AI strategy for schools and trusts

What Schools Can Learn from a Leading Multi-Academy Trust Driving AI Strategy in Practice

Teacher workload remains one of the biggest barriers to sustainable improvement in schools. Planning, marking, resource creation, adaptation, communication, assessment and administrative tasks all compete for time. At the same time, AI is rapidly entering the conversation. But for many schools and trusts, the challenge is not whether AI exists. It is how to adopt it well.

As part of our engagement with schools and academies at the Schools & Academies Show London 2026, we explored this through the work of Connect Education Trust. Connect Education Trust is a leading London multi-academy trust serving more than 3,600 pupils across eight schools, with a strong focus on educational excellence, inclusion and preparing learners for a rapidly changing digital world.

Schools & Academies Show London 2026 Connect Education Trust

Webinar recording

Starting With the Problem, Not the Tool

In the webinar, Gulev Karayel, Director of Digital Innovation at Connect Education Trust, shared how the trust is approaching AI not as a standalone tool, but as part of a broader strategy focused on pedagogy, inclusion and long-term impact.

We really wanted those teachers… to think about why are they using this… what is the gap?

Gulev Karayel, Director of Digital Innovation, Connect Education Trust

Too often, AI adoption begins with curiosity about the technology. But without a clear understanding of the problem being solved, tools can quickly become disconnected from teaching and learning priorities. At Connect Education Trust, AI was introduced in response to real needs: reducing workload, supporting inclusive teaching, improving access to high-quality resources and creating greater consistency across schools.

Building a Strategy Around Real Classroom Practice

Gulev described how the trust approached implementation as a structured, organisation-wide process. This included staff engagement, working groups, leadership involvement, clear principles for AI use, ongoing CPD and practical classroom application.

Staff engagement Gathering views, identifying confidence levels and understanding real needs.

Working groups Creating space for leaders and teachers to shape implementation together.

Ongoing CPD Supporting staff over time rather than treating AI as a one-off training event.

Classroom practice Using AI to support planning, resources, adaptation and teaching activities.

Importantly, this was not about replacing practice. It was about enhancing it.

Why Not Just Use ChatGPT, Gemini or Copilot?

This question arises in almost every conversation about AI in education. General AI tools can be powerful, but they rely heavily on the user knowing how to prompt effectively, understanding pedagogy and evaluating outputs critically.

Generic AI assumes expertise

Users must know what to ask.
Outputs vary by prompting skill.
Governance is harder at scale.
Safeguarding boundaries can be unclear.

TeacherMatic scaffolds expertise

Structured workflows guide the user.
Pedagogical prompts are built in.
Outputs are more consistent.
Leaders gain a more governable platform.

TeacherMatic, part of the Avallain Group since 2024, is a ready-to-go AI toolkit for education. It has been designed specifically for educators, using structured workflows rather than open-ended prompts.

Designed for Educators: Why Scaffolding Matters

One of the most important differences highlighted in the session was how TeacherMatic supports teachers through structured design. Instead of starting with a blank prompt box, the platform uses defined inputs, built-in pedagogical guidance and structured outputs aligned to classroom practice.

Reduced cognitive load Teachers do not need to learn prompt engineering to get started.

Greater consistency Outputs are more reliable across teams and departments.

Stronger pedagogy The focus remains on learning design, not just content generation.

Less re-prompting Staff reach stronger outputs with fewer unnecessary iterations.

This is not just a usability improvement. It is what makes AI practical and scalable across whole schools and trusts. As discussed in the webinar, this also supports efficiency and sustainability. Because teachers reach high-quality outputs more quickly, they do not need to repeatedly refine or re-prompt. The prompt engineering and pedagogical scaffolding built into the platform support this.

Supporting Teacher Development at Every Stage

This structured approach also supports professional development. For Early Career Teachers, it provides guidance and structure. For experienced teachers, it reduces workload while maintaining control and professional judgement. TeacherMatic enhances practice rather than replacing it.

