The Prompt: (Issue 8)

Your AI Newsletter

Issue 8

Please share this newsletter with colleagues in your setting!

Welcome to Issue 8 of your weekly briefing on all things AI. As artificial intelligence continues to reshape the educational landscape, 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 essential updates curated to reduce teacher workload and enhance learning across our South Tyneside community as safely as possible.

🛠️ AI Champions Work Group

Haven’t nominated an AI Champion for your school yet? Click the link below to access our nomination form:

👉 CLICK HERE TO NOMINATE (Please use the form link to submit)

  • Next Meeting: Wednesday 11th November 2026, 16:00–17:30
  • Venue: The Word
  • Contact: Julia Small to book a place at: [email protected]

Item 1: AI-Generated Child Sexual Abuse Material: Guidance for Parents and Carers

CEOP and the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) have released a vital new guide to help parents navigate the safeguarding risks of AI. The resource explains how AI can be misused to manipulate images of children and equips families with practical steps to reduce risks—such as reviewing privacy settings, auditing social media, and starting age-appropriate conversations about digital consent.

Access the full online guidance: Click Here to Access Online Guidance

There is also updated guidance for professionals, developed in collaboration with the IWF, providing essential information for all professionals working with children and young people on understanding and responding to AI-generated child sexual abuse material.

Download PDF Guides

Click on the images below to open and download the PDF versions.

Item 2: Create Your Own Games and Apps Using Gemini

Ever wanted to create a custom game for your classroom, but didn’t know how to code? We’ve launched a brand new website showcasing how you can build interactive web games using Google’s Gemini—just by having a conversation!

From matching capitals to Year 2 vocabulary and Year 6 maths explorers, you can play our AI-generated games and even see the exact prompts we used to make them.

🚀 Click here to visit the AI Games Lab and start building!

Item 3: Netflix’s Queen Of Chess On What Schools Are Getting Wrong About AI

What can the greatest female chess grandmaster in history teach us about the future of AI in the classroom?

In a compelling new piece by Dan Fitzpatrick, Queen of Chess star Judit Polgár draws a striking parallel between the anxiety educators face today and the massive disruption the chess world experienced thirty years ago. Long before ChatGPT, chess was the first profession reshaped by AI, leaving players wrestling with the same fears of obsolescence teachers feel now. Having lived through this shift firsthand, Polgár offers a powerful warning and unique insights into what schools are getting wrong.

Click Here to Access The Article

Item 4: Question of the Week

🏝️ How are you using AI this summer, that is not school related?

We want to hear from you! Let us know how you are playing or planning with AI over the summer break.

Have a Great Summer Holiday! ☀️

Thank you for your incredible support and engagement with The Prompt this term. Have a restful, safe, and wonderful summer holiday, and we will see you next term!

Contact Us: If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact Steve Robert at [email protected].

Beyond the Screen: Navigating England’s Legally Enforceable School Mobile Phone Ban

Today marks a massive milestone for digital wellbeing and education across England. As of Monday, 29 June 2026, Section 36 of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 has officially come into force, transforming previous government recommendations into a strict, legally binding mandate.

For schools, parents, and pupils alike, the landscape of the standard school day has fundamentally shifted. Here is everything you need to know about what this means in practice and how it impacts the educational community.

What Does the Law Actually Say?

While many secondary schools across the country already had independent restrictions in place, the new Act establishes a unified, nationwide baseline.

  • The “Bell-to-Bell” Rule: All state-funded schools in England are now required to maintain a completely phone-free environment. This applies from the exact moment a pupil steps onto school grounds until the final bell rings at the end of the day.
  • Total Coverage: The ban isn’t limited to lesson time. It includes passing periods between classes, morning break times, and lunch breaks.
  • Device Scope: The rules extend past standard smartphones to cover any similar smart technology, such as smartwatches that receive notifications or text messages.

The Enforcement Methods

The legislation gives headteachers the autonomy to decide how to achieve a phone-free environment, acknowledging that different school cultures require different logistics.

