Taking Control of AI in Schools: Leadership, Governance and Practical Action 2026020F

Date and Time

Friday 29 May 2026, 9.30 am to 3.30 pm

Delivery mode

In person at ISV, 40 Rosslyn Street, West Melbourne

Who should attend?

This day is designed for school leadership teams and nominated AI leads, including:

• Principals and Deputy Principals
• Business Managers and Operations Leaders
• Risk, Compliance and Governance Leaders
• ICT and Digital Learning Leaders
• Heads of Teaching and Learning or Innovation
• HR, People and Culture Leaders
• Student Wellbeing Leaders
• Staff who are likely to form part of an AI working group or implementation team

Schools are encouraged to send more than one participant where possible, as successful AI adoption requires a whole-of-school response.

Cost

$600 ISV Member Price, $1200 Non-Member Price

A Note on Special Circumstances

While these principles guide our general approach, we understand that every school’s context is unique. If your school is facing special circumstances, or if you are looking to enrol a large group for a specific program, please reach out to us. We are always open to discussing discounted rates or group arrangements to ensure your team can access the learning they need, as Fully Funded, with an Admin Fee

Description

AI is already being used across schools by staff and students. The challenge for school leaders is no longer whether AI will affect their school, but how to respond in a structured, safe and practical way.

This full-day, in-person professional learning day is designed to help school leadership teams and nominated AI leads move from awareness to action.

It is the implementation step in our three-part AI series.

Step 1: Board briefing – Build governance awareness and equip Board members with the right questions to ask leadership – 30 April 2026 (Completed)

Step 2: Leadership briefing – Help Principals and senior leaders understand the current AI context in schools and what leadership needs to do now – 14 May 2026

Step 3: In-person implementation day – Give nominated school leaders and AI leads a practical governance framework, hands-on experience with AI tools and a clear pathway for action – 29 May 2026

Attendance at the earlier briefings is helpful but not required.

The day combines AI leadership, governance, risk, practical tools and productivity use cases. Participants will work through a school-specific AI governance framework, explore practical opportunities and risks, consider the guardrails needed for safe use, and experience hands-on examples of how AI can support leadership, administration and school operations.

Participants will leave with a clearer understanding of what their school should do next, including practical steps that can be taken over the following 30–90 days.

 

Morning Session 9.30am – 12pm (2.5 hours) - AI Leadership and Governance for Schools: Building Awareness, Alignment and a Way Forward

The morning session focuses on the leadership and governance foundations schools need to respond to AI effectively.

Participants will explore the current AI landscape in schools, including the opportunities, risks and emerging governance challenges. The session will translate AI into practical school terms, helping leaders understand where AI is already affecting teaching, learning, administration, risk, privacy, cybersecurity, staff capability and student wellbeing.

The session will also introduce a practical AI Governance Framework designed specifically for schools. This will help participants understand what needs to be in place to support safe, effective and sustainable AI adoption.

Key areas covered

• Why AI now requires a leadership and governance response
• Current AI use, shadow AI and emerging risk exposure in schools
• Key opportunities for productivity, administration and school operations
• Major AI risks, including privacy, data governance, cybersecurity, student wellbeing, assessment integrity and reputational risk
• Practical guardrails for safer AI use
• The role of Boards, Principals, leadership teams and AI working groups
• A school-specific AI Governance Framework
• What schools can realistically do in the next 30–90 days

What participants will gain

• A stronger understanding of how AI is already affecting schools
• A clearer view of the opportunities and risks AI presents
• A practical governance framework for school-based AI adoption
• A better understanding of the leadership decisions required
• A clearer pathway for moving from ad hoc use to structured implementation
• Selected AI governance toolkit resources to support next steps

 

Afternoon session 1pm – 3.30pm (2.5 hours) - AI Productivity Lab for School Leaders: Practical Tools, Prompting and Workflows

The afternoon session is a practical, devices-out lab focused on high-impact, low-risk AI use cases for school leaders and operational teams.

Participants will see demonstrations and undertake guided practice using mainstream AI tools to support common leadership and administrative tasks. The focus will be on practical productivity gains that can be achieved safely and responsibly.

The session is designed to help busy school leaders experience immediate value, build confidence and understand how to use AI in ways that are appropriate for a school environment.

Key areas covered

• Practical use of large language models and mainstream AI tools
• Prompting techniques that improve quality, accuracy and usefulness
• Using AI for research, briefing notes and document preparation
• Using AI to summarise reports, policies, meeting notes and transcripts
• Drafting and improving communications
• Synthesising survey, workshop or consultation data
• Supporting meeting preparation and minutes
• Creating repeatable workflows for common school tasks
• Understanding the difference between prompts, assistants, workflows and AI agents
• Practical do’s and don’ts for safe and appropriate AI use

What participants will gain

• A practical cheat sheet of AI productivity use cases for school leaders
• Greater confidence using AI tools for everyday leadership and administrative work
• A clearer understanding of safe, low-risk use cases
• Practical prompting techniques that can be used immediately
• Guidance on how to balance productivity gains with privacy, accuracy and governance risks
• A stronger foundation for supporting staff AI capability across the school

 

Lead Facilitator

James Field – Founder & CEO CulturePathAI

James Field is the Founder and CEO of CulturePathAI and the Founder and former CEO of CompliSpace, a leading governance, risk, compliance and policy platform used across the Australian school sector.

James and the CulturePathAI team work with schools and school systems to put the governance, capability and practical foundations in place for safe, effective and sustainable AI adoption.

CulturePathAI brings together expertise across school governance, risk, compliance, education, technology, data governance, cybersecurity, operations and change management. Its work is focused on helping schools take control of AI, empower staff, protect students, strengthen trust, reduce risk and enable responsible innovation.