Curriculum Alignment: Built on Real Frameworks, Not AI Guesswork

One of the most significant differences between TeacherMatic and general AI tools is how curriculum alignment is handled. Most AI tools rely on a model’s interpretation of a curriculum. They generate content based on patterns, not structured specifications. TeacherMatic takes a fundamentally different approach. It is built on real, mapped curricula. The platform integrates over 38 curriculum frameworks, covering Key Stage 1 through to Key Stage 4, GCSE frameworks and international qualifications such as the International Baccalaureate. This means outputs are grounded in real specifications rather than generic content.

For educators Confidence that lessons and assessments meet the right standards.

For institutions Consistency, compliance and stronger curriculum coherence across teams.

For leaders Clearer alignment with curriculum intent, implementation and inspection readiness.

For learners Focused, relevant teaching designed to help them succeed.

Explore curriculum alignment in more detail

AI as a Thinking Partner, Not an Answer Engine

AI should support teaching, not replace it. TeacherMatic enables teachers to generate, adapt and refine content while retaining full professional control. This keeps pedagogy, context and professional judgement at the centre.

Connect Education Trust: At a Glance

ContextA leading London multi-academy trust with eight schools and a strong focus on inclusion and digital readiness.

ChallengeIntroducing AI safely, consistently and effectively across the trust.

ApproachA pedagogy-first strategy supported by structured implementation and TeacherMatic as a shared platform.

ImpactImproved efficiency, increased staff confidence and greater capacity for high-quality teaching.

Safeguarding, Ethics and Trust by Design

AI adoption in schools must be safe, secure and governed. TeacherMatic has been designed as a controlled, education-focused environment.

GDPR-aligned Designed to support responsible data handling in educational settings.

UK-based Azure hosting Secure infrastructure aligned to institutional expectations.

No data training School and student data is not used to train external AI models.

Controlled environment A platform designed specifically for education, not public general use.

Avallain Ethics Filter

As part of the Avallain Group, TeacherMatic also benefits from the Ethics Filter developed through Avallain Lab. This feature is designed to reduce the likelihood of problematic outputs by addressing harmful or unsafe content, bias and discrimination, accuracy and integrity, educational value, privacy and confidentiality. Testing showed a 60% reduction in problematic outputs when the filter was applied. Read more about Avallain’s Ethics Filter Importantly, this does not replace teacher judgement. It supports it.

Designed for Efficiency, Control and Sustainability

TeacherMatic is built on Microsoft Azure. Learn more about Microsoft Azure’s sustainability commitments Microsoft has committed to:

100% renewable energy by 2025
Water positive operations by 2030
Zero waste certification by 2030

Combined with reduced re-prompting through structured workflows, this supports a more efficient and responsible use of AI.

Beyond the Classroom: Supporting Leadership and Whole-School Practice

As highlighted by Peter Kilcoyne, Managing Director of TeacherMatic, the platform extends beyond teaching.

Senior Leadership Teams Strategy, planning and school improvement.

Ofsted preparation Inspection readiness, documentation and evidence support.

Quality assurance Lesson observations, feedback frameworks and coaching.

Curriculum leadership Curriculum design, departmental consistency and team support.

HR and CPD Staff development, appraisal, mentoring and reflection.

Marketing Communications, outreach and content creation.

This enables schools to adopt AI as a coherent, organisation-wide solution.

What This Means for School Leaders

For SLT and MAT leaders, the key question is no longer whether staff will use AI. It is whether that use will be safe, consistent, governable and pedagogically aligned. TeacherMatic brings all of this together in a single platform designed specifically for education. It supports teachers, leaders, quality teams, managers and wider organisational functions, while keeping human judgement, safeguarding and pedagogy at the centre.

Final Reflection

The real question is no longer: Should we use AI? It is: How do we implement it in a way that genuinely improves teaching and learning? For schools and trusts, that means choosing an approach that supports staff, protects learners, strengthens curriculum alignment and gives leaders confidence. TeacherMatic helps make that possible.