The scope, impact and speed of artificial intelligence (AI) is unintelligible to most. For school leaders, that creates both urgency and unease.
When we were approached about doing a project on AI, our initial reaction was “why would we do that, we don’t know anything about AI!”.
In fact, that insight was the start of this work. The vast majority of school leaders feel they don’t know enough about the issue to navigate this within their organisations.
Hence the Big AI Project was born, with the aim being to equip all schools in the UK and the Republic of Ireland with the skills needed to approach an AI-infused world safely, ethically and strategically.
At its heart, this project is about more than technology, it is about fulfilling Big Education’s broader mission to ensure school remains relevant to the needs of today, equipping young people with the agency to navigate a world transformed by AI.
Today we are formally launching our pilot phase report and the national rollout of our free training programme.
From wild west to professional agency
Research released by the Education Policy Institute with support from the Nuffield Foundation in January 2026 (Wielar & Andrews, 2026) found that a lack of evidence on AI impact leaves multi academy trusts navigating a “wild west” market.
Leaders are being asked to make decisions about procurement, safeguarding, pedagogy and data security in an environment saturated with marketing and short on independent evidence.
The Big AI Project responds directly to this challenge. The materials do not tell schools to adopt AI. Nor does it urge them to reject it.
Instead, the project has designed and piloted materials which seek to provide a balanced view that places the human and society at the centre of the discussion.
The project, made possible through philanthropic funding from Salesforce, is underpinned by leading voices from, amongst others, the Good Future Foundation, AI in Education at Oxford University, and Cambridge University Press & Assessment.
AI expert Professor Rose Luckin from UCL/Educate Ventures, academic evaluation partner to the project, captures its distinctive contribution: “What Big Education has done here is something essential: it has put schools and trusts at the centre of the conversation.
“Not as passive recipients of technology, and not as cheerleaders or critics of AI, but as active, thoughtful agents working out what this technology means for their communities, their staff, and their young people.”
Practical, grounded insights
The holistic approach encompasses content ranging from safety and data security through to environmental impact, misinformation and impact on the world of work and employment.
We worked with schools nationally and internationally to co-design resources for different audiences. These have been piloted and evaluated, and we are delighted to be rolling this out nationally.
This includes training for school and trust leaders in person, training and resources for teachers, and age-appropriate AI literacy curricula for early years, primary and secondary students up to key stage 3.
One pilot school headteacher reflected: “The impact of the training was massive, opening my eyes as a school leader to AI, its uses and downfalls.
“This has made me have a far more cautious approach to ‘letting the cat out of the bag’ and making sure that we have everything in order before we introduce AI into the curriculum.”
There are significant risks here, including poor pedagogical application, a growing digital and skills divide and mis/disinformation.
We hope that this project, which is completely aligned with the stringent DfE best practice guidance, can play a role in empowering our sector to be on the front foot with our thinking and decision-making.
This is an opportunity not simply to learn about AI, but to shape how it is understood and governed in our schools.
As Luckin puts it: “The question is no longer whether AI will shape education, but whether education will shape how AI is used.”
The national rollout is happening across 10 locations in the coming weeks and months.
You can register for the free training here.
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