What We Assess

9 dimensions of AI readiness

Every school’s AI provision is unique. Our audit examines nine interconnected dimensions, each benchmarked against international education frameworks, to give you a complete picture of where your school stands and what to do next.

These nine dimensions represent a comprehensive framework distilled from 33 international sources, including UNESCO, OECD, the EU AI Act, UK Department for Education guidance, ISTE standards, and leading research institutions. Rather than treating AI readiness as a single score, we recognise that schools need excellence across multiple interconnected areas.

No dimension exists in isolation. Strong curriculum integration, for example, depends on staff CPD to build teacher confidence, ethical frameworks to guide implementation, and infrastructure to enable access. When you receive your audit report, you'll see how dimensions connect and where addressing one area can unlock progress in others.

Each dimension is scored from 1 (Beginning) to 5 (Leading), reflecting your school’s maturity level. A score of 1 means you’re starting to explore the area with limited formal provision. A score of 3 indicates established practices with consistent implementation. A score of 5 means your school is leading the sector, innovating beyond standard practice, and sharing insights with the wider education community.

Most frameworks only assess 2-3 areas — typically focusing on policy and basic digital literacy. We believe comprehensive AI readiness requires attention to curriculum design, professional development, ethics, student competencies, assessment practices, leadership vision, infrastructure, community engagement, and research-informed innovation. This holistic view ensures you don’t miss critical gaps.

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1

Student AI Literacy

Student AI literacy encompasses far more than knowing how to use a chatbot. It includes understanding core AI concepts, using AI tools responsibly and effectively, critically evaluating AI-generated outputs for accuracy, bias, and appropriateness, and creating with AI tools to achieve meaningful learning outcomes..

4 international frameworks

2

Teacher AI Competency

Teacher AI competency encompasses the knowledge, skills, and confidence that teachers need to work effectively in an AI-rich educational environment. This includes understanding AI concepts, using AI tools for teaching and professional tasks, integrating AI meaningfully into pedagogy, assessing student AI work, and modelling responsible AI use..

4 international frameworks

3

Institutional Readiness

Institutional readiness encompasses the strategic vision, leadership commitment, resource allocation, and organisational culture necessary for a school to adopt AI responsibly and sustainably. It asks a fundamental question: has the institution decided, at a strategic level, that AI matters — and has it backed that decision with resources and accountability?.

4 international frameworks

4

Policy & Governance

Policy and governance encompasses the formal documented rules, decision-making structures, and review processes that govern AI use in a school. This includes AI-specific acceptable use policies, data governance for AI tools, review and update cycles, stakeholder consultation, and the governance machinery that ensures policies remain current and effective..

4 international frameworks

5

Ethical Framework

The ethical framework dimension addresses how a school approaches the genuinely novel moral questions raised by AI in education. This encompasses addressing AI bias and fairness, establishing transparency requirements for AI-generated content, conducting ethical impact assessments for AI tools, and safeguarding student rights in relation to AI..

4 international frameworks

6

Assessment Integrity

Assessment integrity addresses how the school's assessment practices respond to the reality that AI tools can now complete a significant proportion of traditionally assessed work. This encompasses assessment policy, AI detection strategies, AI-resilient assessment design, and student guidance on acceptable AI use in assessments..

4 international frameworks

7

Professional Development

Professional development encompasses the existence and quality of structured AI CPD programmes, the breadth of access for all staff, the tracking and evaluation of AI CPD impact, and AI-specific training for school leaders. It measures the programme and structures that a school has put in place, distinct from the actual outcomes in teacher competency..

4 international frameworks

8

Technical Infrastructure

Technical infrastructure encompasses the central provisioning and management of AI tools, security controls governing AI access, usage monitoring and logging, and content filtering and safety measures. This dimension assesses the technical foundation that enables safe, managed AI use across the school..

4 international frameworks

9

Safeguarding & Risk

Safeguarding and risk encompasses AI-specific risks identified in safeguarding policy, risks from AI-generated content such as deepfakes and misinformation, student data privacy risks arising from AI tool use, and reporting processes for AI-related safeguarding concerns. This is a non-negotiable foundation dimension..

4 international frameworks

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