AI in Primary Education

How should primary schools approach the incorporation of artificial intelligence (AI) tools?

As with the use of all technology in schools, the answer to this question comes from schools having a clear strategy that considers needs, evaluates opportunities provided by digital tools, and aims for clear and measurable outcomes.

In this blog, we consider children's and teachers' needs in schools and explore how incorporation of AI addresses these. We also explore the AI Framework for Primary and Secondary Education, which provides valuable insight into ways that AI tools might address the needs of pupils and teachers in schools.

Children's needs

Primary education aims to equip children with the skills and knowledge they need in the early parts of their lives. Primary children expand their horizons from their immediate vicinity to their classmates and the wider world around them. They develop their own interests and are introduced to new possibilities, skills and ways of expressing their ideas and creativity.

Many of the skills that children learn in primary education are 'soft skills'. These include resilience, communication, negotiation, listening, empathy, logical thinking, independence confidence and self-esteem. These skills are not listed in the curriculum, although are referenced in some subjects and particularly in the early years framework.

To what extent are digital literacy and AI literacy part of children's needs at primary level?

The 2025 Curriculum Review identified five areas of learning that needed more attention within the curriculum. These were oracy, financial literacy, media literacy, digital literacy and education on climate change and sustainability.

The review addressed understanding of AI, stating,

'Recent advancements in AI and generative AI have made digital literacy even more critical. While the long-term impact of AI remains uncertain, young people should understand how it works, its capabilities and limitations.'

I covered the review in detail here, discussing how the review will impact secondary computing more than primary computing. The review recommends that a GCSE in computer science replace that of computing, incorporating digital literacy and specifically, teaching about AI

The review recognises the need to educate children about safe, critical and responsible use of technology. Children need to be taught to recognise misinformation and to critically evaluate example of AI use. The review is concerned about current provision, stating,

"a lack of digital literacy has a negative impact on the ability to safely use, and critically engage with, digital technology for personal and work purposes. Those who are digitally disengaged can struggle to navigate a digital society and access work opportunities."

With the rapid development of technology use, including by primary-age children, the curriculum should be evaluated to ensure that children are literate about the technology around them. In 2026, the new Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) curriculum will apply to schools in England, setting out more detailed requirements concerning e-safety, sources of information and healthy online activities.

A 2025 Ofcom report found that almost one fifth of 3-5 year olds use social media apps independently. 44% of 8-9 year olds were aware of algorithms used to send them content and half of 8-17 year olds reported using AI, a rise from 46% in the previous year. This increase was primarily driven by 13-15 year olds.

In terms of owning a phone, 19% of 3-5 year olds did, 30% of 6-7 year olds, 42% of 8-9 year olds and 82% of 10-12 year olds. This figure rises to 97% of 13-15 year olds.

It is highly likely that any children with access to a phone will encountered AI tools, whether as apps or online. It is also likely that these children will encounter social media and content that is not appropriate for them. Schools must often tread a fine line between discussion of technology which is not age-appropriate, and giving children information they might need about things they encounter. One way to approach this is by teachers deciding on age-appropriate messages and principles that children should be clear upon, such as questioning online content and telling adults if they are concerned. At the same time, children have a safe and supportive environment in which to discuss their experiences. This already happens in E-safety lessons in computing and PSHE, lessons may now need to be adapted to include opportunities to discuss application of AI, specifically.

AI literacy needs will ultimately, stem from the school's overall digital strategy, which forms part of the whole school strategy. Schools may decide that children need opportunities to discuss the AI tools that they are encountering and incorporate use of AI into lessons to facilitate this. Some schools may decide that the benefits of personalised learning, or opportunities for immediate feedback justify the student-use of AI tools in school. What is important, is that these decisions are strategic and considered at whole-school level, as well as regularly reviewed.

Teachers' needs

In September 2025, the National Literacy Trust provided data about teachers' use of generative A.I. The percentage of teaching using generative AI had nearly doubled, from 31% in 2023, to 58% in 2025. Of teachers using generative AI once a month, 58.7% said they had used it to create lesson resources, 46.4% to create quizzes and comprehension tests, 31.4% to summarise documents and 20.7% to model writing styles for pupils.

In this survey, teachers expressed reservations about student use of AI, with 43% of teachers believing that it would have a negative impact on children's writing overall. 86.2% of teachers believe that students should be taught to engage critically with AI tools and 66.9% of teachers reported that they needed more training.

In Summer 2025, the UK Government published its paper, 'The biggest risk is doing nothing: insights from early adopters of artificial intelligence in schools and further education colleges.' This paper provides useful insights into the rationale for schools using AI, benefits and methods of implementation, particularly among early adopters.

