An AI INSET day can transform how your staff work — or it can be a pleasant morning everyone forgets by Friday. The difference is entirely in the design. Here's what a genuinely useful AI INSET workshop should include.
The single biggest mistake
Most AI INSET days are too broad. Staff hear about AI in general, see impressive demos, and leave with no idea what to do on Monday. A good session is narrow and practical: a handful of real tasks, done hands-on, that staff can repeat immediately.
What a good AI INSET day includes
1. A short, honest framing (20 minutes)
What AI is, what it isn't, and where it genuinely helps in a school. Crucially, this should include honest limitations — staff trust a session far more when the trainer admits what AI does badly.
2. Safe use and data protection (20–30 minutes)
The non-negotiable rules, in plain English: no identifying pupil data, what's safe to paste, how to check output. This needs to come early — staff can't relax into experimenting until they know the boundaries. See using AI responsibly in school.
3. Hands-on practice on real tasks (the bulk of the day)
This is where the value is. Staff on their own devices, working on their actual jobs — a real report comment, a real parent letter, a real lesson plan. Not a demo. Not a video. Their work, improved in the room.
4. Role-specific breakouts
Teachers, TAs, office staff and leaders use AI differently. A session that treats them identically wastes most people's time. See AI for teaching assistants and AI for school business managers.
5. A take-away resource
A prompt guide or crib sheet staff keep. Memory fades within days; a resource on the desk doesn't.
6. Clear next steps and follow-up
What to try this week, and who to ask when it goes wrong. Without this, adoption drops off sharply.
The test of a good INSET day: not how staff felt at 3pm, but whether they're still using AI in three weeks. Ask any provider directly what happens after the day — the answer tells you everything.
What to avoid
- Long lectures with no hands-on time
- Sessions built around a tool the school hasn't bought
- Hype and "AI will change everything" framing — staff switch off
- Ignoring the sceptics; they need answering, not steamrolling
- No follow-up at all
Planning an INSET day this term?
We build sessions around your staff's real tasks — hands-on, jargon-free, with follow-up so it sticks. AskColin offers low-cost monthly support for schools — with one-to-one help whenever you need it, so there's always someone to ask. Practical, jargon-free, built around your staff.
Get AI support for your schoolFrequently asked questions
What should be included in an AI INSET day?
A short honest framing of what AI is and isn't, safe-use and data protection rules early on, the bulk of the day as hands-on practice on staff's real tasks, role-specific breakouts for teachers, TAs, office staff and leaders, a take-away prompt resource, and clear next steps with follow-up support.
How long should an AI INSET session be?
A half-day or full INSET slot works well. Keep framing and safety to under an hour combined, and spend the majority of the time on hands-on practice with staff working on their own real tasks rather than watching demos.
What makes an AI INSET day fail?
Being too broad, long lectures with no hands-on time, building the session around a tool the school hasn't bought, hype-heavy framing that makes staff switch off, ignoring sceptical staff, and — most commonly — no follow-up at all.
How do I know if an AI INSET day worked?
Not by how staff felt at 3pm, but by whether they're still using AI three weeks later. Ask any provider what happens after the day — if the answer is 'nothing', adoption will almost certainly fade.