Why Banning AI Is the Weakest Policy a School Can Take

January brings fresh starts, new routines, and the same unresolved questions about artificial intelligence in schools.

In this episode of Mr F’s AI Classroom, we tackle one of the most common and least effective responses to AI in education: banning it entirely or writing a policy purely for inspection purposes.

Mr F explores why outright bans fail to stop student use, disadvantage teachers, and create the very issues schools are trying to prevent. We examine the gap between policy and practice, the rise of so-called “cheating,” and why the real issue is a lack of AI literacy rather than student misconduct.

This episode also looks at how school policies can align with the shared goals of Ofsted and the Department for Education, focusing on safety, fairness, and responsibility through structured use rather than avoidance.

You will hear:

• Why banning AI drives usage underground rather than stopping it
• How policy-only approaches fail without classroom implementation
• Why teachers are being put at a disadvantage by blanket bans
• The difference between rules and AI literacy
• What a stronger, more realistic alternative actually looks like

This episode is for teachers, leaders, and schools ready to move beyond fear and towards confident, ethical, and practical use of AI.

Welcome back to Mr F’s AI Classroom.