The NIoT Pilot Is Welcome News — But the Real Lesson Is About Trust

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 technology to unlock more time for dialogue, more insight from evidence, and more opportunities for teachers to think about their craft. The NIoT’s initiative signals a welcome shift in mindset — from fear of AI to curiosity about how it can serve the profession responsibly.

A welcome development for the sector

At STAR21, we see this as an encouraging and necessary step. It confirms what our early research and pilot schools have shown: teachers are open to innovation when it feels safe, purposeful, and grounded in trust.

The NIoT’s work mirrors questions we’ve been asking — and answering — in classrooms for the past year. Can AI help teachers see their own practice more clearly? Can it reduce the workload of mentoring and coaching without losing the human connection that makes those processes meaningful?

Since launching Starlight in September, we’ve seen more than 150 teachers across a variety of schools use the platform to analyse over 1,000 lessons across subjects from English to Science. Each teacher receives a private, AI-generated coaching report within minutes of uploading a lesson recording. The insights focus on questioning, clarity, and student engagement — offering a reflective mirror, not a managerial measure.

Built by teachers, for teachers

As someone who oversees teaching and learning at my own school, I know how fragile trust can be in any system that analyses what happens in the classroom. That’s why Starlight was built from the ground up by teachers, for teachers.

Every report is private to the user. Teachers can delete their data at any time. No information is shared externally or used for appraisal. The purpose is professional reflection — to help teachers see patterns, celebrate progress, and identify small, manageable next steps.

And because the system is trained on real classroom language — not generic audio — it understands the noise, the nuance, and the natural rhythm of teaching. That makes feedback feel authentic, not artificial.

The real question: how do we build trust?

The debate about AI in education often focuses on what’s technically possible. But the more important question is what’s professionally acceptable.

The technology to transcribe, summarise, and interpret classroom dialogue already exists. What matters now is how we use it. Who owns the data? How is feedback framed? Does it build confidence or anxiety? Does it support reflection or replace it?

Trust isn’t a by-product of design — it’s the foundation. Without it, no system will survive first contact with the staffroom. Teachers will only embrace AI when they know it’s working with them, not on them.

That’s why every development in this field, from NIoT’s pilot to private innovation, should be measured against one principle: does it make teachers feel more in control of their own growth?

Collaboration over competition

The NIoT’s project is a positive sign of where the profession is heading. It will generate valuable evidence about how AI can support early career teachers and mentors, and we look forward to learning from their findings.

But we also believe the conversation shouldn’t wait for research to conclude. Schools and trusts can begin benefiting now from systems like Starlight — proven, compliant, and already helping staff reflect faster and more effectively.

Our aim isn’t to compete, but to collaborate. By sharing data ethically and insightfully, we can build a national picture of teaching practice that respects individual privacy while informing collective growth.

The more we connect researchers, trusts, and teacher-led innovators, the closer we come to a shared model of AI-enabled professional reflection that belongs to the sector, not to any single organisation.

Looking ahead

AI is not replacing coaching. It’s widening the circle — giving every teacher, in every school, access to the kind of reflection and dialogue that used to depend on limited observation time.

If we get this right, the future of teacher development won’t be defined by surveillance or metrics, but by insight, agency, and professional curiosity.

That’s the future we’re building at STAR21 — one transcript, one conversation, one reflection at a time.

Link to article: https://schoolsweek.co.uk/ai-could-analyse-lessons-delivered-by-new-teachers-under-niot-pilot/

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The Insight Engine is written by Adam Sturdee, co-founder of Starlight—the UK’s first AI-powered coaching platform—and Assistant Headteacher at St Augustine’s Catholic College. This blog is part of a wider mission to support educators through meaningful reflection, not performance metrics. It documents the journey of building Starlight from the ground up, and explores how AI, when shaped with care, can reduce workload, surface insight, and help teachers think more deeply about their practice. Rooted in the belief that growth should be private, professional, and purposeful, The Insight Engine offers ideas and stories that put insight—not judgment—at the centre of development.