Looking back - 12 months, 300 schools, one vision

As we approach the end of 2025, it feels like the perfect moment to pause and take a breath. Looking back, it is almost impossible to believe that the AiEd Certified Framework didn’t exist twelve months ago. It has been a year of rigorous research, rapid growth and, most importantly, building a community of forward-thinking educators.

Here is a look back at the whirlwind journey.

January: the spark

The AiEd Certified Framework began in January with a single, crucial conversation. Alex Russell and Chris Goodall sat down with Sarah Alcock to brief her on a concept that was missing in the educational landscape: a recognised quality-mark for AI implementation in schools and colleges.

The vision was clear from day one. This couldn't just be a badge; it had to be meaningful, accessible and rigorous. We wanted a multi-level framework rooted in self-assessment, with a non-negotiable safeguarding thread running through every aspect. It could not be a tick-box exercise, it had to be embedded in evidenced practice.

Winter: the deep dive

From January to March, Sarah went into deep research mode. To build a framework that schools could trust, we needed to ground it in the best available evidence. While Alex and Chris listened to the needs of experienced educators in their wide network, Sarah focused on scouring academic literature, analysing government policy across the UK, Europe and the USA, and reviewing research from major bodies like UNESCO and the UK government.

By April 2025, the research phase concluded. The Framework was written, and we were ready to test the waters.

Spring: the pilot and the platform

We began recruiting schools and colleges for a pilot rollout in April, and the response was immediate. Participation snowballed, offering us hugely positive feedback and confirming that schools were hungry for guidance in the AI space.

However, the rapid uptake made one thing very clear: we needed a robust platform to manage this. We needed a system that could support evidence-based assessment at scale. Sarah searched the market for a partner and found PebblePad. Consistently ahead of the competition in responsiveness and capability, they were the obvious choice. We started the onboarding process in May.

Summer: launch and rebrand

Following a series of intense workbook iterations, we reached a massive milestone in July 2025: The official launch of AiEd Certified to 240 schools and colleges.

We didn't slow down over the summer break. While schools were off, we were busy rebranding our website to ensure a seamless user experience. By the start of September, we were open for online enrolments, ready to welcome the new academic year.

Autumn: supporting the community

We have never wanted to just assess schools; we want to support them. In November, we piloted our first evidence workshop. It was an immediate success.

Since then, we have run 8 sessions with over 60 attendees. These workshops have become a vital space for collaboration and clarity. Due to this demand, a whole suite of evidence workshops is already planned for the spring term in 2026.

December: where we are now

As we close out the year, the numbers speak for themselves. We now have over 300 schools enrolled. While the majority are based in England, we are thrilled to have expanded internationally, with enrolled schools in Italy and Malaysia. The interest hasn't stopped there; we have been approached by institutions across the rest of Europe, the Middle East and America seeking support.

We are also looking to the future of evidence in education. We have formally joined a research consortium to bid for Horizon Europe research funding, and we are eagerly awaiting the outcome in early 2026.

Looking ahead

It has been a busy, challenging and incredibly exciting year. We have gone from a conversation to a global community of over 300 schools in under 12 months.

Thank you to everyone who has joined us on this journey so far. We cannot wait to see what we achieve together in 2026.

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