Leadership resource

School AI Governance

DfE-aligned governance checklist for leadership, policy, staff and pupils.

A leadership intervention to improve Governance Maturity — aligned to DfE generative AI guidance, ICO accountability and governor oversight expectations.

Purpose

Improve Governance Maturity.

This intervention framework references recognised UK education guidance — including Department for Education (DfE) generative AI guidance for schools, Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) expectations on pupil data, Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE), Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) and Ofqual assessment integrity guidance, and Ofsted expectations for safeguarding and curriculum quality. It supports school self-assessment; it is not legal advice and does not imply official endorsement or compliance certification.

Why this matters

Governors and trust boards expect evidence of responsible AI adoption — policy, ownership, training and review — not ad hoc tool use. Ofsted may ask how safeguarding and curriculum quality are protected as AI use grows.

Governance checklist

Leadership

  • Named AI Lead
  • Annual review cycle
  • Governor awareness

Policy

  • Approved tools list
  • Prohibited use cases
  • Assessment expectations (JCQ / Ofqual)

Staff

  • Annual training
  • Incident reporting
  • Verification expectations

Pupils

  • AI literacy
  • Responsible use guidance
  • Safeguarding awareness (KCSIE)

What can I download?

School AI Governance checklist (PDF — add download in editor)

Use with governor meetings and trust board papers.

What training exists?

Book a free AI Readiness Review

Improve Your Benchmark Score

This framework supports improvement in:

  • Governance Maturity
  • Safeguarding Readiness
  • DfE Alignment Score

Retake leader benchmark — Governance domain

Wider Support & Development

For more information, guidance and support — including how AI Awareness Day can help your school — contact the AI Awareness team.

Need further support?


Take the free AI Risk & Readiness Benchmark™