An AI strategy your school can actually follow
AI strategy consulting is for school and trust leaders who need a usable order for AI decisions. Dan helps leadership teams examine context, choose priorities, define responsibilities and set safeguards, so they leave with a clearer sequence rather than another abstract briefing.
How it works
The Seven Lessons provide a sequence for the work: audit current practice; anchor decisions to real needs; decide what requires action; align recommendations to the school's context; involve the people affected; create conditions for bounded experimentation; and define outcomes that matter to teaching and learning. The sequence is a consulting framework, while statutory duties and official guidance remain the school's reference points.
“Staff concern is useful evidence. Make time to understand it before deciding what responsible adoption should look like.”
Where a school is weighing a modest improvement against a wider rethink, the engagement may also use Dan's Three-Box model to compare improving current practice with reconsidering it. An engagement can include an AI Readiness Report and a written, sequenced plan; the precise outputs should be confirmed when the scope is agreed. Schools and trusts engage Dan as an AI education consultant when they need this sequence facilitated rather than another framework document.
Best for
A leadership team that has AI showing up in classrooms already, unplanned, and needs to get ahead of the decision before it gets made for them by default.
Frequently Asked Questions
01Where do we start if we haven't done anything on AI yet?
Start by establishing what is already happening, what problem the school is trying to solve and which existing policies apply. The School AI Readiness Scorecard can support an initial conversation, but it is not an audit, certification or compliance test.
02Does this replace the need for staff training?
No. Strategy sets the direction; Training and Workshops for Schools is how staff build the skill to act on it.
03What do we actually receive?
Possible outputs include an AI Readiness Report and a sequenced plan based on the Seven Lessons framework. Deliverables depend on the agreed engagement and should be confirmed before work begins.
04How does strategy work address safety and governance?
It helps leaders identify ownership, decision points, guardrails and questions for further review. It does not provide legal advice or certify compliance; schools should check applicable law, regulator guidance, safeguarding duties, procurement terms and local policy.
05Should strategy come before pilots or coaching?
Discovery usually comes first. A bounded pilot may provide evidence for strategy, while coaching can support the leader coordinating the work. Wider training is easier to target once leaders have defined the purpose and boundaries.
06What should an AI strategy for schools include?
A workable school AI strategy usually covers five things: an audit of current AI use, priorities anchored to real teaching and learning needs, named ownership of decisions, safeguards and boundaries for experimentation, and outcomes the school will actually review. The Seven Lessons sequence orders these into a plan a governing body can follow.
07Is this the same as hiring an AI education consultant?
Yes, in practice. Dan works as an AI education consultant for schools and trusts, but the engagement is structured around the school's own context and decisions rather than a generic consultancy report. Strategy consulting, staff training and leadership coaching can be combined in one engagement.
Next steps
Start a conversation about what comes next.
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