First UK primary schools to achieve Explorer Level of AiEd Certified

AiEd Certified is delighted to announce that Broadmere Primary School and New Monument Primary School have become the first primary schools in the UK to achieve Explorer Level of the AiEd Certified Framework.

This milestone marks an important step in the responsible and effective use of artificial intelligence in primary education. It reflects a clear commitment to ensuring that AI is used safely, ethically and purposefully, in ways that support high-quality teaching and learning while keeping children’s wellbeing and safeguarding at the centre.

In working through the five pillars of the AiEd Certified Framework, both schools have taken a thoughtful and strategic approach to AI and digital innovation. Rather than focusing on tools alone, Broadmere and New Monument have considered how AI fits within pedagogy, policy, staff development and wider school culture. This ensures that AI supports teaching practice, complements professional judgement and aligns with existing priorities around inclusion, curriculum intent and safety.

Through the certification process, the schools have developed a structured, research-backed approach to AI that enables staff with differing levels of confidence and experience to build a shared understanding. The framework has supported reflection on both the opportunities and challenges AI presents, helping the schools move beyond informal use towards clearer expectations, agreed principles and purposeful planning.

Karen Barham, Headteacher said: “The certification has held our hands through this process, making sure that we cover all aspects of AI and think about the different elements to it rather than just using it. It has meant that AI has become part of what we do - from a creator to a sense checker - and that we can use it creatively, with confidence and safety.”

Achieving Explorer Level provides both schools with a strong foundation for future development, ensuring that AI is embedded in a way that is developmentally appropriate for primary-aged pupils and supportive of staff practice.

Alex Russell, Co-founder of AiEd Certified, said: “In primary education, adopting AI responsibly is about building confidence, clarity and shared understanding, not speed or scale. Broadmere and New Monument’s achievement shows how a structured, research-backed framework can help schools move beyond curiosity into purposeful practice. Their work at Explorer Level demonstrates that AI can be integrated safely and thoughtfully in ways that support teachers’ thinking, strengthen professional judgement and keep children’s needs firmly at the heart of decision-making.”

As the first primary schools in the country to achieve Explorer Level, Broadmere and New Monument Primary Schools are helping to shape what responsible, effective AI adoption can look like in the primary phase, providing a strong example for other schools beginning their own AI journey.

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