Staff are using AI tools in classrooms, offices and operations. Many of those tools haven't been formally assessed, approved or documented. Responsibility for managing AI sits across IT, safeguarding, privacy and leadership, each area working without a connected view of the whole.
The challenge is not recognising that AI needs to be governed. The challenge is knowing where to start, who needs to be involved and how to turn emerging guidance into practical governance that works within your school.
AI Governance Academy
Practical AI governance, built across your whole school
A guided, year-long programme that takes your school from understanding its AI governance position to building the structures, processes and documentation needed to govern AI responsibly. Built around 9ine's Diamond Formation; one subscription, your whole governance team.
WHO IT'S FOR
Governance is a team responsibility: the Academy is built for the whole team
The AI Governance Academy is designed around 9ine's Diamond Formation, bringing together the people responsible for AI decisions across your school, rather than placing the burden on one individual.
Leadership
Senior Leaders
You are accountable for how your school uses AI but need a clear, evidenced governance framework that you can report to governors, defend to inspectors and be confident in. The Academy structures that framework around your school's context.
Technology & Safeguarding
IT Leads & DSLs
You see the practical risks AI creates — across systems, student safety and digital wellbeing — but without joined-up governance, decisions are made in isolation. The Academy gives your team a shared structure for coordinated oversight.
Privacy & Data Protection
DPOs & Privacy Leads
You are managing the privacy implications of AI tools, often without visibility of what is being used or approved elsewhere in the school. The Academy connects privacy governance into a whole-school approach.
THE CHALLENGE
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AI is already in your school; but governance hasn't kept pace
A policy is not the same as governance
Many schools have an AI policy; or are working towards one. But a document on its own is not governance. Effective AI governance requires clear accountability structures, documented processes, records of decisions and evidence that your school is managing the risks it faces.
Without the operational infrastructure to implement a policy, it risks being disconnected from what is actually happening across your school.
Without the operational infrastructure to implement a policy, it risks being disconnected from what is actually happening across your school.
One person cannot govern AI across an entire school
AI decisions involve educational value, safeguarding risk, privacy obligations, technology systems and leadership accountability. No single person holds all of those perspectives.
9ine's Diamond Formation brings together the people who do; academic, technology, safeguarding and privacy roles, under clear leadership; so governance reflects the full picture of risk and opportunity across your school.
9ine's Diamond Formation brings together the people who do; academic, technology, safeguarding and privacy roles, under clear leadership; so governance reflects the full picture of risk and opportunity across your school.
WHAT'S INCLUDED
Everything your Diamond Formation needs across the academic year
Diamond Formation Participation — no participant cap
One school subscription provides access for your entire AI governance team throughout the Academy. Schools determine the appropriate representatives from their Diamond Formation to participate at each stage — there is no limit on the number of people included within one subscription.
Pre-Academy Onboarding & AI Governance Baseline
A 60-minute onboarding workshop that establishes your school's starting position, confirms your Diamond Formation and prepares your team for the programme. Your school will begin identifying AI tools in use, establish governance priorities and understand the Academy approach before the first implementation stage.
Seven Live AI Governance Stages
Six 60-minute sessions and one extended 90-minute practical workshop, delivered across the academic year. Each stage builds on the last — covering AI risk and opportunity, strategy and policy, acceptable use, identifying AI use, assessment and approval, AI literacy, and consolidation.
AI Readiness Toolkit
A structured framework for establishing your governance baseline, identifying priorities and reviewing progress throughout the Academy. Your school uses the Toolkit to track where it started, evidence the progress it has made and identify remaining priorities as the programme develops.
9ine Platform Environment
Access to your school's 9ine Platform environment throughout the Academy and for three months following the final live session. Rather than completing Academy activity in isolation, your team can use the Platform to record governance actions, assign responsibilities, maintain evidence and document decisions as the programme progresses. Schools can export all records before their access concludes.
9ine Vendor Library Access
Limited Vendor Library access, including up to three completed vendor assessments selected by your school. Particularly relevant during the Assessment and Approval workshop, where your team considers how vendor evidence contributes to decisions about AI tool use.
Practical Templates & Resources
Stage-aligned templates, frameworks, checklists and guidance introduced alongside the sessions they support. Resources are designed to be adapted to reflect your school's own governance arrangements, policies and approach to AI — not a generic pack provided on day one.
Academy LMS & Session Recordings
Access to supporting learning content through 9ine's Academy LMS, alongside recordings of live Academy sessions. Recordings support continuity where a member of the team is unable to attend a live session, and provide a reference point for key discussions throughout the programme.
