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Today, we’re launching what we believe is the most important upgrade to Starlight to date. It’s called My Teaching Journey  — a living, evolving map of your professional growth that turns everyday reflection into a clear, coherent story of how your practice is changing over time. For the first time, teachers can see  their development: the patterns, the strengths, the shifts in focus, and the tiny adjustments that add up to real impact. Not as a score. Not as a judgement. But

Starlight has just added a small but powerful upgrade: six new audio subcategories  you can select when uploading any recording. The default remains Lesson , so nothing changes for everyday use. But if you click the category drop-down, you can now choose a more specific type of session — allowing Starlight to generate the right feedback automatically, without needing to run another template. This makes the system more intelligent, more context-aware, and better aligned with t

When we first launched Observations  earlier this year, our goal was simple: to bring every strand of professional dialogue — from personalised and private AI coaching feedback and formal observations to informal reflections — into one secure, teacher-first space. Now, after months of collaboration and feedback from schools across the UK, that feature has taken a major leap forward. The latest upgrade makes Observations not only easier to use, but far more powerful as a whole

There’s something special about growth that doesn’t come from a marketing budget — but from teachers talking. From one conversation in a staffroom. From a colleague’s recommendation over coffee. From a mentor saying, “You should try this.” That’s how Starlight is growing. What started as a small idea in one school in the West of England has quietly begun to spread. Without campaigns or adverts, more schools are finding their way to us — through word-of-mouth, through trust, a

As Ofsted shifts towards deeper, evidence-informed evaluation, schools are now expected to demonstrate impact through real examples  — not just policies or meeting minutes. The updated inspection framework calls for tangible, triangulated evidence showing how safeguarding, inclusion, curriculum quality, and professional development are lived out in daily practice. Starlight is designed to help schools do exactly that. 🔍 Turning Lesson Dialogue into Defensible Evidence Every

When we built Starlight , our goal was simple — to create a coaching and performance engine for schools  that could turn insight into progress. Since launch, Starlight has helped teachers reflect, grow, and refine their practice through AI-powered lesson feedback. Today, it also helps them reach every learner in the room. We’re proud to announce the release of 20 new Starlight Language Packs , covering the top EAL languages spoken by the 1.6 million EAL students in UK schools

At STAR21, we believe that insight should be accessible to everyone — not hidden behind long observation cycles or time-consuming paperwork. That’s why we created templates : the engine that gives structure, focus, and purpose to every piece of feedback generated in Starlight. This week, we’re excited to share our latest walkthrough video — a short guided tour that shows just how powerful, flexible, and creative templates can be. What Templates Do Templates in Starlight act a

This week’s Schools Week  article about the National Institute of Teaching’s pilot on AI lesson analysis marks an important moment for the profession. For the first time, national attention is turning toward what many of us in schools have already discovered: that audio and transcript-based feedback can help teachers reflect more deeply, more often, and without the pressure of formal observation. At its best, this isn’t about replacing people with algorithms. It’s about using

When Dan first heard about Starlight , he wasn’t convinced. “I’m a teacher, not a machine,” he told his colleagues. “I already have enough screens in my life.” Like many of us, he valued human connection above all — the spark of interaction that can’t be automated. But today, Dan records every single lesson he teaches. His journey from skeptic to superuser tells us something important about what happens when AI becomes a mirror rather than a manager. At first, Dan admits, he

Every teacher knows the problem. You cover a colleague’s class, guide students through the plan left behind, manage behaviour, answer...

We’re thrilled to announce that STAR21  will be exhibiting Starlight , the UK's first AI coaching platform for teachers, at BETT 2026  —...

One of the most interesting things about building Starlight is seeing how teachers are beginning to change how they teach  — not because...

Thoughtful  (formerly SAPERE) and STAR21  are pleased to announce a new partnership to pilot Starlight , an AI-powered coaching platform,...

In schools everywhere, coaching is one of the most powerful drivers of professional growth. But until now, the way observations and...

At St Augustine’s, we’ve been rethinking how we approach target setting and performance management. Too often in schools these processes...

One of the most exciting things about building Starlight is watching teachers not just use the platform, but shape it. Rebecca, has been...

When it comes to professional development, nothing is more powerful than real classroom insight. But nothing is more sensitive either. As...

From the very beginning, Starlight has been built on one non-negotiable: it will never be used as a surveillance or performance...

One of the most exciting things about Starlight is seeing how schools are finding creative, adaptable ways to use it. More and more...

When we launched our pilot earlier this year, our goal was simple: to see if Starlight could make a tangible difference to teachers’...