In collaboration with AMCIS, Marketing Advisers for Schools, with the DES digital platform, helped to curate the ‘AI in Schools’ webinar series in 2024, bringing together experts to explore how artificial intelligence can empower school marketing, admissions, and communications.
The final and 4th webinar in the series reinforced that AI is not a luxury, it’s a necessity for schools that want to remain competitive and relevant. The session delivered insightful presentations from Hannah Graydon Caterham school, Dr Suresh Sadanandan from Proicere Digital, and Jamie Bykov-Brett part of the MA for School & DES team – which was packed with actionable insights and showcased a live demonstration that left attendees inspired to integrate AI into their schools.
Here, we recap the highlights of the event and share actionable insights to help your school take the next step in adopting AI.
Designing Your Own AI System: Caterham School Approach
Hannah Graydon opened the session with an inspiring case study on “Riley Bot,” an AI system developed for her school’s operations and communication needs. This bespoke AI tool streamlined various processes, ensuring compliance with safeguarding protocols while enhancing efficiency.
Key Takeaways:
- Adapt AI to Your Needs: Riley Bot was tailored for education, balancing automation with human oversight to maintain trust and accountability.
- Feedback is Vital: User feedback refined the bot’s capabilities, demonstrating the importance of continuous iteration when implementing AI.
We particularly enjoyed how Riley Bot has been designed to adapt its responses based on the age group of the user. For example, a pupil in the Reception class will receive an answer tailored to their level, while a Sixth Former will be given a more advanced and appropriate response.
Hannah’s example showcases how schools can innovate by creating their own AI systems, and aligning tools with unique operational demands.
Transitioning to Embracing AI: Practical Tips from Dr Suresh Sadanandan
Suresh brought the conversation to practical applications, exploring how AI enhances marketing, branding, and day-to-day school operations. He emphasised that while AI is transformative, it’s the assistive nature of these tools – working alongside human expertise—that drives real impact.
Key Takeaways:
- Streamlined Branding: Generative AI tools can help schools refine their messaging and maintain consistent branding across channels.
- Time Savings: AI can automate repetitive tasks like data analysis and social media scheduling, allowing marketers to focus on creativity and strategy.
- Adoption Tips: Start small with well-defined use cases, and provide training to ensure staff feel confident using AI tools.
A statement which resonated with us around market share was “…embracing technology is no longer optional but essential for success and survival.” Backed up by the research offered by McKinsey, Gartner, Deloitte & Oxford University Press.
With Suresh commenting, “Schools that hesitate to adopt AI risk becoming irrelevant in an increasingly evolving digital world”.
For schools just beginning their AI journey, the speaker insights offer a clear roadmap to adopt these technologies strategically.
For a copy of the Proicere Digital summary around ‘Transitioning to AI in schools and an Implementation Plan’ – download the PDF resource from here.
Using AI to support the Brand Strategy: Jamie Bykov-Brett’s Demonstration
Jamie wowed attendees with a live demonstration of how AI can both review and transform the school brand strategy. Using generative AI tools, he showcased how schools could benefit.
Key Takeaways:
- Brand Strategy – why and how to review and adjust: By combining AI with human insights, a brand strategy review can support the school marketing plans and help to adapt to the changing needs.
- Review to understand what parents are seeing, thinking & feeling: AI-powered web researching and retrieval can reveal how the brand and messaging is perceived together with trends and recommendations.
- Refine Messaging: Generative AI Tools can then help to review and consider both the AI and human inputs, helping to tailor activity to engage the schools target audience.
Pro Tip: Integrate AI into your workflow without losing sight of your school’s core values and tone of voice. Use technology as a tool to enhance, not replace your message.
Attendees were captivated by the simplicity and effectiveness of the brand strategy demo, with Jamie proving that AI isn’t just a tool – it’s an enabler for smarter, faster, and more impactful marketing, and most importantly – saving you precious time.
Brand Strategy Review (with AI & human input) with DES support
Request to test the Brand Strategy Review & demo the DES Digital Platform*
*NB limited to the first 10 schools to sign-up. You will also be given the opportunity to experience a 14-day trial of DES (the Digital Empowerment Solution for schools).
Bringing It All Together
The AMCIS AI in Schools webinar underscored the transformative potential of AI in school marketing. Whether it’s creating bespoke tools like Riley Bot, automating repetitive tasks, or refining brand strategy, AI is becoming an essential ally for school marketers.
At Marketing Advisers for Schools, we’re committed to helping schools leverage these technologies responsibly. Our Digital Empowerment Solution (DES) subscription platform supports schools in saving time, driving engagement, and ultimately helping to build stronger connections with prospective families. With delighted schools already onboard, DES is a proven way to simplify and enhance your marketing efforts.
Next Steps: Start Your AI Journey Today
Access the Recording & Resources:
Watch the webinar part-4 recording (from the Resources page) and download the speaker resource to kick-start your school’s AI journey. You’ll gain insights into refining your brand strategy and implementing AI tools effectively. View the Resources page.
Brand Strategy Review – Request to test the review, with an option to trial the Digital Platform, DES:
We are offering a free brand strategy review to the first x10 schools to sign up. As part of the digital journey, we’ll also offer a 14-day trial of the DES to support your digital marketing. See details here.
Continue the AI learning Journey…
For those of you that might like to continue the AI journey, together with the various speakers we have had during the series, please do register your interest to join the AI in Schools Group – coordinated by MA for Schools, who will feature monthly AI news updates and speaker contribution content updates – SIGN UP HERE
