At this year’s Labour Party Conference, the Education Policy Institute has partnered with Oxford University Press to hold a public panel on: ‘What does a coherent data, technology and AI strategy need to look like in the context of curriculum reform?’
Investing in digital tools, data systems and AI is at the forefront of the government’s plans to implement reforms across the education system. In the Schools White Paper alone, the government announced plans to develop AI formative assessment tools, introduce a new ‘data spine’ to streamline information sharing, and create a digital version of the refreshed national curriculum. In particular, the government has emphasised the potential for AI to reduce teacher workload by highlighting AI lesson planning tools, and to improve access to the curriculum for disadvantaged students and those with SEND through adaptive technologies.
While the possibilities of AI and technology to help deliver education reform are promising, without clear frameworks and coherence at a national level there is a danger of system fragmentation and increased workload pressure for the school workforce. We already know that there is variation in terms of technological access, due to barriers such as the financial cost and confidence in using them.
With the new curriculum set to be introduced in 2028, it is important that technology and AI are implemented in a responsible and equitable way in order to deliver the intended improvement in teaching and learning quality. This would require a high-quality digital learning system, which effectively and coherently brings together curriculum and assessment reform with data and AI.
This panel will bring together policymakers, sector leaders and technology experts to explore what it would take to build and practically implement a coherent digital ecosystem, and how curriculum and assessment and AI can be harnessed to support every learner – and to answer the question of what frameworks and standards would help ensure quality, interoperability and equity.
Speakers will be announced in due course.