StrategyImplementation Method
Total Premise BanPupils are not allowed to bring devices onto school property at all.
Morning HandoverDevices are collected during morning registration and locked away securely until dismissal.
Secure Pouches / LockersDevices remain on the pupil’s person but must be turned off and secured inside lockable pouches or designated lockers.
Out of SightDevices must remain completely switched off and kept at the bottom of school bags throughout the entire day.

Vital Exemptions to Keep in Mind

The law explicitly builds in safeguards to ensure that the ban does not negatively impact safety or health:

Medical Needs: Pupils who rely on mobile apps to monitor chronic health conditions—such as tracking blood sugar levels for diabetes—are fully exempt and protected under the law.

Sixth-Form Flexibility: Headteachers have the discretion to allow older students (Years 12 and 13) to access their devices in dedicated spaces, such as a sixth-form common room, provided they are not used in front of younger pupils.

The Commute: The law does not ban students from carrying a phone for safety reasons while travelling to and from school; it simply restricts access while on site.

Why Now? The Drive Behind the Ban

The decision to elevate guidance to statutory law comes amid rising concerns regarding youth mental health, cyberbullying, and classroom distractions. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson reinforced the stance clearly:

“Mobile phones have no place in schools. No ifs, no buts.”

Furthermore, Ofsted inspectors will now formally audit schools to verify they are actively enforcing these rules, meaning institutions must have explicit, functional policies integrated into their standard behaviour frameworks.

Practical Tips for the Transition

As we shift away from “screen time” and back toward face-to-face engagement during school hours, collaboration between families and educators is key.

  • Audit Your Devices: Ensure smartwatches are set to appropriate “school modes” or left at home if they support communication features.
  • Talk to Your Kids: Discussing the why behind the law can help ease the frustration many pupils feel about losing access to their digital social circles during lunch.
  • Prepare for the Policy: Check your specific school’s website or communication portal to see which of the physical storage methods (pouches, lockers, or bag storage) they have adopted.

Five Minutes on Friday, Issue #9 26th June 2026

image

Welcome to this week’s Five Minutes on Friday digest! As we head towards the summer break, we’ve gathered a fresh round of tech updates, digital safeguarding resources, and emerging trends to help keep you up to speed with the latest in technology, education, and innovation.

Grab a quick coffee and take five minutes to review what you need to know.

💡 1. CEOP Resources: Summer Safeguarding Reminders

image
image

With the summer holidays rapidly approaching, student safeguarding concerns can naturally spike while schools and other routine support services are closed. It is more vital than ever to remind young people where they can turn for help and how to report issues online.

  • The Resource: CEOP has provided an invaluable, one-page help and report resource designed explicitly for young people.
  • The Impact: This direct guide outlines accessible, all-year-round reporting routes and online services specifically addressing concerns related to online sexual abuse.
  • Action Item: Consider circulating this resource or linking it in your final end-of-term communications to parents and students.

#ClickCEOP #OnlineSafety Follow @CEOPUK

💡 2. Supporting Children & Young People with Additional Needs

image

Internet Matters has launched a brand-new initiative: the Every Child Safe Online hub. This specialized space is built specifically to support parents, carers, and educators of children with additional needs—regardless of whether they have a formal diagnosis or face specific unique barriers online.

  • Tailored Experiences: The hub delivers curated activities and highly practical resources adapted directly to a child’s specific developmental needs.
  • Step-by-Step Advice: It features structured guidance to help parents navigate emerging concerns, promote positive and inclusive online habits, and confidently signpost further professional support.

📱 3. Online Safety Hub Weekly Highlight: Getting Started With Qustodio

image

In this week’s spotlight from the South Tyneside Online Safety Hub, we are highlighting a powerful tool for extending digital safety boundaries outside the school day.

image

Through the Qustodio Parent App, families can actively supervise their child’s online activities on school-managed devices during evenings, weekends, and holidays.

  • Core Features: The free version of the app allows parents to filter web content, set healthy daily screen time limits, manage specific app access, and monitor YouTube usage.
  • Advanced Monitoring: Families also have the option to upgrade to Qustodio Premium, unlocking enhanced safety features such as call monitoring and real-time location tracking.

👉 Read the full guide: Access the Qustodio Parental Article on South Tyneside Hub

Thank you for reading this week’s edition of Five Minutes on Friday! We hope these resources help support your school community as you transition into the summer months. Stay tuned next week for more EdTech news, practical classroom ideas, and leadership tips.

