ChatGPT and Claude for teachers: 8 useful jobs, and the rules to follow

Yes, teachers can use ChatGPT and Claude, and they’re a real help with planning and admin. Three rules keep you safe: no pupil names or personal data, follow your school’s policy, and check everything before it goes near a classroom.

Here are the rules in a bit more detail, then eight jobs to try this week.

The rules first

The Department for Education has published guidance for schools and colleges in England called Generative artificial intelligence (AI) in education. It’s on GOV.UK and worth ten minutes of your time. In short, it says AI can help with things like creating resources, lesson planning, feedback and admin, as long as it’s used safely. The main points for a classroom teacher:

• Keep personal data out. The guidance recommends that personal data is not put into generative AI tools. So no pupil names, no SEND or medical details, no behaviour notes, no photos, no class lists.
• Don’t paste in pupils’ work. A pupil’s work belongs to them. The guidance says it shouldn’t be used to train AI without permission, so leave it out of everyday tools unless your school has approved a way to do it.
• You’re still responsible. Anything AI produces needs your professional judgement. The guidance is clear that the quality and content of the final document stays with the professional who produced it.
• Follow your school’s policy. Many schools and trusts now have an AI policy and a list of approved tools. If yours hasn’t, ask your senior leadership team or data protection lead before you start.
• Mind the age limits. AI tools set their own minimum ages. These jobs are for you, not for pupils to use in class.

The DfE also publishes free training, Using AI in education settings: support materials, updated for this school year. If you teach in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, check your own nation’s guidance too.

1. A first-draft lesson plan

Draft a 50-minute lesson plan for Year 8 on [the causes of the English
Civil War]. Mixed-ability class. Include a starter, two main activities
and a plenary. Follow the national curriculum for England.

Treat it as a starting point from a keen trainee. You know your class; it doesn’t.

2. The same text at three reading levels

Here's a passage about [volcanoes]: [paste]. Rewrite it at three levels:
one for confident readers, one for the middle of the class, and one for
pupils with a reading age of about 8. Keep the key facts the same.

3. Quiz and retrieval questions

Write 10 quick retrieval questions on [photosynthesis] for Year 7:
6 multiple choice, 4 short answer. Include an answer sheet. Make the
wrong options common misconceptions.

Check every answer. AI gets facts wrong now and then, and it sounds just as confident when it does.

4. Model answers and worked examples

Write a model paragraph answering "[How does Priestley present Mr
Birling?]" at about a grade 5, then improve it to about a grade 8.
Explain what changed between the two.

Compare the result against your exam board’s mark scheme. AI doesn’t have reliable knowledge of every specification.

5. Letters and messages home

Write a short, friendly letter to parents about [a Year 5 trip to the
Science Museum on 14 November]. Include: cost £12, packed lunch needed,
school uniform, back by 3.30pm. Leave a space for the reply slip.

For a tricky message to one family, describe the situation without names: “a parent who’s unhappy about a detention”.

6. A report comment bank

Write a bank of 15 report comments for Year 9 maths: 5 for pupils
exceeding expectations, 5 meeting them, 5 working towards. Warm and
specific. Use [Name] as a placeholder. Under 50 words each.

A general bank needs no pupil data at all. You add the names and the personal touches afterwards, in your school’s own system.

7. Getting up to speed on a topic

I'm a primary teacher covering [electricity] in Year 6 next week and
it isn't my specialism. Explain the key ideas I need, the mistakes
pupils often make, and three simple practical demonstrations.

Handy for cover lessons too. Check anything you’re unsure about against a trusted source such as your scheme of work or a subject association.

8. The admin pile

Turn these rough notes from our department meeting into clear minutes
with action points and who's doing what: [paste]

Take out anything about named pupils before you paste. The same goes for trip checklists, display ideas, assembly outlines and club timetables, all of which AI drafts well.

Check the output, every time

Before anything reaches pupils or parents, ask yourself:

• Is it accurate? Dates, formulas, quotations and spellings especially.
• Is it right for my class? Level, tone, and anything that could upset a particular child.
• Does it match the curriculum and exam board? AI often drifts towards American content and terms.
• Would I be happy to say I wrote it? Because you’re the one signing it off.

For more on spotting mistakes, see When AI gets it wrong.

A quick word on settings

If you’re using your own account, look at the privacy settings before you start, and read What not to tell AI. If your school provides a tool, use that one for school work. It will have been checked against the school’s data protection duties.

Getting better results is mostly about asking well. How to ask AI covers that in a few minutes.

Next step

Read your school’s AI policy (or ask whether there is one). Then pick one job from this list and try it tonight, with no pupil data in sight. If you haven’t set up ChatGPT or Claude yet, our free AI Setup Checklist gets you started in under 30 minutes.