My school has no AI policy
You do not have to wait for one. Write a three-line rule for your own classroom: what AI may be used for, at what point in the task, and what students hand in to show their thinking. Show it to your head of department first, then give it to students and parents in writing.
What is going on
Without a policy, every teacher improvises. One bans AI, the next ignores it, and students learn that the rule depends on the room. You are left making decisions that feel above your pay grade, and worrying about being unsupported if a case goes wrong.
A class rule is within your authority in most schools, in the same way as a rule on calculators or dictionaries. It is also the most useful thing a future school policy could be built from.
What to do this week
Write three lines
For example: "In this class you may use AI for hints and feedback after your own written attempt. You may not use it to write your answer. You hand in your attempt, your final answer and two lines on what changed."
Check it upward
Send it to your head of department or line manager: "This is what I plan to use until the school has a policy. Any objection?" A written reply protects you.
Check the outside rules
Exam boards and assessment bodies often have their own rules on AI in assessed work. Those override anything you write. So do the age rules of each tool.
Tell students and parents
Put the three lines on the task sheet and send them home. Say what happens if work raises a question: a conversation about the attempt, not a detector score.
Ages. ChatGPT's terms say 13 and up, with parental permission under 18. Claude's terms require users to be 18 or older. For any other tool, check the service's own age rules.
What not to do
- Do not write a rule you cannot check. "No AI at home" cannot be enforced. "Hand in your attempt" can.
- Do not rely on a detector as your enforcement. A score is not proof either way.
- Do not go it alone if a serious case comes up. Without a policy, take it to a senior colleague before you decide anything.
The honest limit
A class rule is not a school policy. It does not bind your colleagues, and it may be replaced when a policy arrives. We cannot tell you what your contract, your exam board or your local law requires, so step 2 and step 3 matter. Offer your rule as a draft when the school does start writing one.
Questions
Should my rule ban AI or allow it?
That is your call and depends on the age group and subject. A rule that allows AI after an attempt is easier to check than a ban, because it asks for something you can see.
What if a colleague's rule is the opposite of mine?
That happens when there is no policy. Make yours clear and written, so your students know where they stand in your room. Then suggest that the department agrees one shared line.
How do I raise a school policy without creating work for myself?
Send your three lines to whoever leads teaching and learning, and offer them as a starting point. A short working example moves things faster than a request for a committee.