Have a specific topic or tool you would like us to cover in a future update? Feel free to reach out to the team with your suggestions or feedback.

Have a great weekend!

Phillippa Chippendale ICT in Schools Team

Five Minutes on Friday: Issue # 8 – 19th June 2026

Hello everyone! Welcome back to your weekly Five Minutes on Friday digest. We have curated the latest tech updates, curriculum ideas, and major digital developments to keep you up to speed with the world of educational technology and innovation.

Grab a coffee, take five minutes, and dive in!

📱Item 1. Landmark Move: Social Media Ban for Under-16s

In a historic announcement, the UK Government has confirmed landmark legislation to ban social media access for children under the age of 16. The policy aims to “give kids their childhood back” by legally compelling tech companies to enforce strict age verification measures, completely removing this burden from parents’ shoulders.

“Social media platforms will face heavy financial penalties if they fail to systematically block underage users from accessing their services.”

This move comes in response to growing evidence linking prolonged social media exposure in early adolescence to increased rates of anxiety, depression, and body image issues. Tech giants will be expected to deploy robust digital ID and verification tools to comply with the new statutory framework.

  • Read the official announcement: Gov.uk Government News
  • Curriculum Support: Twinkl has created a dedicated hub featuring a developing range of articles, videos, and curriculum-aligned tools to help schools navigate these updates.

💡Item 2. Online Safety Hub Highlight: Navigating “Sharenting”

With ongoing conversations surrounding teen privacy and safety, the South Tyneside Online Safety Hub has published a critical guide on a concept affecting even our youngest pupils: “Sharenting”—the habit of parents sharing photos, videos, and milestones of their children online.

While typically done with the best intentions, safety experts warn that early digital footprints heavily influence a child’s emerging online identity long before they are old enough to consent. Over-sharing can accidentally expose personal details—such as school uniforms, locations, and birthdates—which can be harvested by data brokers or malicious actors.

🍍Item 3. Annual Live Summer Quiz: By the Numbers!

What a day of virtual trivia, high energy, and incredible teamwork! On Tuesday, 16th June 2026, classrooms across our region transformed into live game shows as we hosted our annual Live Summer Quizzes via Google Meet.

This year marked our biggest tournament in history, packed with flawless scores, nail-biting tiebreakers, and a massive surge in participation. Here is how an unforgettable day of quizzing unfolded by the numbers:

AchievementStatistic
Total Children Participating Live1,073
Teams Battling it Out42
Schools Represented19
Teams with a Perfect 30/30 Score7

A massive congratulations to all the students and staff who made the day so vibrant and competitive!

Upcoming CPD Courses

Ready to sharpen your skills for the upcoming terms? We have some fantastic online courses coming up.

Course NameDate & TimeDescription
Google Drawings Duo Course (Y5)Thursday 25th June
4:00 PM – 5:30 PM		Learn to teach Vector Graphics effectively using Google Drawings.
DUO Course: Tinkercad SandcastlesWednesday 1st July
4:00 PM – 5:30 PM		Bring 3D design into the classroom with a fun, summer-themed Tinkercad session.

Pricing & Booking Information

  • Service Agreement Schools: These CPD courses are FREE to all schools within our current service agreement.
  • Other Schools: External schools are more than welcome to join us for £40 + VAT per course.
  • How to Book: Get in touch directly with Julia to secure your spot!

Thank you for reading this week’s edition! Stay tuned for more edtech news, practical classroom ideas, and leadership tips in next week’s update.

Have a topic you’d like covered? Feel free to reach out to the team with your suggestions or feedback.

Have a great weekend!

Phillippa Chippendale

ICT in Schools Team

Issue #7 – 12th June 2026

12th June 2026

Displaying image

Hello Everyone! Here’s your weekly 5 minutes on Friday digest of tech updates, designed to keep you up to speed on the latest in the world of technology, education, and innovation.

We’ve gathered news on everything from curriculum ideas to major tech developments and emerging trends. Enjoy!

