AI at Shrewsbury: The Helper, Not the Thief 

Now that AI has been in mainstream use for a couple of years, research is becoming clear: AI can be enormously helpful for learning, but only when it supports the learning process rather than replaces it. Used poorly, it can 'steal the struggle' of learning, preventing the deep thinking needed to move knowledge from short-term to long-term memory. 

Our approach at Shrewsbury this year is guided by the principle of AI as the helper, not the thief. We want pupils to see AI as a coach, a tool that can signpost, encourage, and clarify, but not one that does the work for them. The learning journey must still be their own. 

To support this, we have developed an AGILE framework, which underpins our strategy. It emphasises the importance of AI literacy, ethical awareness, and using technology at the right moment, in the right way. Pupils are being taught to engage critically with AI outputs, to use it for planning and structuring, and to understand its strengths and limitations. 

A key part of this strategy is our new traffic-light guidance for assignments: 

• Red tasks: AI should not be used, as the value lies in pupils completing the work themselves. 

• Amber tasks: Pupils may use AI at specific points in the process, but never for the final output. 

• Green tasks: Designed to build AI literacy, pupils may experiment with generating and critiquing AI outputs. 

We are also expanding AI literacy teaching across faculties, building on our dedicated Third Form course and Lower Sixth Academic Perspectives option, and engaging with staff and student working groups to keep our strategy innovative and relevant. 

Ultimately, our aim is not just to prepare pupils for an AI-enabled world, but to help them flourish as critical thinkers, independent learners, and ethical digital citizens. 

Shrewsbury has established itself as a leader in educational innovation, recognised nationally and internationally for its pioneering use of technology in the classroom. Recent accolades include being named a Microsoft Showcase School and an EdTech50 School, reaching the finals of the Independent School of the Year Award – Best Use of Education Technology, and being shortlisted for the ICT Innovation category at the Education Business Awards 2025. In addition, I received the Global EdTech Evangelist Award 2024 for my contribution to digital education. 

By Henry Exham, Assistant Deputy Head