This year’s Safer Internet Day theme, ‘Smart tech, safe choices – Exploring the safe and responsible use of AI’, is perfectly aligned with the school’s decision to adopt Gemini Education over public-facing tools.

Prioritising Data Sovereignty and Safety

The primary factor in the school's selection is Data Sovereignty. Google Gemini Education provides a "closed loop" environment where:

  • Privacy is Guaranteed: Unlike free AI tools, student and staff data, including prompts and conversations, are never used to train Google’s global AI models.
  • Seamless Integration: The tool is integrated directly within the existing Google Workspace (Docs, Slides, and Gmail), offering an "Ask Gemini" side panel for easy, secure access.

 

Reducing Teacher Workload, Enhancing Education

The rollout aims to use AI as a "digital assistant" to reduce administrative pressure on staff, freeing up more time for personal attention to students. Immediate benefits for staff include:

  • Efficient Lesson Planning: Teachers can quickly draft lesson plans or differentiate text directly within Google Docs.
  • The Research Vault (NotebookLM): Staff can upload specific curriculum documents and PDFs, enabling the AI to answer questions based only on those authenticated sources, significantly reducing the risk of factual "hallucinations."
  • Classroom Innovation: New features allow for the automatic generation of quizzes and engaging lesson ‘hooks’ within Google Classroom.

 

A Commitment to 'Human-in-the-Loop' Education

Maharishi School’s policy is clear: AI assists, but the teacher decides. The school is implementing rigorous guidelines for staff, ensuring that the development of the "knower"—the student's own consciousness and creative intelligence—remains the highest priority.

"At Maharishi School, we’re leading AI safely," says Lisa Edwards, Headteacher. "We’re launching secure tools and a 2026 AI Literacy curriculum to boost inquiry while protecting data, creativity, and Consciousness-based Education. While the AI landscape is fast-evolving, we want our families to know that we are leading the way with a proactive, safety-conscious strategy that prioritises student well-being."

The school will be writing to parents this week to provide a detailed explanation of its balanced approach. Staff are currently being offered "Walkthrough" sessions to ensure they can confidently activate and utilise the new features.