AI: Strategic Leadership for Primary Schools
Equip your leadership team with the knowledge, frameworks and confidence to guide your school's use of AI, responsibly and strategically, with lasting impact.
Officially CPD Certified, 6 CPD hours
The pressure to lead on AI has already arrived
School leaders are being asked to make high-stakes decisions about AI, often without adequate preparation.
Governors and trustees are being asked to sign off on AI policies they may not fully understand. Headteachers and senior leaders are navigating procurement decisions, safeguarding obligations, and staff training responsibilities, often without a strategic framework to guide them.
Meanwhile, Ofsted expectations are sharpening. The DfE has issued guidance. Academy trusts are asking for trust-wide positions. And staff and parents are already using AI tools, with or without school oversight.
Questions this course answers
- What does a responsible AI policy actually look like for a primary school?
- How should you approach AI procurement and data governance?
- What are your legal obligations around safeguarding and the ICO?
- How do you build staff capacity without losing sight of pupil welfare?
A full day for your leadership team
This course gives your leadership team the answers and the frameworks to act on them.
AI: Strategic Leadership for Primary Schools is a full-day, governance-focused CPD course designed exclusively for school leaders, governors, trustees, and academy trust executives. Every session is built around strategic decision-making, not classroom demonstration.
What to expect
The day opens by establishing a shared understanding of what AI actually is and why it matters for primary education leadership, cutting through the hype to focus on what leaders genuinely need to know.
From there, the programme moves through eight interconnected areas.
- Policy development
- Safeguarding and data governance
- Staff capability building
- Ethical frameworks
- Curriculum and assessment implications
- Parental communication
- Procurement and due diligence
- Long-term strategic planning
What you'll take away
A school AI policy framework
Leave with a structured draft AI policy that draws on DfE guidance, addresses safeguarding requirements, and is ready for governor ratification: not a generic template, but a framework shaped to your school's context.
Governance and accountability clarity
Understand the respective roles of governors, trustees, headteachers, and SLT in AI oversight, and how to embed AI governance into your existing committee and reporting structures.
Safeguarding and data governance confidence
Navigate the ICO landscape, understand what GDPR means for AI tool use in schools, and establish the data protection principles your school needs before deploying any AI system.
Staff and curriculum leadership tools
Develop a model for building AI capability across your teaching staff, including how to identify champions, plan CPD, and evaluate impact on curriculum quality and workload.
A parent and community communication plan
Understand how to communicate your school's AI position to parents, carers, and the wider community in a way that builds trust and manages expectations effectively.
A strategic AI action plan
Leave with a prioritised, time-bound action plan tailored to your school or trust, so the thinking done on the day translates directly into measurable progress.
Certified CPD programme
6 CPD hours · Full-day programme
AI: Strategic Leadership for Primary Schools is a fully certified CPD programme, awarding 6 CPD hours upon completion of the full-day session.
Each participant receives a personalised CPD certificate, suitable for inclusion in their professional portfolio and governor training record. Headteachers may use attendance records and CPD certificates to evidence whole-leadership professional development within their school improvement plan and Ofsted evidence base.
Designed for
No prior technical knowledge is required. The course is designed for educational leaders, not technologists. All content is delivered in accessible, jargon-free language, grounded in the practical realities of primary school leadership. Participants are supported to engage critically with AI as a governance challenge, not a technical one.
- Headteachers and Deputy Headteachers
- Senior Leadership Teams (SLT)
- School Governors and Trustees
- School Business Managers
- Academy Trust Executives and CEOs
- Schools and trusts developing or reviewing an AI strategy or policy
Frequently asked questions
Who should attend this course?
The course is designed for anyone with governance or strategic responsibility for a primary school or academy trust, including headteachers, deputy headteachers, SLT members, governors, trustees, and school business managers. It is ideal as a whole-leadership team day, with everyone working from the same shared framework.
How is this course different from the AI: Practical Skills course for teachers?
The Practical Skills course is designed for classroom teachers and focuses on hands-on resource creation using AI tools. This Strategic Leadership course is governance-focused: it addresses policy, safeguarding, data, ethics, and strategic planning. The two courses are complementary and are designed to be delivered to different audiences within the same school, ideally in sequence.
Do participants need any technical background?
Not at all. The course is designed specifically for educational leaders, not technologists. No prior experience with AI tools is required or assumed. The focus is on strategic decision-making, not software skills.
Can this course be delivered to a multi-academy trust leadership team?
Yes. The course is well suited to combined trust-level sessions, with representatives from multiple schools working through a shared governance framework together. Trust-wide packages are available. Please mention this in your enquiry.
How soon can we book?
We recommend booking at least 4 to 6 weeks in advance to allow for a pre-course briefing and to ensure the session can be tailored to your school's or trust's current AI position.
What do participants receive?
Each participant receives a printed Participant Workbook, a personalised CPD certificate (6 hours), and a post-session follow-up email with key resources, policy references, and action plan templates.
Can the course be adapted for a school at an early stage of AI adoption?
Absolutely. The course is designed to meet schools wherever they are on the AI journey, from those yet to engage with AI at all, to those already deploying tools and wanting to strengthen their governance structures. Mention your school's current position in your enquiry and we'll tailor accordingly.
Book your leadership team's INSET day
AI: Strategic Leadership for Primary Schools is delivered in-school, on a date that works for your leadership team. The course is designed for groups of 6 to 15 participants, making it ideal for a full SLT and governor session or a combined trust leadership day.
- Delivered at your school: no travel required for your team
- Flexible scheduling: INSET days, staff training days, and twilight sessions available
- Ideal group size: 6 to 15 participants per session
- Multi-academy trust packages available for combined leadership sessions
For pricing information and availability, please use the enquiry form or contact us directly. Bespoke packages are available for multi-school and trust bookings.
Also available: AI: Practical Skills for Primary Teachers
The companion course for classroom teachers and teaching assistants: hands-on resource creation with AI tools. The two are designed to be delivered to different audiences in the same school, ideally in sequence.