A practical decision guide
What kind of AI support does your school need?
Start with the decision your school needs to make, not with a format or tool. Strategy sets direction, training builds shared capability, coaching supports the leader carrying the work, and Project Momentum is for developing one defined challenge with peers. These options can complement one another, but a school may need only one.
If the need is still unclear, begin with discovery rather than a large rollout. Record uncertainty, include the people affected and choose the smallest useful next step. A decision to pause, narrow a use case or keep an existing human process can be responsible progress.
Compare the purpose before choosing support
| Support | The need it addresses | Intended outcome | When it may not be needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI strategy | Leaders need a shared purpose, priorities, ownership and guardrails. | A context-specific direction and sequence of decisions; agreed deliverables can include a readiness report and written plan. | You already have an agreed, current plan and only need staff to practise within it. |
| Training and workshops | Staff need shared language, guided practice and space to question appropriate use. | Practical exploration and stronger shared understanding, within the school’s approved tools and policies. | Leadership has not yet decided the purpose, boundaries or tools staff should work within. |
| Coaching and mentoring | A named leader needs a sounding board for live decisions and stakeholder conversations. | Clearer individual decisions and manageable next steps; responsibility remains with the leader and school. | The principal need is whole-staff capability or a school-wide governance process. |
| Project Momentum | A senior leader has a defined school challenge and wants to build with peers. | A structured route for developing and presenting a working tool or workflow around that challenge. | The challenge is not yet defined, or the leader does not have authority to test and progress it. Check the current cohort before planning. |
A sensible order for school AI adoption
The following is Dan Fitzpatrick’s suggested consulting approach, not an official requirement or a maturity standard.
- Understand the starting point. Ask what staff and pupils are already doing, which problems matter, and which existing policies and responsibilities apply. The School AI Readiness Scorecard can structure an initial leadership conversation; it is not a compliance audit.
- Set purpose and boundaries. Define worthwhile uses, unacceptable uses, accountable owners and the points where a person must review or decide. Check safeguarding, privacy, security, procurement, accessibility, intellectual property and assessment implications with the appropriate specialists.
- Run a bounded test. Use approved tools and suitable data, choose a limited use case, and decide beforehand what evidence and feedback will inform the next decision. Stopping or changing course is a legitimate result.
- Build capability around the decision. Give affected staff practical learning, time to raise concerns and clear routes for reporting problems. Avoid asking training to solve questions that leadership has not settled.
- Review and govern. Revisit outcomes, unintended effects and policy as tools and guidance change. Keep human accountability explicit rather than treating an AI output as authority.