Unfamiliar language
Words, spellings and examples were often American and unlike those our children met at school.
Our story
It started with our children.
When our children stumbled across generative AI while gaming, we realised keeping them away from it wasn’t the answer. They needed to understand what AI was, how it worked and how to use it safely.
The first problem
AI was impressive. It just wasn’t made for them.
We started with ChatGPT and quickly saw the gaps through a child’s eyes.
Too much at once
Responses were long, dense and designed around the way adults read and understand information.
No child-first controls
Content was unfiltered, the product was built for adults, and we couldn’t see how the AI was being used.
So we decided to build the AI experience we wanted our own children to have.
Our children loved it—and shared it with their friends.
Then we listened
Schools showed us the real scale of the challenge.
One classroom can contain an extraordinary range of age, ability, confidence and need. SEND is becoming more prevalent and more complex, while teachers are expected to make one lesson work for everyone.
01
The classroom is never one-size-fits-all
Even within a single year group, the oldest and youngest children can be almost twelve months apart. Ability can vary enormously, and each pupil arrives with a different experience of the world.
02
Schools asked for something more useful
They wanted AI that understood their curriculum and the way they teach—using language children understand and adjusting the level of support on its own.
03
We built it with them
When we put those ideas into classrooms, the impact was immediate. Better adaptation did not just make the technology easier to use; it made learning more reachable.
04
The relationship kept growing
Working with schools, multi-academy trusts and local authorities taught us another lesson: too much education technology is bought but barely used. Schools compromise, and some providers disappear once the contract is signed. We chose a different way of working.
Build what schools need. Stay close enough to know.
That principle still guides every SchoolGPT product.