Learn fast but act more slowly. Do not feel pressured to buy into an AI. Do not feel pressured to select an AI tool until you are ready. It's really important that you learn enough about artificial intelligence first so that you can decide what purpose you want the AI to serve you and then design the way that you interact with AI strategically.”
RoseLuckin, Founder and CEO, Professor Emerita, University College London, 2025
To submit an AI tool for approval please complete the Software / AI Request Form
Approved use of AI
At Bordesley Multi Academy Trust we are committed to helping staff, trustees and local governors reduce their workload. Generative AI tools can make certain written tasks quicker and easier to complete, but cannot replace the judgement and knowledge of a human expert.
Whatever tools or resources are used to produce plans, policies or documents, the quality and content of the final document remains the professional responsibility of the person who produced it.
Any plans, policies or documents created using AI should be clearly attributed. Any member of staff, trustee or local governor using an AI-generated plan, policy or document should only share the AI-generated content with other members of staff, trustees or local governors for use if they are confident of the accuracy of the information, as the content remains the professional responsibility of the person who produced it.
Always consider whether AI is the right tool to use. Just because the trust has approved its use doesn’t mean it will always be appropriate.
The following link details guidance and list of approved AI solutions – www.bmat.co.uk/artificalintelligence
Process for approval
Staff are welcome to suggest new ways of using AI to improve pupil outcomes and reduce workload. They should contact their senior leader to discuss any ideas they may have with regards to using AI, so they can take the suggestions forward if they deem it to be a satisfactory new method of working.
Chief Operating Officer is responsible for signing off on approved uses of AI, or new AI tools, taking into account advice from the DPO, AI lead and data protection impact assessments.
Intellectual property
Most generative AI tools use inputs submitted by users to train and refine their models.
Pupils own the intellectual property (IP) rights to original content they create. This is likely to include anything that shows working out or is beyond multiple choice questions.
Bordesley Multi Academy Trust will not allow or cause intellectual property, including pupils’ work, to be used to train generative AI models without appropriate consent or exemption to copyright.
Exemptions to copyright are limited – we will seek legal advice if we are unsure as to whether we are acting within the law.
Bias
We are aware that AI tools can perpetuate existing biases, particularly towards special characteristics including sex, race and disability. This means that critical thought must be applied to all outputs of authorised AI applications. This means fact and sense-checking the output before relying on it.
Bordesley Multi Academy Trust will ensure we can identify and rectify bias or error by training staff in this area.
We will also regularly review our use of AI to identify and correct any biases that may arise.
If parents/carers or pupils have any concerns or complaints about potential unfair treatment or other negative outcomes as a consequence of AI use, these will be dealt with through our usual complaints procedure. www.bmat.co.uk/policies
Raising concerns
We encourage staff to speak to their school leader in the first instance if they have any concerns about the potential use of AI, or the use of AI that may have resulted in errors that lead to adverse consequences or unfair treatment.
Ethical and responsible use
Bordesley Multi Academy Trust will always:
- Use generative AI tools ethically and responsibly
- Remember the principles set out in our trust’s equality policy when using generative AI tools
- Consider whether the tool has real-time internet access, or access to information up to a certain point in time, as this may impact the accuracy of the output
- Fact and sense-check the output before relying on it
Staff members, trustees and local governors must not:
- Generate content to impersonate, bully or harass another person
- Generate explicit or offensive content
- Input offensive, discriminatory or inappropriate content as a prompt