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I got my first job in IT when I was eight years old.
Officially, I was the computer monitor—unofficially, the head of IT for the school. My role? Wheel the school’s single BBC Micro to whichever classroom had booked it. I reported directly to the school secretary (back before we called them School Business Managers), and I took the job very seriously.
The real perk? I was paid in Cadbury Dairy Milk, a currency I still seem to work in, judging by the snack drawer in my office.
I’ll never forget the thrill of typing:
10 PRINT "*"; 20 GOTO 10
…and watching the screen fill with stars. A handful of lines. A sense of power. A lifelong love of tech sparked by a glowing cursor.
Now, as I am days away from reaching my half century it’s fascinating to see how far we’ve come. And this week, the Department for Education has taken another step forward: publishing a brand-new set of training modules and support materials to help schools understand and implement generative AI safely and effectively.
These five new resources are part of a coordinated effort to provide schools and colleges with a practical, thoughtful, and accessible introduction to AI in education. They’re short, clearly written, and ideal for staff CPD or leadership planning.
All five items are collected here in one place:
Using AI in Education Settings: Support Materials
Alongside these new modules, a number of existing publications have been updated to include links and references. These resources remain helpful for anyone shaping policy or practice in their school:
Whether it’s printing asterisks in BASIC or exploring the possibilities of AI-powered lesson planning, one thing hasn’t changed: education is about learning. For staff. For pupils. For all of us.
We just need to remember that all technology is a tool. It must strengthen the relationship between the tutor and the learner if it is to be relevant, not replace it.
These new modules are a welcome addition to the growing toolkit available to schools. They won’t give you all the answers—but they will help you ask better questions. And that, I think, is exactly the point.
And as for me? I’m still learning, still fascinated, and—on balance—still happy to be paid in chocolate.