The paper stated,

"Generative AI can be used to streamline administrative tasks, plan lessons and support assessment. This has made it particularly attractive for reducing teacher workload, so that teachers can focus on delivering high-quality teaching and working directly with pupils."

The report recognised a wide range in use in AI in schools, from, "using AI to streamline administrative tasks to allowing pupils to use it in a direct and interactive way."

The report noted the potential for teachers to save time on lesson panning and administrative tasks, highlighting a study where teachers used Chat GPT for lesson planning and resource creation, reducing planning and administration by 31%, or 25 minutes per week.

The report also noted the potential benefits of providing formative assessment and feedback. AI has the potential to provide detailed and immediate feedback at a scale that teachers would not be able to. Resources can be tailored to pupil needs in real time, based on needs. However, the report noted the limitations of AI feedback, in terms of not being able to give reasons for decisions and being unable to correctly assess nuance and creativity.

Despite the title of the report, which highlights the risks of doing nothing, the report noted a cautious approach being taken by many schools and MATs regarding AI, stating,

"The speed of AI development after the launch of Chat GPT, and inconclusive evidence about its impact, meant these leaders typically took their time to research and understand AI and the different tools available."

Strategy was highlighted as being important, with the report stating,

"The leaders we spoke to emphasised that senior leaders needed to have a clear vision for AI and know how they wanted staff to use it as part of their own practice."

As the report stated, strategy is often still developing,

"Very few (leaders) had a longer-term strategy beyond the initial testing and piloting stage."

Interestingly, the report found that,

"Adoption of AI was split equally between those who gave teacher workload as the main reason for its adoption and leaders who prioritised pupils...Teacher-facing AI tools support teaching and are used by staff for lesson planning, creating resources and suggesting activities. They can also support with administration and giver personalised feedback. Learner-facing tools are used by pupils themselves and include intelligent tutoring systems and AI chatbots."

The report gave valuable insights into the experience of leaders, AI champions and MATs in incorporating AI into education. The experiences and perspectives vary, and this is part of what makes the report such a compelling read. However, what comes across clearly throughout the report is the need to use AI tools in schools according to strategic goals, in order to ensure that changes made to schools are impactful and long-lasting.

The A.I. Literacy Framework for Primary and Secondary Education

The AI Literacy Framework for Primary and Secondary Education is a document produced jointly by the European Commission and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), supported by code.org and leading experts.

The framework makes the case for teaching AI literacy in schools, explaining that AI is already part of the world for young people and that they need guidance in understanding and working with it.

The AI Framework for Primary and Secondary Education highlights the need to organise teaching about AI literacy to ensure a coherent and useful message for young people.

The framework provides examples of what AI literacy might look loke, in terms of both teacher use and pupil experience at primary-level. As the framework states,

"It is up to educators to decide when to introduce AI tools, how to scaffold understanding, and what it means to assess student learning in a rapidly changing landscape."

The framework gives explanation of what AI literacy might look like for pupils of different age groups.

The framework identifies four aspects of AI literacy: engaging, creating, managing and designing AI. Usefully, for each of these both primary and secondary examples are provided. For schools that have decided that developing pupil AI literacy is part of their digital strategy, these examples of primary AI literacy are useful staring points for discussion and lesson activities.

The framework identifies four aspects of AI literacy: engaging, creating, managing and designing. For each of these, primary and secondary examples are provided.

The A.I. Literacy Framework for Primary and Secondary Education lays out the case and a pathway for teaching AI literacy in schools

Conclusions

As with all incorporation of technology in schools, incorporation of AI should be strategic. The school's overall strategy will inform its digital strategy, which will inform the school's approach to use of AI. Although AI technology and possibilities are evolving rapidly, schools should make decisions that are based on well-considered and long term goals, and avoid being led solely by the promises of a particular product.

It is important that schools are well-informed when it comes to making decisions about AI. Schools can learn from each other, from reports such as those listed above and from the literature that companies produce when describing their products. Again, with all of these sources, it is important to consider them alongside the school's considered strategy.

In terms of pupil experience of AI, there is undoubtedly a need to educate pupils about this increasingly prevalent and relevant field. Just like areas such as E-safety, health and road safety, children should have the opportunity to understand what AI means and to discuss its implications, at age appropriate levels. This may be, for example, involve discussing how video platforms suggest videos based on previous activity. AI literacy may involve discussions about sorting data and drawing conclusions, fairly far removed from any actual use of technology, as in the examples given for primary children in the AI Literacy Framework for Primary and Secondary Education.