AI strategies for school leaders: Closing gaps, opening opportunities

How can your school use AI to create inclusive opportunities for all learners?

AI offers school leaders powerful tools to support learners with diverse needs, close gaps and promote inclusion.

This interactive workshop equips school leaders and SEND professionals with ethical, informed approaches to using AI to personalise learning, support SEND students, and create opportunities for all learners to thrive.

What participants will gain

• Practical ways AI can personalise learning to support students with SEND and diverse needs.
• Strategies to use AI to support inclusive teaching and learning.
• A clear understanding of ethical and responsible AI use including equity, bias and accessibility.
• Hands-on examples, tools and resources that you can adapt to your context alongside relevant assistive technologies.
• Actionable next steps to implement AI effectively in your school.

Workshop focus areas

1. Introduction and reflection
   Reflect on learners’ needs and explore where AI could make a meaningful difference in your setting.
2. Ethical and practical considerations
   Examine key questions around equity, bias, accessibility, and responsible AI use in strategic decisions.
3. Using AI to support learners
   Discover how AI can help personalise learning and meet the needs of students with SEND.
   Learn how AI can extend learning beyond the classroom and create opportunities for all learners.
4. From insight to action
   Identify steps to implement with colleagues back in your school.
5. Wrap-up
   Review key takeaways, tools, and resources to continue your AI journey.

Who should attend

SENCOs, Inclusion Leads, Senior Leaders and other education professionals interested in using AI to support diverse learners in both mainstream primary and secondary schools and special settings.

Key Speaker

Frances Akinde, a qualified SENCO, and former headteacher of a secondary special school for learners with Autism and associated difficulties – Inclusion HT

Frances Akinde is a neurodivergent former headteacher, author of Be an Ally, Not a Bystander, and an experienced inclusion specialist. Known for her practical, human-centred approach, Frances helps leaders navigate the evolving role of technology in education, particularly the inclusive use of artificial intelligence to support children with SEND.

Drawing on her background in SEND leadership, assistive technology, and whole-school improvement, Frances supports schools to understand how AI can enhance teaching, reduce workload, and improve accessibility for all learners. She has worked with senior leaders, multi-academy trusts, and local authorities to introduce AI tools that support personalised learning, strengthen communication, and make classrooms more inclusive. Her work includes guiding staff on responsible adoption, training teachers to use AI to remove barriers for neurodivergent pupils and staff.

Through her consultancy, training and speaking engagements, Frances brings clarity to a rapidly changing landscape. She helps teams think critically about bias, data protection, and the intersection between AI and marginalised groups, ensuring schools use technology in ways that uphold inclusion. Her sessions combine strategic insight with lived experience, offering leaders practical steps that make an impact in school culture.

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