Cornwall AI in Education Summit 2026: Purpose, Policy and Best Practice

Artificial Intelligence is transforming the way we teach, learn, and lead and schools are at the heart of this change. The recent Department for Education recommendations expressly highlights the critical need to understand and adapt AI into both the curriculum and into how schools are run.

This makes the Cornwall AI in Education Summit 2026 more important than ever, bringing together teachers, school leaders, digital leads, and support staff from across Cornwall to explore how AI can be used responsibly, creatively, and effectively in education.

Now in its third year, the Summit moves beyond “what is AI” to focus on policy, purpose and best practice. Attendees will discover how to teach AI confidently, integrate it across the curriculum, and safeguard young people in an increasingly digital world. Sessions include hands-on workshops, creative classroom activities, expert keynotes, and open discussions on topics from AI literacy and curriculum design to data privacy, ethics, policy guidance and staff development.

Join educators, researchers, and innovators for a day of collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking, helping Cornwall’s schools lead the way in preparing young people for a safe, ethical, and opportunity-rich AI future.

AGENDA

• 08:30am - Arrival, Networking & Refreshments
• All Day - AI in Education Showcase: Hands on examples of different AI games, kit, and tech you can use in the classroom to engage children with AI in safely and inline with new curriculum recommendations.
• 09:00am - Welcome from Truro and Penwith College
• 09:10am - (Lightening Talk) What is AI Literacy?
• 09:30am - (Workshops) Using AI in the Classroom: AI Literarcy Across Education (2 x 25min)
• 10:30am - Coffee Break
• 10:45am - (Keynote Talk) Where are the Guardrails?: Understanding the educational, emotional and mental health risks of AI on young people with Caitlin Gould, TecGirls
• 11:15am - (Workshops) Using AI in Schools: AI Safeguarding/Ethics, Policies and Admin Wins (2 x 25min)
• 12:15pm - Lunch
• 13:15pm - (Keynote Talk) AI Policy & Assessment Advice with an Ofsted & DfE Perspective, Where is AI in Education Headed? with Alex More
• 13:45pm - Jobs for the Future: Preparing students for careers in an AI world
• 14:15pm - (Workshops) AI Best Practice: Policy & Purpose
• 15:00pm - AI Coffee & Conversations - A space to sit and discuss questions, ideas, hopes and fears about AI. All of the speakers and experts will be available to discuss further with and we encourage open and honest conversations on how we address these topics.

Workshops

Group 1: Using AI in the Classroom

• Creating an AI Primary School Curriculum (Primary)
• Creating an AI Secondary School Curriculum (Secondary)
• The Importance of Humanities in the Age of AI (All Ages)
• AI Best Practice for Students: How to Help Students Use AI Properly (Suitable for secondary & College staff)
• Inclusive AI: Technology for Every Learner

Group 2: Using AI in Schools

• Workload Reduction using AI Tools (All Ages)
• AI and Safeguarding: Supporting Students’ Wellbeing (Suitable for DSLs, safeguarding leads & pastoral staff)
• Admin Wins with AI (Support Staff)
• Keeping Kids Safe: Data Privacy, Cybersecurity and AI

Group 3: AI Best Practice

• Policy: Future-proofing Your School + Building a Collaborative AI Policy Framework
• Purpose: AI and Ethics: Empowering Young People to be Active AI Citizens

This event is fully-funded and therefore free to attend (valued at £150).

Find out more about Digital Futures Cornwall on our website: https://www.digitalfuturescornwall.co.uk/

Find out more about TecGirls on their website: https://www.tecgirls.co.uk

Funding Statement
Digital Futures Cornwall is part-funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and led by Truro and Penwith College.

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund proactively supports delivery of the UK-government’s five national missions: pushing power out to communities everywhere, with a specific focus to help kickstart economic growth and promoting opportunities in all parts of the UK. For more information, visit https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-sharedprosperity-fund-prospectus