How Do Teachers Check for AI? What UK Schools Actually Do

"How do teachers check for AI?" is asked by pupils, parents and teachers alike. The honest answer is that detection software is far less reliable than people think, and good teachers rely mostly on something else: knowing their pupils. Here is what UK schools actually do.

1. Knowing the pupil's work

The most reliable check is the simplest. Teachers see pupils' writing week in, week out. Sudden changes stand out:

• Vocabulary or sentence structure far beyond the pupil's usual work.
• A polished, generic style with no personal voice.
• Content that does not match what was taught, or references to things never covered.
• Confident but wrong facts, or made-up sources.

2. Talking to the pupil

A short conversation — "talk me through how you wrote this" or "what did you mean here?" — is often decisive. Pupils who wrote the work can explain it. This is also the approach most consistent with fairness.

3. Seeing the process

Drafts, plans, version history in Google Docs or Microsoft 365, and work done in class all show how a piece developed. For assessed coursework, JCQ requires teachers to be confident the work is the candidate's own and to monitor it as it is produced. See JCQ guidance on AI in assessments.

4. AI detectors — and why schools are cautious

Some schools use AI detection tools, sometimes built into plagiarism checkers or learning platforms. They have real limits:

• False positives — genuine work flagged as AI, with pupils writing in a second language particularly at risk.
• Easy to fool — light editing or paraphrasing tools can defeat them.
• No proof — a detector score is a probability, not evidence.

A detector result should prompt a conversation, never a sanction on its own. We explore this in should schools use AI detectors for coursework? and, for secondary essays, how to detect if students used AI for essays.

5. Network monitoring

School devices and networks are monitored for safeguarding. That can show that AI sites were visited, but not whether a particular piece of homework was AI-written. See can ChatGPT report you to your school?

The better approach: design it out

Detection is a losing race. Schools getting this right focus on:

• Clear rules on when AI is allowed and when it is not.
• Tasks that need personal thinking — local, personal or class-specific content. See designing AI-resistant homework.
• More work in class for things that matter.
• Teaching good AI use, so pupils learn when it helps and when it harms their learning.

If a teacher suspects AI use

1. Stay calm and curious. Suspicion is not proof.
2. Look at the evidence — drafts, version history, previous work.
3. Talk to the pupil about the content and how they wrote it.
4. Follow the school's policy, and for assessed work, the JCQ process.
5. Treat it as a learning moment where appropriate — many pupils are unclear on the rules.

What parents can do

Parents worried about AI and homework can ask the school what is allowed, agree ground rules at home, and encourage children to show their thinking — plans, notes and drafts. See should my child use AI tools for homework?

What pupils should know

• Rules differ between tasks — ask if you are unsure.
• Using AI where it is not allowed on assessed work can have serious consequences.
• Keeping drafts and notes protects you if questions are asked.
• Used well, AI can help you learn — for example, explaining a concept or quizzing you.