ESTYN, the education and training inspectorate for Wales, is set to lead a comprehensive review into how Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen AI) is being utilised in schools across Wales.

The review aims to assess the current applications of Gen AI tools, explore their potential benefits, and identify any challenges they may present to educators and learners.

Survey and engagement process

The review’s first phase involves a survey for schools and pupil referral units, inviting feedback and insights into their experiences with AI. This will be followed by in-depth engagement with teachers to gather detailed perspectives. The findings are expected to be published in the summer.

Support and guidance for schools

To help schools considering or beginning to use Generative AI, new guidance has been published. This guidance is part of a broader support package available on Hwb, developed with input from leading online safety organisations such as the UK Safer Internet Centre, Common Sense Education, Praesidio Safeguarding, and Internet Matters.

Statements from key figures

Cabinet Secretary for Education, Lynne Neagle, commented: “Artificial Intelligence presents a huge potential for schools; the technology is evolving quickly, and it is vital that schools are supported to navigate change.

“By getting an understanding of the good practice already being used, we can help schools to embrace the opportunities AI could bring responsibly, while continuing to prioritise the safety and well-being of staff and learners.

“Estyn are well placed to undertake this review, given their deep understanding of the education sector in Wales. As a government, we continue to work with partners, including local authorities, and engage with leading online safety organisations to ensure schools are guided by the best expert advice.”

Owen Evans, His Majesty’s Chief Inspector at Estyn, said: “We are very pleased to be launching this important call to gather views from education professionals to better understand how both teachers and pupils are already using generative AI in schools and pupil referral units across Wales.

“Generative AI has the potential to transform education if used responsibly, and its use amongst educators and learners is accelerating at a rapid rate. Having a clearer understanding of the integration of AI in schools at a national level will enable Government to better support and guide the education community in the use of this powerful technology.

“We would encourage school leaders, teachers, and support staff to share their experiences and engage with the survey, which is now live. We look forward to meeting with providers over the coming months to speak in more detail about their work in applying AI within their settings.”

AI subgroup and sector collaboration

In tandem with the review, an AI subgroup under Digital Learning Cymru has been established. This group ensures sector-wide input and brings together a network of experts from education, industry, and the third sector. The collaboration is intended to address both the opportunities and challenges associated with AI in education.

Estyn’s review is a pivotal step in helping schools across Wales navigate the evolving landscape of AI and harness its potential to enhance teaching and learning responsibly.

The Education Secretary, Lynne Neagle MS, has announced plans to develop a Strategic Education Workforce Plan aimed at addressing recruitment and retention challenges, reducing workload pressures, and improving conditions for education staff in Wales.

In a statement, the Secretary highlighted the importance of the education workforce in raising standards across schools and colleges. She acknowledged the dedication of teachers and support staff, which was reflected in last year’s 5.5% pay increase, raising the starting salary for new teachers to £32,433.

Neagle acknowledged the significant challenges facing the sector, including the implementation of the Curriculum for Wales, enhancing additional learning needs support, and improving school performance. She also drew attention to the growing demands placed on educators, with societal changes, the cost-of-living crisis, and increasing health needs of learners requiring schools to take on additional responsibilities.

According to the Education Secretary, these pressures have reshaped the role of teachers, school leaders, and support staff. She noted that rising workload concerns are limiting time for professional learning and administrative tasks, ultimately affecting teaching and learning outcomes. This, she warned, is impacting the appeal of teaching as a profession.

The planned Strategic Workforce Plan will initially focus on schools and early years settings, aiming to establish a clear vision for leaders, teachers, and support staff. It will also address key issues such as workload balance, experience, pay, and conditions.

The Welsh Government intends to develop the plan in collaboration with local authorities, governors, unions, education staff, parents, carers, and learners. Neagle emphasized that the initiative would be guided by transparency, with an update to be provided to the Senedd in due course.

This initiative comes as part of a broader effort to ensure that schools are equipped to meet the needs of learners while supporting the wellbeing and professional development of education staff across Wales.

Welsh Conservative Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Education, Natasha Asghar MS has criticised the Labour Government’s announcement of a “Strategic Education Workforce Plan,” calling it a belated and inadequate response to an education workforce that has faced mounting pressures over the past two decades.

Over 26 years in power, she said, Labour has failed to address systemic issues in education, leaving our teachers overworked, under-supported, and struggling to meet growing demands. Our education workforce has endured decades of neglect under Labour governance. The Welsh Conservatives have consistently called for proactive measures to tackle recruitment and retention challenges and provide meaningful support to our educators, yet Labour’s lack of foresight has left the profession in crisis.

