More research is needed into the impact of AI tutoring for pupils, experts have warned after the government announced plans to trial it in England’s schools.
Ministers said last week they will trial “AI tutoring tools” in schools, claiming it could benefit up to 450,000 disadvantaged children a year within two years.
The Department for Education (DfE) warned that access to tutoring is currently “deeply unequal”, with wealthier pupils far more likely to benefit.
Its pilot will test “safe AI-powered tutoring tools providing personalised, one-to-one learning support – levelling the playing field for those who cannot afford private tutors”.
Professor Becky Francis, CEO of the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), said the benefits of tutoring “are clear” and it is “one of the most well-evidenced approaches” for supporting pupils needing additional help.
But, while there is “strong understanding of what effective human tutoring looks like”, she stressed that “the evidence on AI provision is in its infancy”.
Announcing the AI scheme, the DfE cited EEF research showing that one-to-one tuition can accelerate learning by around five months on average.
The EEF found short, regular sessions of around 30 minutes, three to five times a week, over a set period of up to 10 weeks delivered “optimum impact”.
But the studies examined tuition delivered by “a teacher, teaching assistant or other adult giving a pupil intensive individual support”.
Francis said AI models “hold potential”, but she added: “We must build the evidence to ensure we are providing learners with provision that we can be confident will support their learning.
Jen Fox, CEO of Action Tutoring, welcomed the investment, but said: “Our mission is an equitable education system, and that requires more than just tools; it requires evidence.”
Use of AI tutoring must be ‘carefully monitored’
Dr Cat Scutt, deputy CEO of the Chartered College of Teaching, said developing and implementing AI tutoring “effectively and safely” was “an incredibly complex task, and its success or otherwise will be in the detail”.
But she acknowledged its potential to make a difference to disadvantaged young people if “done well”.
Co-creating the tools with teachers “will significantly increase the chance of success”, she said.
Francis added that the scheme’s impact will “depend on implementation”.
“It is vital that any use of AI tutors is carefully monitored and closely aligned to wider classroom teaching,” she said. “Both to make sure they are delivering for pupils, and to build the evidence base for what works.”
The DfE said the scheme will help pupils “to access one-to-one tutoring”, but it is not clear how involved human teachers and tutors will be.
Susannah Hardyman, CEO of Impetus and a former head of Action Tutoring, said: “When used in conjunction with human tutors and teachers who can keep a pupil engaged, encourage resilience, and establish trust, AI has the potential to scale some of the key aspects of tutoring.”
She said there must now be “robust evaluation to learn how AI tutoring can work best”, adding that the current disadvantage gap shows “the need is huge”.
In 2024-25, just 25.6 per cent of GCSE pupils from a disadvantaged background achieved a grade 5 – or “strong pass” – in English and maths. This compared to 52.8 per cent of pupils not known to be from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Tools available to schools by end of 2027
The government will run a tender “for industry to co-create AI tutoring tools with teachers” from the summer term.
The DfE said it hoped this would bring the tools “to a similar level of quality, so that we can offer, at scale, the kind of personalised one-to-one support often only available to a privileged few”.
The tools will then be available to schools “by the end of 2027”.
The DfE said that, “from years 9-11 alone … the tools could support up to 450,000 children a year on free school meals to access one-to-one tutoring”.
By “adapting to individual pupils’ needs, the tools could provide extra help when they get stuck” and identify where they need more practice.
The department insisted that the tools will “complement” high-quality, face-to-face teaching – but won’t replace it.
And it pledged to “robustly test” the AI tutoring tools, “so they are safe and work for pupils … and school staff”.
“This includes ensuring they work in tandem with the national curriculum to build on children’s learning in class.”
Trials will begin this year with children in secondary schools.
School staff will be supported “with clear, practical training developed with the education sector, so they have the skills, knowledge and confidence to use AI safely and effectively”.
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