Stephen Higgins, Head of Data and AI, Arbor
At Arbor, we recently hosted two roundtable discussions with CST, where chief operating officers in trusts were invited to summarise their feelings about AI. Overwhelmingly, the response was ‘Excited but…’ nervous, cautious, sceptical, daunted.
We discussed the (valid) concerns and obstacles which normally come with big technology changes, like budget constraints, time restrictions, lack of resource, creating more workload and data protection. But there was also a big sense of, as one trust leader put it, "not knowing what I don’t know.”
Schools and trusts are used to having to make big technological changes while already operating under budget pressures and the everyday challenges of school life. During lockdown, schools had to introduce new systems almost overnight to support their community of students and parents, which allowed them to teach, track and operate remotely. And more recently, the shift to cloud software from on-premise solutions has been seismic. So, the education sector is not immune to digital transformation. But the pace of change and data security concerns around AI, mean that its rapid rise has brought with it a culture of nervousness and a sense of the unknown.
Let’s change our mindset. Schools and trusts are brilliant at adapting under pressure, and with a little broadening of our horizons, I believe that our organisations can get the most out of the exciting opportunities that AI has to offer.
To encourage this approach, we’ve brought together voices from trusts across the country to share their experience of using AI to drive operational excellence. We’ve showcased their stories in our latest eBook:
- Harbour Learning Trust, on how they’ve embedded AI into their operational and strategic decision-making
- Borough Academy, part of Haberdashers’ Academy Trust South, on their AI mapping of student opportunities to increase equity and inclusion
- The Kemnal Academies Trust on their experience of embedding secure but curious AI practice across 45 schools
- A little more from me on the importance of bluesky thinking, cross-sector collaboration and community, when it comes to AI
I hope the eBook leaves you feeling inspired to take action and consider new ways of working at your trust.
The CST Blog welcomes perspectives from a diverse range of guest contributors. The opinions expressed in blogs are the views of the author(s), and should not be read as CST guidance or CST’s position.
