AI for schools · Strategy · Governance · Adoption
AI in schools. By design, not by accident.
Your staff and students are already using AI. I help Heads and Councils turn that into a clear strategy, sound governance and practical classroom and back-office gains, without the hype.
Andrew France
Former teacher. Serving school governor. 30+ years leading technology and AI change.
The challenge
AI arrived in schools before the plan did.
Practice is ahead of policy
Teachers and students use AI every day, often on personal accounts. The policy was written for last year's tools.
Councils carry the risk
Privacy, safety, deepfakes and vendor contracts are board-level exposures. Most Councils haven't been briefed.
Assessment is under pressure
If AI can produce the work, what are you actually assessing? Integrity rules alone won't hold.
Pilots that don't scale
Enthusiastic early adopters, scattered tools, no shared approach and no measure of what's working.
Three questions for your next Council meeting
When was your Council last properly briefed on AI?
If the honest answer is “never” or “informally”, the board is governing a risk it has never been shown.
Would your AI policy cover the tools your staff used this morning?
Most policies predate personal AI agents, AI notetakers and student-built chatbots. What isn’t covered isn’t controlled.
Could your parents explain how AI is used with their child, and with their child’s data?
If they can’t, the first real conversation will happen on their terms, usually after something has gone wrong.
If any answer is “not sure”, that’s where to start. Get the free Council AI Checklist →
National and state guidance sets the principles. Each school still has to decide what it means for its own students, staff and community.
The framework
Twelve areas. Four pillars. One whole-school view.
Most schools start with tools. Start with the whole picture instead, then decide where to focus first.
The AI in Schools Framework is bydesign40’s whole-school model for AI. It organises AI decisions into twelve areas across four pillars (Strategy, Learning, Operations, and Governance and risk), with key questions for each area. It aligns with the Australian Framework for Generative AI in Schools and adds areas the national framework doesn’t cover, such as predictive analytics and AI for governors.
Strategy
Why and where AI fits your school
- 01Vision, values and positioning
- 02Parents and community
- 03Impact and investment
Learning
What changes in the classroom
- 04Teachers and staff
- 05Students
- 06Curriculum and future of work
- 07Assessment integrity
Operations
How the school runs
- 08School operations
- 09Student insights and analytics
Governance and risk
How the Council stays in control
- 10Governance, policy and Council
- 11Data, privacy and vendors
- 12Safety and wellbeing
Every diagnostic, roadmap and Council briefing is built on this framework, so you always know where you stand and what's next.
How we engage
Start with a clear picture. Build from there.
AI Readiness Diagnostic
Interviews with leadership, staff and Council, a review of current policy and tools, and a maturity score across all twelve areas.
You get: a board-ready report and a prioritised 90-day plan
AI Strategy and Policy
An AI strategy aligned to your mission, an acceptable-use policy, a risk register and a governance model your Council can endorse.
You get: an endorsed strategy, policy suite and 18-month roadmap
Fractional AI Lead
A senior AI lead for your school without the full-time hire. Owns the roadmap, manages vendors, supports staff and reports to Council.
You get: momentum, accountability and quarterly Council reporting
Council and leadership briefings
A practical session for Councils or executive teams: what AI means for your school, the risks to govern and the questions to ask.
You get: a shared understanding and a short list of decisions
I lead every engagement personally. Where you need specialist privacy, legal, data or classroom expertise, I bring in trusted people from my network.
Free resources
Practical tools for school leaders. Free to every school.
No sales pitch attached. Use them, adapt them, share them with your colleagues.
The AI in Schools Framework
The twelve areas and four pillars on one page, with the key questions for each.
Council AI Checklist
Twenty questions every Council should be able to answer about AI in their school.
National Framework Crosswalk
How each of the six national principles maps to the twelve areas, and where the framework goes further.
AI Acceptable Use Policy template
A starting point for staff and student AI use, ready to adapt to your context.
AI Vendor Due-Diligence Checklist
What to ask before any AI tool touches student data.
AI Readiness Self-Assessment
Score your school across the twelve areas in 15 minutes.
Tell me where to send it.
Fill this in once and the downloads open straight away.
Why Andrew
I've sat on both sides of the table.
I started my career as a teacher and outdoor educator. I now serve on the Council of an independent school, so I understand the questions Heads and governors are actually wrestling with.
In between, I spent 30 years leading technology change: I founded a Salesforce consultancy, scaled it across three countries and sold it to a global listed group, and led transformation as an interim executive in health and aged care.
That combination matters. I can talk pedagogy with your teachers, risk with your Council and platforms with your IT team, and connect all three.
Andrew is a member of an independent school Council and has declared this practice to that Council. bydesign40 does not provide paid services to that school. Everything you share with us stays confidential and is never used for the benefit of any other school.
Began as a teacher and outdoor educator
Serving school governor; eight years chairing a national youth leadership foundation
30+ years in enterprise technology and AI; 600+ projects delivered
FAQ
Common questions.
Where do we start if we've done very little?
With the free self-assessment, or a Council briefing. Both give you a shared baseline in a few hours, and neither commits you to anything further.
We already have an AI policy. Do we still need this?
Policy is one of twelve areas. Most schools we speak with have a policy but no strategy, no assessment approach and no reporting to Council. The diagnostic shows where the gaps are.
How does this fit with the Australian Framework for Generative AI in Schools?
The national framework sets the principles. Our work turns those principles into decisions, policies and practices that fit your school, and covers areas it doesn't, such as predictive analytics and AI for governors.
Do you recommend or sell AI products?
No. I'm independent and take no commissions from vendors. I'll help you choose, and hold vendors to account on privacy and data.
You sit on a school Council. Is that a conflict?
It's declared and managed. I don't provide paid services to that school, and anything you share is kept strictly confidential. I'm happy to sign a confidentiality deed before we start.
Do you work outside Sydney?
Yes. Australia-wide, in person or online.
Let's talk
Ready to get AI right for your school?
Book a 30-minute conversation. No pitch, just a clear view of where your school stands and what to do first. I respond within one business day.