Pioneering the Future: Our AI Trailblazers Lead Digital Innovation

11th June 2025

As part of our commitment to being bold and innovative, we are always exploring new digital technologies that can help us unlock the academic and personal potential of our students. This summer term, we were thrilled to launch our new AI Trailblazers programme, a key initiative within our digital strategy.

The programme brings together staff from across our family of schools to explore the exciting possibilities of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The project kicked off in May with a launch event at Windsor High School and Sixth Form , where our trailblazers dived into the potential of AI to help with everything from teaching and learning to making our administrative tasks more efficient.

To ensure we explore every angle, the trailblazers are working in five dedicated teams:

• Teaching Staff
• Professional Services
• Curriculum Leaders
• Senior Leaders (Schools)
• Senior Leaders (Central)

Each team is looking at how AI can best support their specific roles, with the goal of sharing their findings across the entire Windsor Academy Trust family in the spring term.

"It has been fantastic to work with Getech and Microsoft to shape the AI Trailblazers programme. Our vision is to harness AI to transform how we lead, work, teach, and learn, and this programme is the first step in empowering our staff to explore these powerful new tools confidently and responsibly." 

Sonya Lanckham, Deputy Director of Education

AI in Action: Digital Bright Spots

Following the main launch, each of our five trailblazer teams has now taken part in a bespoke virtual follow-up session, diving deeper into the potential of AI for their specific roles. Our Teaching Staff and Curriculum Leaders have been exploring how AI can help design engaging lessons and assessments , while the Professional Services and Leadership teams have focused on using these new tools to boost productivity and support strategic decision-making.

We’ve already seen some brilliant examples of this in action. Kelly Moore, Headteacher at Great Wyrley Academy, recently used an AI tool called NotebookLM to analyse and compare two years' worth of staff survey data. The tool helped her to quickly identify key themes and differences between the two reports, saving a huge amount of time and allowing her to prepare thoughtful, focused questions for a follow-up staff focus group. It’s a perfect example of how digital tools can help us cut through the noise and focus on what truly matters.

Caty Reid, Headteacher at Clayton Hall Academy, who is leading the school-based Senior Leaders team and coaching the other team leaders, is helping to bring the whole project to life. She said:

"The enthusiasm from all the team leaders has been incredible. We're already seeing how these tools can support our work and free up time to focus on what matters most. I am passionate about how we can share these discoveries across our whole family of schools, helping everyone to benefit. It's been a privilege to support the teams on this journey and see their innovative ideas come to life."

What’s Next?

The AI Trailblazers will continue their work into the autumn term, with plans for WAT Teachmeets to share best practice. We are so proud of this group for leading the way in digital innovation and can't wait to see what they discover.