Short answer: the DfE is broadly supportive — with conditions. The Department for Education's guidance on generative AI in education takes the position that AI can legitimately reduce workload and support teaching, provided it never replaces professional judgement, content is checked by staff, and pupil personal data is protected in line with existing law.
What that means in practice
The direction of travel matters for school leaders: this is not a technology the DfE expects schools to avoid, and increasingly, having no considered position looks worse than having a cautious one. The guidance sits alongside — not instead of — your existing obligations under UK GDPR and Keeping Children Safe in Education, which is why we recommend folding AI into those existing frameworks rather than inventing parallel ones. Our governance framework guide shows the structure.
Keep checking the current version
Guidance in this area is updated as the technology moves, so always work from the current version on gov.uk rather than a summary — including this one. What's been stable throughout: workload reduction is welcomed, judgement stays human, and pupil data stays protected.