The Prompt (Issue 9)
Welcome to issue 9. We hope you had a restful, well-deserved summer break. As a new school year begins, our mission is to ensure South Tyneside schools stay ahead of the curve. Whether you are an AI novice or an AI expert, this is your weekly home for the tools and digital principles defining the future of education. Each week, we’ll deliver three or four essential updates—ranging from DfE policy shifts to time-saving classroom hacks—specifically curated to reduce teacher workload and enhance learning across our South Tyneside community as safely as possible.
Save the Date: Apple RTC Autumn Conference 2026
We are thrilled to announce that the Apple RTC Autumn Conference will be hosted live at The Word, South Shields on Wednesday, 22nd October 2026!
This whole-day event will focus on two of the most critical topics in EdTech today: AI & Accessibility.
AI Champions Work Group
Haven’t nominated an AI Champion yet? Click the link to access our nomination form: CLICK HERE
CHANGE TO DATE – NOW Wednesday 18th NOVEMBER
- Next meeting: Wednesday 18th November 2026, 16:00–17:30
- Venue: The Word
- Contact: Julia Small to book a place: [email protected]
Item 1: The Meta Settlement: What the Landmark US Case Means for Schools
In a historic $18 billion settlement this August, Meta was forced by US states to address the addictive, AI-driven design of Instagram and Facebook. To protect youth mental health and attention spans, Meta must now implement sweeping safeguards for under-18s, including:
- School-Hour Blackouts: Notifications disabled during the school day.
- Overnight Lockouts: App access blocked from midnight to 6 a.m.
- Algorithmic Limits: A two-hour daily cap and the ability to disable AI-curated feeds entirely.
Why it matters here: While this is a US ruling, it validates what educators have warned about for years. It sets a global precedent that will likely pressure Ofcom to enforce similar strict design codes under the UK’s Online Safety Act. In the meantime, this ruling provides an excellent, real-world talking point for PSHE lessons on digital well-being and algorithmic manipulation.
Item 2: Free, Secure AI for Teachers: The GFF AI Toolkit
If you are eager to try generative AI to help with your workload but are worried about data privacy and school GDPR policies, we have great news. You can now sign up for the Good Future AI Toolkit at good-future.ai.
Created by the Good Future Foundation, this suite of AI tools is entirely free for educators. Crucially, it is DfE-backed, leveraging the Department for Education’s AI Content Store Advanced Support. This means the tools have been developed with a strict “privacy first” approach that adheres to the DfE’s GenAI Product Safety Framework.
Why we love it:
- Zero Data Retention: Nothing you enter is saved, and no AI models are trained on your content, making it a completely risk-free space to experiment.
- Practical Features: It includes purpose-built tools for UK teachers like a Quiz Generator, a Glossary Generator, and an AI Email Writer.
- Peace of Mind: It removes the headache of wondering, “Am I allowed to put this into an AI?”
It will take about 30 seconds to sign up using the link below:
Item 3: Curriculum Ready: Common Sense Media AI Lessons
If you are looking for ready-made, high-quality materials to introduce AI to your students this term, Common Sense Media has exactly what you need. Aimed at years 7–13, these lessons can easily be used with Y6 as well.
They have developed a series of free AI Literacy Lessons that are incredibly useful to start the term. Designed to strengthen critical thinking, creativity, curiosity, and human connection, these lessons help students understand what AI is, how it works, and the ethical implications of using it.
The best part? The lessons are fully planned and can easily be written directly into your computing or PSHE curriculum for the year.
Item 4: Question of the Week
If AI could take one administrative task completely off your plate this term, which one would you choose?
Contact Us:
If you have any questions or suggestions please contact:
Steve Robert: [email protected]