Two Hours of Focused Consultancy Support
Two hours of dedicated consultancy with a named 9ine Data Privacy & AI Consultant, used flexibly throughout the programme. Your consultancy time can be used to discuss a governance challenge, receive feedback on an Academy output, explore how a topic applies within your school, or address questions that require more school-specific consideration than is appropriate within a cohort session.
12-Month AI Governance Roadmap
Produced during the final stage of the Academy, your roadmap identifies priorities, ownership and actions for the continued development of your school's AI governance beyond the programme. It provides a practical transition from the structured Academy into your school's ongoing governance arrangements.
AI Governance Academy Certificate of Completion
A school-level Certificate of Completion recognising participation in and progression through the Academy. The Certificate is issued to the school, reflecting the Academy's focus on developing organisational governance capability. Useful for governor reporting, inspection preparedness and demonstrating accountability around AI.
HOW IT WORKS
A structured journey — building governance progressively across the year
1
Onboarding & Baseline
Before the programme begins, your school completes a Pre-Academy Onboarding session. You establish your AI Governance Baseline, confirm your Diamond Formation and identify AI tools currently in use — giving 9ine the context needed to make the programme relevant to your school from the start.
2
Learn
Each implementation stage opens with expert-led guidance, helping your team develop a shared understanding of the topic and its implications for your school. Sessions combine specialist input with peer discussion and practical examples.
3
Apply
Within each session, your team works through how the subject applies within your own environment. Practical activities allow you to begin translating the guidance into governance outputs relevant to your school, before you leave the session.
4
Implement
Between sessions, your school continues progressing the governance activity, documentation or processes introduced during the stage. Supported by the 9ine Platform, templates and your consultancy allowance, implementation continues as part of your school's ongoing work.
5
Progress
Each new stage builds on the work already undertaken — maintaining momentum and enabling your governance arrangements to develop progressively. Rather than standalone learning events, the Academy creates a cumulative governance journey.
6
Roadmap & Completion
In the final stage, your team consolidates progress, reviews its starting position and produces a 12-month AI Governance Roadmap. The roadmap provides a practical transition into your school's ongoing governance arrangements, with clear priorities, ownership and actions for the year ahead.
YOUR ACADEMY TEAM
Delivered by 9ine's Data Privacy & AI specialists
The AI Governance Academy is delivered by consultants who work with schools every day — supporting the development and implementation of privacy and AI governance programmes across the UK and internationally. Each participating school is assigned a named 9ine consultant for continuity throughout the programme.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Everything you need to know about the AI Governance Academy
Who should join the AI Governance Academy?
The Academy is designed for schools that want to establish a practical, cross-functional approach to AI governance. It is most valuable when a school participates as a team — bringing together the people responsible for AI decisions across leadership, technology, safeguarding and privacy. One subscription covers the whole Diamond Formation team.
How many people can participate from our school?
There is no cap on the number of participants from a single school. One Academy subscription covers all members of your Diamond Formation throughout the programme. Schools determine the appropriate representatives to involve at each stage — and that may vary depending on the topic.
We already have an AI policy — is the Academy still relevant?
Yes. Having a policy is an important starting point, but governing AI in practice is a different challenge. The Academy supports your school in implementing your policy operationally — building the accountability structures, processes, records and evidence needed to demonstrate that governance is working, not just documented.
What happens if someone from our team misses a session?
Recordings of all live Academy sessions are made available following delivery, so team members who cannot attend can review the session and maintain continuity throughout the programme.
What does the 9ine Platform access include?
Participating schools receive access to a dedicated 9ine Platform environment for the duration of the Academy and for three months following the final live session. The Platform allows your team to record governance actions, assign responsibilities, maintain evidence and document decisions as the programme progresses. Schools can export all records before their access concludes. Continued Platform access beyond the Academy can be discussed separately.
Does the Academy lead to a qualification or certification?
Schools that complete the Academy receive a 9ine AI Governance Academy Certificate of Completion, issued at the school level rather than to individual participants. It recognises participation in and progression through the programme — it is not a regulatory certification or audit of compliance, but provides evidence of structured, professional engagement with AI governance.
What is the cost?
The AI Governance Academy is available as a fixed school subscription for the 2026/27 academic year. Enquire to find costs.
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JOIN THE ACADEMY
Ready to build AI governance across your school?
Complete the form below and a member of the 9ine team will be in touch to discuss joining the 2026/27 AI Governance Academy.