Most school AI policies are either two paragraphs of 'we encourage responsible use' or a 14-page document nobody reads. Here's a middle path that has worked in the schools we've trialled it with.
Start with the principle. Ours is the FITinAI principle: AI reshapes roles — new ones emerge, some evolve. Employers increasingly value AI skills and that demand will only grow. Everything that follows is a worked example of navigating that shift with honesty and confidence.
Then state the green list. What AI is explicitly fine for, with examples: rewording a sentence, explaining a concept, generating practice questions, summarising notes you've taken yourself.
Then the amber list. What AI is fine for with declaration: brainstorming an essay structure, getting feedback on a draft you wrote, translating between languages.
Then the red list. What counts as misconduct: submitting AI-generated work as your own, using AI in any closed assessment, generating an answer you then can't explain in person.
Finish with the test. If a teacher asks you to explain any sentence you submitted, you should be able to. If you can't, you've crossed the line — regardless of which list the activity sat on.
Print it on one page. Put it in the planner. Refer to it weekly. The policy that works is the one your students can actually quote.
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