AI Training That Doesn’t Require Cover: A Practical Guide for Deputy Heads
You need to train staff on AI. You also need them in classrooms. Here's how to do both without breaking the timetable.
You need to train staff on AI. You also need them in classrooms. These two facts create a familiar tension.
INSET days are full. Cover is expensive. Staff are tired. Adding another training requirement feels impossible.
But AI training doesn’t have to work like other CPD. Here’s what we’ve learned about making it stick without breaking the timetable.
Why traditional training models fail for AI
The usual approach — a speaker at an INSET day, a one-hour session — doesn’t work for AI training. Three reasons:
- AI knowledge decays fast. What’s true about AI in September may be outdated by January. A one-off session becomes irrelevant quickly.
- Staff have wildly different starting points. Some teachers use ChatGPT daily. Others have never tried it. A single session either bores the advanced users or loses the beginners.
- Compliance matters, not just attendance. You don’t just need staff to attend training. You need to prove they’ve understood it. A signature on a register doesn’t do that.
What works instead
Asynchronous completion. Staff complete training when it fits their schedule — during a free period, after school, at home. No cover required. No coordinated diary.
Short, focused modules. 70 minutes total is enough to cover the essentials. Break it into 10-15 minute segments that can be completed across a week.
Built-in assessment. Knowledge checks throughout, not just at the end. You can see who’s actually understood the content — and who clicked through.
Regular refresh. A 10-minute update each half term keeps knowledge current. Staff stay compliant without another full training cycle.
What you need to show governors
When governors ask about AI training, you need:
- Completion percentage (what proportion of staff have finished?)
- Individual status (who’s trained, who isn’t?)
- Currency (when did they last update their knowledge?)
If your training approach can’t produce this data on demand, it’s not fit for purpose.
The real question
The challenge isn’t finding time for AI training. It’s finding training that respects the time staff don’t have.
If you can deliver training that’s genuinely useful, takes an hour total, and proves completion to governors — staff will do it. They understand why it matters.
If you ask them to sit through another death-by-PowerPoint INSET session, you’ll get compliance without competence.
The Pedagogue Standard delivers AI training in 70 minutes, asynchronously, with built-in assessment and half-termly refresh. No cover required. See how it works.
