Hambrough Primary and Nursery School

Intent 

At Hambrough Primary School, Microsoft Copilot has been introduced to enhance teaching, learning and operational efficiency while maintaining the highest standards of safeguarding, data protection and professional judgement. 

Our vision is to use artificial intelligence responsibly to: 

• Improve outcomes for pupils. 

• Enhance teacher effectiveness and creativity. 

• Reduce unnecessary workload. 

• Support evidence-informed decision-making. 

• Enable staff to focus more time on high-value interactions with pupils. 

• Foster a culture of innovation that is ethical, safe and educationally purposeful. 

Our approach is underpinned by the AHEAD framework: 

• Alignment with educational goals 

• Human intelligence enhanced, not replaced 

• Evidence-informed practice 

• Adaptability and personalisation 

• Designed and used ethically 

We view AI as a professional tool that augments human expertise. Staff remain responsible for all decisions, actions and outcomes, with professional judgement sitting at the centre of all AI use. 

Implementation 

Microsoft Copilot is available to staff through their school Microsoft 365 accounts and is being embedded across teaching, leadership and administrative functions. 

Teaching and Learning 

Staff use Copilot to support: 

• Lesson and sequence planning 

• Resource creation 

• Model text generation 

• Differentiation and scaffolding 

• Curriculum research 

• Presentation development 

• Assessment preparation 

• Provision of challenge and extension opportunities 

• Adaptation of learning materials to meet pupil needs 

By reducing the time required for routine content creation, staff can devote more time to responsive teaching and pupil engagement. 

Professional Practice 

Copilot is also used to: 

• Draft emails and professional communications 

• Summarise reports, policies and research 

• Support policy writing and review 

• Create staff training materials 

• Improve the clarity and efficiency of written documentation 

• Reduce administrative workload 

Safe and Ethical Use 

All staff are expected to: 

• Use approved AI tools through their professional accounts 

• Comply with GDPR and data protection expectations 

• Never input personal or sensitive pupil information into AI systems 

• Critically evaluate all AI-generated outputs 

• Verify information before use 

• Apply professional judgement at all times 

AI supports decision-making but never replaces it. 

Developing Effective Prompting 

A key element of Hambrough's implementation strategy is ensuring staff develop strong prompt engineering skills. Staff have received training in a structured prompting framework designed to improve the quality, relevance and usefulness of AI-generated responses. 

When using Microsoft Copilot, staff are encouraged to consider: 

Purpose 
What is the task or outcome required? 

Role 
What expertise should Copilot adopt (for example, teacher, curriculum specialist or subject leader)? 

Output 
What format should the final response take? 

Specificity 
What year group, subject, attainment level or curriculum focus should be included? 

Context 
What background information will improve the accuracy and usefulness of the response? 

Refinement 
How can follow-up questions improve or develop the original output? 

This structured approach helps staff move beyond simple AI requests and engage in a reflective, iterative process where Copilot acts as a professional thinking partner. The framework promotes consistency across the school and enables staff to generate high-quality, curriculum-specific resources efficiently. 

Impact 

Although implementation is continuing to develop, a number of positive outcomes are already evident. 

Improved Staff Efficiency 

• Faster production of planning materials and resources 

• Reduced time spent on administrative tasks 

• More efficient creation of presentations, communications and documents 

• Increased capacity for staff to focus on teaching and learning 

Enhanced Teaching Practice 

• Greater access to research-informed approaches 

• Improved differentiation and scaffolding 

• Increased capacity to personalise learning 

• More opportunities to provide challenge for higher-attaining pupils 

• Enhanced creativity in lesson design and resource development 

Impact of the Prompt Framework 

The introduction of a shared prompting framework has: 

• Improved the quality of AI-generated outputs 

• Increased staff confidence when using Microsoft Copilot 

• Reduced time spent refining resources 

• Encouraged critical evaluation of AI responses 

• Supported more personalised and context-specific educational content 

Professional Development 

• Increased staff confidence in the use of emerging technologies 

• Greater collaboration and sharing of effective AI practice 

• Enhanced understanding of ethical and responsible AI use 

• Growing capability across the workforce to use AI effectively and safely 

School Improvement 

Microsoft Copilot is increasingly supporting whole-school priorities, including improving outcomes in writing and strengthening provision for higher-attaining pupils. Staff are developing their use of AI to research, evaluate and implement evidence-informed approaches that contribute directly to school improvement planning. 

Hambrough is also working towards achieving the ELP AI Pioneer Award, reflecting its ambition to be recognised as a leading school in the purposeful, ethical and effective use of artificial intelligence.