Based on an interview with Shareen Wilkinson, Executive Director of Education, LEO Academy Trust
LEO Academy Trust is a family of 12 primary and infant schools across the London Borough of Sutton and Surrey, educating more than 6,000 pupils and employing over 750 staff. In recent years, the trust has become recognised for its strategic and forward-thinking approach to digital innovation, ensuring that technology serves both educational and organisational aims and outcomes. Guided by the CEO, Philip Hedger, and the executive leadership team, LEO has developed a trust-wide digital and AI strategy that intends to enhance key aspects of its work, from teaching and learning to leadership and operational practice. Since 2019, the trust has provided more than 13,000 devices to pupils and staff, creating consistency and cohesion across all schools. Every child in Key Stages 1 and 2 has access to their own Chromebook, and where families face barriers to connectivity, the trust provides internet access to ensure that no pupil is left behind. Under the direction of CEO Philip Hedger, the wider executive team and the digital lead, the trust’s use of artificial intelligence has evolved into a carefully led organisational strategy. This case study examines how LEO Academy Trust has positioned AI within its wider strategic and leadership frameworks. It explores how executive oversight and professional development have enabled the trust to embed AI safely and effectively, enhancing teaching and learning, improving efficiency, and supporting informed decision-making, while maintaining a steadfast commitment to ethical, human-centred use.
Embedding AI with Purpose: A Principled Approach to Innovation
By the time artificial intelligence appeared on LEO’s strategic horizon, the groundwork was already in place. “The systems, the people, and the culture were already there”, reflects Shareen, “as digital has long been embedded in our practice, so the introduction of AI wasn’t a radical departure, it was simply the next logical step in our development.”
“as digital has long been embedded in our practice, so the introduction of AI wasn’t a radical departure, it was simply the next logical step in our development.”
That sense of continuity has shaped every decision since. LEO approaches AI with what Shareen describes as “equal measures of ambition and care”. The trust’s guiding principles were developed collectively – by the CEO, executive team, the digital lead, and trustees – to make sure technology supports staff and pupils effectively and safely. LEO has a set of guiding principles that underpin its use of AI;
- Human-Centred Practice: AI should strengthen teaching and leadership, but it should never replace professional judgment.
- Empowerment: It should reduce workload and give staff more space to focus on pupils and learning.
- Curiosity and Innovation: It should inspire creativity and exploration, in classrooms, in planning, and in professional growth.
- Safety and Security: It must always protect data, respecting the safeguarding and ethical standards that underpin everything the trust does.
Every AI or digital tool goes through a careful review before it’s introduced across the trust. “We look at three things,” Shareen explains, “is it secure? Does it align with our values? And does it genuinely add something to teaching and learning or leadership?” Only those that meet these criteria are approved. The trust’s chosen platform, Google Gemini, provides what Shareen calls “a safe, contained environment”, a system that allows innovation with lower risk. “We know exactly where our data goes and who’s responsible for it”, she says, “and that clarity builds confidence. Without it, people hesitate, and rightly so.”
