What comes next? Cornwall AI in Education Summit returns for 2027
The Cornwall AI in Education Summit returns on 4 January 2027 at Truro High School for Girls, bringing together practical workshops, classroom experience and critical conversations about AI’s role in education.
Over the past three years, the questions we hear from teachers have changed. We began with “What is AI?”, moved on to “How do we use it?”, and then asked “Is it safe, and how do we use it well?”.
For our fourth Summit, we’re asking “What comes next?” That means exploring new possibilities while continuing to challenge the claims, confront the risks and keep human learning at the centre of the conversation.
Critical. Confident. Curious. Creative.
Teachers and school staff are navigating difficult questions. How do we help students use AI without outsourcing their thinking? How can we model honest, transparent use ourselves? Where can these tools support our work, and where might they weaken the relationships, judgement and practice that make us good educators?
There are also serious concerns about AI safety, ethics, misinformation and the direction the industry is taking. Headlines about AI transforming society, replacing jobs or threatening humanity reach young people as well as adults. Educators need space to examine those claims, discuss uncertainty and consider how to respond.
Our Summit will make room for these conversations alongside practical learning. You should feel welcome whether you are experimenting with AI, deeply sceptical or still working out what you think.
You asked for more time to explore
Last year’s Summit brought together a wide range of expertise and classroom ideas. One attendee, Dean Fletcher, described taking away:
“Lots of tips and ideas that were relevant to my role - practice I can share with others.”
But we also heard that there was almost too much to fit into one day. With so many topics to explore, people wanted more time to reflect, ask questions and work through what the ideas could mean in their own schools.
We’ve listened. For 2027, we’ve restructured the day to allow more time for deeper learning, reflection and exploration with the experts. We want participants to have opportunities to question an approach, try it out and consider where it could be useful before moving on.
What’s happening this year?
We can confirm workshops and talks from Oracle Education, Microsoft, Barefoot, BCS (the British Computer Society), Tech Cornwall, Cognition, Truro High School for Girls, CELT Trust and the TECwomen CIC team.
The programme will offer learning for staff across primary, secondary and further education, alongside support specifically for school administrators. Topics will include:
Critical thinking in the age of AI: helping students question outputs, assess evidence and retain ownership of their learning.
Curriculum development: exploring how understanding of AI can develop across ages, stages and subjects.
Free AI resources for schools: discovering resources to support teaching and staff development.
Practical support for administration: exploring tools and approaches that could improve everyday workflows.
Learning at all levels: sharing approaches that respond to different starting points and learning needs.
Hands-on exploration: a chance to play with AI activities and resources designed for safe use in schools, with guidance and time for questions.
Local educators will bring their experiences into the discussion, connecting expert perspectives with the realities of school life.
Keeping education focused on people
A central question for the day is how AI could help us do something we haven’t been able to do before. Could it open up a new investigation, help explain a difficult concept or give a student another way into learning?
Equally, we need to recognise when the challenge itself is valuable. Making mistakes, struggling with an idea and practising a skill are part of how we grow. Using AI well requires judgement about what to hand over and what to keep doing ourselves.
The Summit is delivered by TECwomen CIC in partnership with Truro High School for Girls, our host for 2027. It was co-founded by Caitlin Gould and Katie Hinks of Truro High School for Girls.
Join us on 4 January 2027 to question, explore and help shape what comes next for AI in education.
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