💡 Item 1: The 60-Second Tech Tip

Displaying image

You’re presenting a slide deck and want to draw your students’ attention to a specific point, but the bright screen is distracting. Or perhaps you want them to look directly at you, not the board.

Next time you are in Present mode in Google Slides, try these two clever keyboard shortcuts:

  • Press B: The screen instantly turns completely Black.
  • Press W: The screen instantly turns completely White.

Why use it? It acts as an immediate visual “pause button” for your class. Press any key to bring your presentation right back. It’s a fantastic, low-tech feeling trick built right into your high-tech presentation tool.

🛠️ Item 2: Tool of the Week — Interactive PDF Annotation with Kami

Displaying image

If you are looking for a practical way to breathe new life into your digital worksheets and simultaneously save your school’s printing budget, take a look at Kami.

  • For Students: It provides a highly vibrant, user-friendly interface where they can draw, type, and add voice annotations directly onto digital documents and PDFs.
  • For Teachers: It integrates seamlessly with cloud platforms like Google Classroom, allowing you to deliver real-time feedback and streamline your daily marking workflow in line with DfE workload reduction guidelines.

📢 Item 3: Online Safety Hub Weekly Highlight

What is “looksmaxxing”? A guide for parents.

This trend is regularly breaking into youth subcultures, and it is vital that pastoral teams and leadership are aware of its implications for school safeguarding:

  • Looksmaxxing started as an online subculture but has gone mainstream among young boys. While much of it presents as memes and jokes, the line between harmless and harmful can blur incredibly fast.
  • The darker side of this trend is tied to toxic online communities and can rapidly push teens toward body image issues, dangerous physical practices, and extremist rabbit holes.
  • Knowing the warning signs and facilitating open, non-judgmental conversations are the most effective safeguarding ways to keep this trend from becoming a real-world problem.

🔗 Explore full resources on the South Tyneside Online Safety Hub or read the primary reference article: What is looksmaxxing? A guide for parents.

🎓 Upcoming CPD Courses

Please note: CPD courses are FREE to all schools within our service agreement. Other schools are most welcome to join us for £40 + VAT per session.

Course NameDate & TimeFormat
Termly E-safety Briefing: Smoothwall Monitor
Wednesday 17th June, 4:00 – 5:00 PMVirtual
DUO Course Y5: Learn to teach Vector Graphics with Google DrawingsThursday 25th June, 4:00 – 5:30 PMFace to Face
DUO Course: Tinkercad SandcastlesWednesday 1st July, 4:00 – 5:30 PMFace to Face

👉 Book with Julia (mailto:[email protected])

☀️ School Activities & Events

🏆 Live Summer Quiz (via Google Meet)

Displaying image

We are hosting a live summer quiz via Google Meet! This year, we have decided to include Key Stage 1 for the first time. There will be 3 distinct time slots to choose from:

  • Session 1: Exclusively for Key Stage 1 classrooms.
  • Sessions 2 & 3: Two available time slots for Key Stage 2 (AM and PM options).

📅 Date: Tuesday 16th June 2026

📝 Note: A separate registration form must be filled out for each participating class.

👉 Click here to register your classroom

🦸 ClickView Celebration: Online Safety Super Hero Challenge

Displaying image

We’re excited to invite your school to take part in our upcoming FREE Online Safety Super Hero Challenge. This is a brilliant opportunity to combine digital creativity, team collaboration, and essential safeguarding education in a fun, memorable setting.

📅 Date: Tuesday 23rd June 2026

⏰ Time: 12:00 Noon – 2:00 PM

📍 Venue: The Word

👥 Schools are welcome to enter more than one team; simply indicate your requirements on the booking page.

👉 Click here to secure your team spaces

Thank you for reading this week’s edition! Stay tuned for more EdTech news, practical classroom strategies, and leadership tips in next week’s update.

Have an EdTech topic you would like us to cover? Feel free to reach out directly with suggestions or feedback.

Have a great weekend!

Displaying image

Phillippa Chippendale

ICT in Schools Team

The Prompt (Issue 6)

 

Please share this newsletter with colleagues in your setting.

Welcome to Issue 6 of your weekly briefing on all things AI.

 

As Artificial Intelligence continues to reshape the educational landscape, 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 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.

