How Leading Independent Schools Are Approaching AI Governance
The schools getting AI governance right aren't the biggest or most tech-savvy. They're the ones that started.
The schools getting AI governance right aren’t the ones with the biggest budgets or the most tech-savvy staff. They’re the ones that started.
We’ve spoken to dozens of school leaders over the past six months. Here’s what the leaders are doing differently.
They treat it as governance, not IT
The schools that struggle put AI in the IT department’s domain. The schools that succeed treat it as a governance and safeguarding issue.
This matters because:
- Governance issues get board attention and budget
- Safeguarding framing creates urgency
- SLT ownership ensures follow-through
If AI is “an IT thing,” it competes with every other IT project. If it’s a governance requirement, it gets done.
They start with staff, not students
It’s tempting to focus on student AI use — it’s the visible issue parents ask about. But leading schools start with staff.
Why? Because:
- Staff AI use is happening now, often without oversight
- Staff handle sensitive data that creates real risk
- Staff who understand AI can guide students appropriately
Get staff competence right first. Student policy follows naturally.
They document before they perfect
Schools that wait for the “perfect” AI policy wait forever. Leading schools document a position — knowing it will evolve — and improve it over time.
A good-enough policy today is better than a perfect policy next year because:
- It gives staff clear guidance now
- It satisfies governance requirements
- It creates a baseline to improve from
They build evidence from day one
Leading schools don’t retrofit compliance evidence. They build systems that generate it automatically:
- Training that tracks completion
- Policies with built-in acknowledgment
- Reports that export for governors
When the board asks — or the inspector arrives — they’re not scrambling. They’re clicking “export.”
The common thread
The schools ahead on AI governance share one trait: they decided this was a priority and acted before they had all the answers.
They’re not smarter or better resourced. They just started earlier.
The Pedagogue Standard helps schools move from “we should do something” to “here’s our evidence” in weeks. Join the founding cohort.
