Gemini & the New English Curriculum

Hey human,

After a quieter week, there’s a lot that can happen within 6 days. Here’s what’s been happening in education / AI this week:

📚 AI+education news

• Gemini for English Schools > Announced by the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology, Google DeepMind will seek to develop a version of Gemini grounded in the national curriculum for England that meets government expectations for safety in education. The details are thin, but it could make for an interesting addition to the AI landscape here in England.

• Deepfake Teachers > The BBC reports that many schools are trialling ‘deepfake’ teachers to help them with the myriad of problems the workforce faces. Great Schools Trust is currently trialling using a ‘deepfake’ to provide personalised feedback to pupils.

• Grok for Education > xAI has partnered with El Salvador to roll out Grok in 5,000+ public schools over two years, aiming to provide curriculum-aligned, adaptive tutoring for 1M+ pupils and support teachers. It also says the programme will generate guidance and data for “responsible” classroom AI use.

🌍 Wider AI updates

• Copilot Woes > Microsoft has halved their AI sales targets due to enterprises uses not interested in the products on offer. Microsoft refutes the accuracy of the original reporting.

• McDonald’s AI Ad > Following in Coca-Cola’s footsteps, McDonalds Netherlands launched but then swiftly pulled a Christmas advert (can still watch it here). It seems that a mixture of the messaging and the overuse of AI were to blame.

• ChatGPT 5.2 > After feeling the pressure from Gemini 3, OpenAI have updated ChatGPT. Perhaps the most useful part for those in education will be how it is now better at creating spreadsheets when in ‘thinking mode’.

🎯Prompt

• Here is a taste of what ChatGPT 5.2 Thinking Mode can do. To make sure ‘Thinking Mode’ is on, press the model selector in the context window and select ‘Thinking’.

  

Create a workforce planning model for a two-form entry primary school: Include current staffing levels, recruitment plans, expected attrition, and budget impact. Cover key roles such as teachers, teaching assistants, middle leaders, senior leaders, SEND support, pastoral staff, and administrative/support staff. Show how staffing needs change over time in response to pupil numbers, curriculum requirements, and policy constraints, and identify risks to sustainability and quality of provision.

Till next week.

Mr A 🦾