📢 AI Champions Work Group: Join Us!

Haven’t nominated an AI Champion yet? There is still time to get your setting involved.

🛠️ Item 1: People Can Tell You’re Using AI

The structure, the tone, the polish. It all gives it away.

 

Standard AI outputs often look overly rehearsed, perfectly balanced, and distinctly non-human. Here are 6 prompts designed to break the standard AI patterns and give your text an authentic, human voice:

1. The Real Person Rewrite

 

Prompt: “You are an editor with a sharp eye for writing that reads as constructed rather than spoken. Rewrite this the way someone who actually lived this experience would say it — rougher around the edges, more direct. Remove anything that feels rehearsed, over-built, or designed to sound impressive. Text: [paste].”

2. Thought Flow Correction

 

Prompt: “This isn’t a grammar fix — it’s a thinking fix. Rewrite this so the ideas move the way a real mind moves: uneven in places, punchy in others, occasionally slow. Disrupt any pattern where the writing feels too controlled or too evenly paced. Text: [paste].”

3. Pattern Breaker

 

Prompt: “You specialize in identifying the tells that expose AI-generated writing. Go through this and take them apart one by one. Mix up the structure, soften rigid phrasing, and make each word feel chosen by a person in real time — not produced by a pattern. Text: [paste].”

4. Voice Builder

 

Prompt: “You are building a voice that sounds like it belongs to one real person. Rewrite this so it carries a clear perspective — not the tone of a neutral observer trying to please everyone. Let actual opinions, small contradictions, and genuine shifts in tone come through naturally. Text: [paste].”

5. Make It Feel Like Something

 

Prompt: “Rewrite this with one thing in mind: when someone reads it, it should land. Keep everything that matters but remove anything that feels flat, calculated, or forgettable. It needs to sound like it came from someone who actually cares about what they’re saying. Text: [paste].”

6. The Believability Test

 

Prompt: “You are a reader who immediately distrusts writing that sounds too clean. Read through this sentence by sentence and rewrite anything that feels constructed, over-corrected, or too precise. The result should read like something a real person said out loud without second-guessing every word. Text: [paste].”

🚨 Item 2: Safeguarding & Online Safety – The “Single Source” Trap

Following on from the insights shared regarding Google Search’s “AI Mode,” we need to address a growing safeguarding concern across digital literacy: digital passivity.

Because modern conversational AI search engines deliver a single, highly confident answer instead of a diverse list of websites, pupils are losing the natural habit of comparing multiple sources. If children are trained to accept a single AI output as absolute truth, they become highly vulnerable to misinformation and algorithmic bias.

🚨 Actionable Safeguarding Guidance for Settings
  • Active Training: We must move beyond passive internet filtering. Schools need to explicitly teach young learners to cross-examine AI answers rather than taking them at face value.
  • The 3-Point Checklist: Encourage staff to display these three questions next to classroom computers:
  1. Who said it? (Does the AI cite a reliable source?)
  2. Double-check: (Can we find the same fact on a trusted site like BBC Bitesize?)
  3. Is it balanced? (Is the AI only telling us one side of the story?)

🔍 Item 3: Can Your Pupils Spot the AI Fake?

Britannica Education: Real or AI Quiz: Can you tell the difference?

 

To help you tackle this digital literacy challenge head-on, we have highlighted a fantastic, zero-prep whiteboard starter activity for your next lesson!

Instead of trying to source your own examples, you can use the brilliant Britannica Education ‘Real or AI?’ Quiz. It features excellent side-by-side visual comparisons designed to put your pupils’ critical thinking skills to the test.

Click the image or use this link to load the starter quiz.

The resource also features a useful instructional video detailing how to execute a Google reverse image search alongside top tips for spotting AI-generated imagery.

📝 We Want Your Feedback!

We really would appreciate your feedback on how these insights are working in your classrooms. Please take a moment to fill out our feedback form:

👉 AI Newsletter Feedback Form

 

Please feel free to use the form to add any comments, suggestions, or examples of how AI is currently being used in your setting. You can choose to remain completely anonymous, and you can even upload files if you think they would be helpful to share with the wider community. Your input plays a key role in shaping our future updates.

