AI in Education Webinar Series – Seven Shifts: Leading Schools in an AI Age: 13 October 2026

15:00 -15:45 (UK time)

Facilitated by Rita Bateson

This session explores seven critical trends including AI overwhelm, proven classroom use cases, personalised learning, cognitive concerns, shadow AI, AI sensitivity, and horizon scanning. Moving beyond narrow debates about plagiarism and detection tools, we will explore how AI is challenging traditional assessment models, reinforcing or disrupting bias, mediating student attention and attachment, and influencing the public narratives that shape our schools. Participants will leave with a clearer sense of the current landscape, the tensions they need to circumnavigate, and some concrete questions and next steps to connect this thinking with subsequent ECIS sessions on classroom practice and implementation.

Rita Bateson is a respected educator, author and mentor with 20 + years’ experience in international education. She has championed innovation as Senior Curriculum and Assessment Manager at IB Global Headquarters and as a founding Head of Secondary at Nord Anglia International School, Dublin. A prolific curriculum designer, textbook author and sought-after workshop leader, she now consults with schools worldwide on future‑ready practice.
The recent, wide‑spread rise of AI sparked her deep dive into the technology, convinced its impact on education will be both profound and immediate. In all of her work, she pairs her long‑standing IB expertise with deep AI research to bring the very best guidance to international schools. Her forthcoming book, International School Leaders’ Guide to AI, is a culmination of big-picture thinking and practical insight, offering school leaders a clear, human-centred roadmap for navigating the age of artificial intelligence. Through her writing, speaking, and consultancy, Rita continues to empower educators to lead with purpose, ensuring that innovation in schools remains ethical, equitable, and deeply connected to learning.

Dates and registration links for all sessions will be soon be made available via the events calendar.