networks and professional learning communities
• integrate the use of AI into wider professional learning opportunities to support all aspects of school improvement 

Schools and PRUs should:

• include AI as a focus in their own professional learning programmes, enabling staff to explore how AI can support teaching, learning and school improvement
• encourage reflective practice on the appropriate use of AI tools to support effective teaching and learning

Initial Teacher Education providers should: 

• prepare student teachers to use AI to support their professional practice and develop their ability to prepare pupils to engage with AI safely, ethically and critically

Welsh Government response

The Welsh Government accepts this recommendation.

When introduced responsibly and ethically, AI offers significant opportunities to enrich pedagogy, support learner progression and facilitate continuous school improvement. Schools are encouraged to explore AI as part of their professional learning. This gives practitioners the opportunity to explore how AI tools can enhance teaching and learning, promote creativity and reduce administrative workload.

Our Schools as Learning Organisations (SLO) model provides a strong foundation for schools to develop as dynamic, self-improving learning communities. Its emphasis on collaboration and enquiry supports schools and practitioners to take informed approaches to the responsible and purposeful use of emerging technologies, including AI.

Local authorities and school improvement partnerships will play an important role in helping schools and PRUs to engage with the opportunities AI offers. The Welsh Government will continue to work with these partners to embed AI in teaching and learning, in ways that reflect local needs, strategic priorities and the highest standards of learner safety and data protection.

Through Hwb, maintained schools in Wales have access to a range of digital services which provide a robust platform for professional learning and enquiry into the effective use of AI in education. 

The Welsh Government, working with Dysgu and school improvement partners, will develop professional learning opportunities that build confidence and capability in the ethical and effective use of AI. Dysgu will play a central role in supporting schools and practitioners to engage with new technologies in ways that reflect school improvement priorities and the values of the Curriculum for Wales. This includes Initial Teacher Education (ITE), where integrating AI is key to preparing future practitioners. We will work with ITE partners to develop working practices that build student teachers confidence, ethical awareness, and capability in using AI from the outset of their careers.

Through local and national networks, and communities of practice, the Welsh Government and Dysgu will help to build confidence and capacity across the education system. This work is underpinned by our National Strategy for Educational Research and Enquiry, which sets out our ambition for educational policy and practice in Wales to be shaped by robust evidence and disciplined professional enquiry. Through this strategy, we will support schools to integrate AI and other digital technologies into their enquiry-based approaches to professional learning and improvement planning.

The Welsh Government is committed to ensuring that all practitioners are equipped with the skills, confidence and knowledge to use AI safely and responsibly.

Recommendation 3

Ensure that the curriculum provides pupils with the digital literacy skills to engage ethically and critically with AI

The Welsh Government should:

• update the Digital Competence Framework (DCF) to incorporate AI-related digital literacy, including critical evaluation, ethical understanding and developmentally appropriate guidance for pupils 

Local authorities and school improvement services should:

• provide guidance and examples to support the teaching of AI-related digital literacy across the curriculum, aligned with the updated DCF

Schools and PRUs should:

• implement the requirements of the DCF to teach pupils the risks, challenges and benefits of AI in education and society
• use AI tools in teaching and learning only where there is clear evidence of a positive impact on pupils’ progress and well-being
• ensure that pupils develop an understanding of the importance of referencing AI use, its impact on academic integrity, and its potential to limit critical thinking when misused

Welsh Government response

We welcome Estyn’s recommendations and recognise the importance of equipping learners with the digital literacy skills needed to navigate the evolving landscape of AI ethically and critically.

We have commenced work to review and refresh the Digital Competence Framework (DCF). This work is informed by ongoing engagement with practitioners, local authorities, Estyn and experts in digital education and AI ethics. The review will consider critical evaluation of AI-generated content, ethical considerations around AI use, and progression in understanding AI.

We will work collaboratively with Estyn, local authorities and school improvement services to support the teaching of AI-related digital literacy in alignment with the updated DCF and the wider Curriculum for Wales.

Through the Curriculum for Wales Grant Programme, £1.4 million over 3 years has been allocated to support understanding of computing and digital skills. This grant will support practitioners, across both primary and secondary settings, to engage with learning related to emergent technologies including AI. It will also provide advice for schools over a range of local authorities to understand progression in digital skills and computing. As we develop the DCF, we will be working with the successful partner to ensure that professional learning opportunities are supportive of any changes.

The Curriculum for Wales Grant Programme requires all successful bidders to engage closely with local authority school improvement staff to respond to national and local priorities and complement support already available at a national and local level. This will include awards made under the digital skills and computing priority area.

The report can be accessed on Estyn’s website, and was published on 9 October 2025.