 

Contact Us

If you have any specific questions or suggestions, please contact Steve Robert directly at: [email protected]

Issue #6 – 5th June 2026

Displaying image

Reports, Security, and Safety Trends: Your 5-Minute Friday Briefing

Hello Everyone! Welcome back to your weekly 5-minute Friday digest of technology updates, designed to keep you up to speed on the latest innovations in the world of education and tech.

We’ve gathered the latest news from around the web – covering everything from excellent classroom curriculum utilities to critical online safeguarding clinics and student events.

Grab a hot coffee, take five minutes, and catch up on the week ahead!

It is June, which means the dreaded school report window is officially open.

Most major primary EdTech platforms have quietly evolved away from messy CSV spreadsheet downloads into insight-driven teacher dashboards.

If your school uses Times Tables Rock Stars (TTRS) or other prominent UK math schemes for example, you have a goldmine of pre-formatted, report-ready data waiting for you.

White Rose framework utilises digital practice tools and the dashboard organises data directly by national curriculum blocks (e.g., Place Value, Fractions, Statistics).

Instead of cross-referencing your mark book, you can filter by a pupil’s name to see their average accuracy percentage per block across the whole year.

💡 Weekly Spotlight: Working Together to Safeguard Children 2026

The Department for Education (DfE) recently published the updated Working Together to Safeguard Children 2026 statutory framework. While the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) team will handle the policy overhauls, there are key shifts that every classroom teacher needs to know:

This links to a great document from NSPCC to understand the key changes.

🔒Quick Online Safety Tip for the Classroom: “Safe Screen Swaps”

The current DfE guidance highlights the importance of “Safe Screen Swaps.”

Share this 30-second tip with parents this week:

  • Co-viewing over Solo-scrolling: Encourage parents to watch or play with their children on devices. Turning screen time into a conversation (asking questions about a game or video) completely changes how a child’s brain processes the digital content and keeps them safer than solo, unmonitored use.
  • Instead of letting children solo-scroll through videos or games on their own, try swapping just 15 minutes of that independent time for co-viewing or co-playing. Sitting together to play their favourite game, watching a YouTube video as a family, or asking questions about what they are seeing completely changes how their brains process the digital world. It sparks great conversations, lets you spot any inappropriate content early, and turns screen time into quality family time.

📅 Upcoming CPD & Training Courses

Please note CPD courses are FREE to all schools within our service agreement. Other schools are most welcome to join our CPD courses for £40 + VAT.

Duo Courses

Our Duo courses are a great way to upskill your staff and maximise your curriculum points with us. First, complete the training course. Then, book a half-day visit to The Word for your class to practice what you learned.

Each class teacher who attends the course is eligible for the half day visit at 30 points, instead of 60 points.

Please Note

  • The attending teacher must be present at the half day session as this is part of their professional development.
  • Staff can only attend the same Duo Course once to benefit from the reduced points charge.
  • Duo Course: Y2/3 Stikbot Animation – 9th June 4pm
  • Summer Termly Website Clinic – 10th June 13:30 (Virtual)
  • Termly E-safety Briefing: Smoothwall Monitor17th June 4pm (Virtual)

Book with Julia

☀️ Live Summer Quiz: Now Including Key Stage 1!

We are hosting a live summer quiz via Google Meet! This time we have decided to include Key stage 1 for the first time! There will be 3 time slots to choose from:

  • The first session is exclusively for Key stage 1.
  • There are 2 time slots for Key stage 2 – am and pm.

Tuesday 16th June 2026

Please complete this form to register your class. A form must be completed for each class participating.

Sign up here.

ClickView Celebration

We’re excited to invite your school to take part in our upcoming FREE Online Safety Super Hero Challenge on Tuesday 23rd June 12noon – 2pm at The Word.

You can have more than one team, just let us know on the booking form.

This is a fantastic opportunity to combine digital creativity, collaboration, and essential safeguarding education in a fun, memorable way.

Sign up here.

📌 Looking Ahead: Curriculum Bookings 2026/2027

How do you want to use your points for the 2026 – 2027 year?

Please get in touch NOW so you can guarantee getting the dates you want – 180 points.