Commenting on the announcement, Natasha Asghar MS, said: “Labour has had 26 years to fix the problems they have created in education, yet their failure to address the recruitment and retention crisis in our schools is a glaring indictment of their incompetence.

“Under Labour’s watch staff remain overwhelmed by the growing demands of the job. Instead of addressing these issues head-on, Labour has spent years tinkering with reforms that have done little to relieve the strain on our educators.

“Labour’s neglect has turned teaching from a respected vocation into an unsustainable career for many. Their last-minute effort to craft a ‘strategic workforce plan’ is too little, too late for the thousands of teachers who have already left the profession due to lack of support.”

Responding to the latest update on the update for the strategic education workforce plan, school leaders’ union, NAHT Cymru national secretary, Laura Doel said: “We welcome the Welsh Government’s recognition of the critical role the education workforce plays in raising standards. This workforce plan is a vital opportunity to tackle concerns over workload, wellbeing and recruitment and retention which have been raised repeatedly by school leaders and teachers.

“Society’s expectations of schools and colleges have shifted significantly, with families coming under more pressure, but support and resources have not kept pace with these demands. Leaders and practitioners’ time is being stretched more thinly than ever as they are called upon to deal with non-teaching issues including the impact of poverty.

“The Welsh Government must focus on getting the basics right – addressing the unsustainable workload pressures that undermine wellbeing and drive people out of the profession – even when these do not conveniently align with its priorities.

“NAHT Cymru took industrial action because these issues could no longer be ignored, which was only resolved with a clear commitment from the government to act. We need to see urgent progress in these areas, working closely with the profession, in order to avoid further disruption.”

IF you are concerned about the crusts of your bread going to waste, then new research that promises to turn it into new kinds of food could be the answer.

In a paper published in the journal ‘NPJ Science of Food’, academics at Aberystwyth University have shown that waste bread can be fermented into highly nutritious foods.

Wheat is one of the most consumed crops worldwide, contributing to 20% of the calories and proteins in human diets.

It is a key ingredient for many staple foods, such as breads, cakes, biscuits, cookies and crackers.

Bakery waste, particularly from bread, is a major global concern. Currently around 10% of the 185 million tons of bread baked each year is wasted, mostly at supermarkets and commercial bakers.

While most of this surplus is safe to eat, with some of it distributed by charities, it cannot be sold more generally.

The new study is the first time academics have shown grass traditionally used for livestock production can be successfully fermented along with bread by fungi to make alternative proteins.

The new process combines surplus bread with juice from pressed grass which is full of nutrients and protein for fungal growth.

The alternative protein that can be produced from it could end up on the plates of millions, including in fortified bread, pork pies or sausages.

Dr David Bryant from the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences at Aberystwyth University said:

“This is a real breakthrough that will hopefully tackle the growing global problem of wasted food. Most of us know only too well how much of a problem bread waste is – from the toast thrown away at breakfast or our uneaten sandwiches. But that is not the whole issue – much is wasted commercially in manufacture and retail as well.

“This research gives us a way of tackling that problem through fermentation.  It is the use of grass that makes these findings a genuine first. The beauty of this method is that it can use that everyday plant to turn waste into new types of food for the growing world population.”

The type of fungi used in the scientists’ new fermentation is already widely used to produce tempeh, a vegetarian alternative to meat made from fermented cooked soya beans and which is widely eaten in parts of Asia.

Using the pilot-scale biorefining facility at AberInnovation, which is based on Aberystwyth University’s Gogerddan Campus, the scientific breakthrough takes advantage of solid-state fermentation, which is more environmentally friendly and produces less wastewater than other methods.

A spokesperson for Samworth Brothers added:

“Samworth Brothers is a food business with significant influence – our activities impact the environment and climate change, nutrition, employment, supply chains and the communities in which we operate. We’re determined that our influence is for the good.

Supporting this project is a great example of what we can do in addition to our food redistribution activities to find alternative uses for bread crusts.”

The four-year research project is funded by the UKRI Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).

Professor Anne Ferguson-Smith, BBSRC Executive Chair, said:

“Embracing innovative approaches like this not only helps to combat food waste but also pioneers new ways to sustain our growing population with nutritious alternatives. This latest research from IBERS, one of BBSRC’s strategically supported research institutes, epitomises the type of transformative science BBSRC invests in to foster sustainable and resilient food systems across the UK and around the world. The potential of turning everyday waste into valuable food resources is an opportunity we must capitalise on if we are to successfully secure our global food supply both now and in the future.”

As the study continues, researchers will consider how they can change the flavours and improve the taste of the alternative proteins produced by the fermentation.