Staff and pupils at Penbridge School are celebrating after achieving a prestigious Silver Award in recognition of their innovative work with artificial intelligence (AI) across the school.
The assessment praised the school’s “thorough and interesting submission” and highlighted the significant progress already made in integrating AI into teaching, learning, and wider operations.
This achievement reflects the school’s strong commitment to innovation and continuous improvement, with particularly positive feedback across leadership, curriculum planning, and teaching and learning. The assessor noted that the school is “already making a lot of progress on their journey towards the integration of AI into all aspects of school life.”
Penbridge Infant School on Lincoln Road and Penbridge Junior School on New Road were recognised for their strong approach to teaching and learning, achieving a moderated score that exceeded their self-assessment. They were praised for offering clear, practical examples of how AI is already enhancing classroom practice and enriching pupil experiences.
The school’s use of the Portsmouth curriculum was also praised, with clear evidence of effective implementation and a strong foundation for further innovation as AI continues to be embedded across subjects.
Leadership and vision were highlighted as key strengths, with recognition that the digital strategy is “in good hands.” The assessor identified exciting opportunities for the school to further develop and articulate its long-term AI vision as it moves towards the next stage of its journey.
Penbridge also received positive feedback for its thoughtful approach to ethics, bias, and safeguarding, with strong collaboration between the school, trust, and curriculum partners ensuring that AI is used responsibly and safely.
The report recognised the school’s strong culture of collaboration and ambition, with staff already exploring new ways to harness AI to support both teaching and operational efficiency. Opportunities to further strengthen structured professional development and expand written guidance have been identified as the next steps in the school’s journey.
Engagement with parents and carers was also acknowledged, with plans to develop workshops and deepen communication around the use of AI in education.
Maia, a pupil at Penbridge, expressed her pride about the award. “We feel really proud because we've been doing interviews on AI and now it feels good to have been able to get it” she said. Robert added: “When we were doing the interviews we saw sometimes AI can make loads of mistakes. If you just ask AI something straight away, it might give you something wrong.”
Hayley Garty, Assistant Headteacher at the school, said:
“We are delighted to have achieved this recognition. This award reflects the dedication of our staff and our commitment to ensuring our pupils benefit from the very best in teaching, learning, and innovation. We are excited for the next stage of our journey. Achieving the Silver Award marks an important milestone for Penbridge Infant and Junior School, demonstrating both current success and strong potential for future growth.”
The school is now looking ahead to building on this success as it works towards Gold accreditation - further strengthening its approach, expanding evidence of impact, and continuing to innovate for the benefit of all pupils.