Thank you for reading this week’s edition! Stay tuned for more ed tech news, practical classroom ideas, and leadership tips in next week’s update.

Have a topic you’d like covered? Feel free to reach out with suggestions or feedback.

Have a great weekend,

Phillippa Chippendale

ICT in Schools Team

The Prompt (Issue 3): Statutory Safeguarding Updates, KCSIE Compliance, and AI Primary Lesson Builders

by Steve Robert – ICT in Schools Team

Welcome to Issue 3 of The Prompt, your educational briefing on AI technology integration across local settings. As generative AI establishes a massive footprint in administrative tasks, our priority shifts toward aligning classroom tools with emergent statutory compliance.

📢 Setting Action: Please share this weekly tech brief with colleagues in your educational setting!

📅 AI Champions Working Group

There is still time to join our tech lead workgroup and guide safe technology deployments in your cluster.

To lock in a workshop seat, please contact Julia Small at [email protected].

🛡️ Item 1: 🚨 KCSIE and AI – The “4 Cs” Safeguarding Survival Guide

AI is no longer just an admin time-saver—it is an explicit statutory safeguarding priority under current Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) frameworks. Settings must actively monitor tool access and incorporate AI safety into student digital citizenship blocks.

Here is how the statutory “4 Cs” risk matrix applies directly to artificial intelligence in your school:

1. Content (What pupils see)

Generative engines suffer from “hallucinations”—convincingly framed, completely fabricated facts. Under KCSIE, these fall under critical online misinformation and verification hazards.

  • Setting Action: Remind all instructional staff that public tools like Gemini require a minimum age of 13+ and must never be accessed via student-facing logins.

2. Contact (Who/What pupils interact with)

National guidance explicitly highlights the emotional risk of children forming parasocial relationships with open-ended AI companion apps or receiving unvetted guidance from automated virtual “friends”.

  • Setting Action: While blocked on managed network filters, these tools remain highly accessible at home. Settings must proactively provide home safety toolkits for parents and carers.

3. Conduct (How pupils behave)

KCSIE explicitly categorizes unconsented AI face-swapping, deepfakes, and synthetic media alteration under self-generated intimate image harms.

  • The Rule: If a student uses an AI app to alter a peer’s photo for harassment or humiliation, the incident is treated with the exact same disciplinary severity as physical child-on-child abuse.

4. Commerce (Financial and Data risks)

Free-to-use generative platforms frequently leverage aggressive “freemium” monetization designs to trap children into costly premium micro-transactions. Furthermore, bad actors use hyper-realistic voice clones and phishing text generators to target school administrative offices.

📋 Your Immediate 3-Step AI Health Check:

  1. The Data Shield: Double-check that staff never input identifiable pupil information (such as real names, tracking tables, or EHCP details) into public engines like Gemini or NotebookLM.
  2. AUP Update: Ensure your school’s Acceptable Use Policy explicitly outlines bans on creating unconsented deepfakes or altered media.
  3. The Approved Log: Maintain a central register of approved staff AI utilities, ensuring a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) is finalized for each platform.

🎵 Item 2: Prompt of the Week – The Dual-Objective Lesson Builder

Leverage the high processing speeds of Gemini 3 Flash to effortlessly map out targeted, cross-curricular primary structures. This structure features a “role-reversal” configuration technique to align the output context perfectly with the UK national curriculum.

Copy and paste this template prompt into Gemini, modifying the brackets with your specific objective parameters:

“Act as an expert UK Primary School teacher. I need a lesson plan for Year [Insert Year Group, e.g., 4] that links our History topic on [Insert Topic, e.g., Anglo-Saxons] with a [Insert Other Subject, e.g., Computing] objective. The lesson needs to include: A 5-minute engaging hook. Three levels of differentiated activities (Working towards, expecting, and greater depth). A quick formative assessment idea at the end. Please frame the formatting using clear headings and bullet points so it is easy to read.”

🗣️ We Value Your Insights!

Please share your local feedback! Submit your deployment successes, anonymous tech questions, or classroom anecdotes to our community AI Newsletter Feedback Form.

For technical queries or topic requests, reach out directly to Steve Robert at [email protected].