"AI Technology Could Save Teachers 'Hours' on Grading Tasks"

Schools in Liverpool are being provided with access to artificial intelligence (AI) to assist teachers in customising lessons for individual students and grading their homework.

This pilot program is part of an agreement between technology company Century Tech and Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram. The Century platform offers personalized tutoring, delivering questions specifically tailored to each student.

Mayor Rotheram expressed his hopes that the initiative will enhance educational opportunities for students in a city where academic performance lags behind other regions. Runnymede St Edwards Primary School in West Derby has been utilizing AI for three years and recently held an open day for other schools to learn more about it.

Year Six student Noah explained how the platform operates during an interview with the BBC Today program. “If you’re really good at your times tables but struggling with science, the system will prioritise more science questions while still allowing you to practice your times tables at a lower intensity,” he said.

Each student in the class receives personalized homework, and the AI also grades the assignments, reducing the workload for teachers. The class teacher then receives a summary detailing each pupil’s strengths and weaknesses.

National Expansion

Priya Lakhani, founder and CEO of Century, noted that the tool enables teachers to identify skill gaps that would be difficult to assess without technology. “It’s impossible for one teacher to manage 25 to 35 children without this kind of support,” she explained.

Joe Quilty, the teacher at Runnymede overseeing the Century system, stated that using AI for homework has saved him hours that can be redirected toward other tasks. “It’s a game-changer for me. Most evenings, I come home around half five or six, have dinner with my family, and then spend one to two hours marking to prepare for the next day,” he said.

Mayor Rotheram expressed his hope that the pilot program would lead to a national rollout. “Our qualification standards after secondary education are so poor that nearly half of our kids enter college or new roles needing to catch up on English and mathematics,” he said. “That’s not acceptable. We’re failing children early on, and then it becomes costly to intervene later.”