Do you only work with schools in East Sussex?

No. We are based in Eastbourne and work with primary schools across the UK. If your school is local, that simply makes the first conversation easier to arrange.

Do we need to share pupil data to get started?

No. You do not need to share any pupil data with us to get started. Our approach is built around keeping personal data out of AI tools unless it is strictly necessary and handled in line with data protection law.

Will our data be used to train an AI?

No. Your data is never used to train AI. A Data Processing Agreement sets out how your data is handled, who can access it and how long it is kept.

How do we get started?

Book a free 15-minute call and tell us what you are working towards, whether that is reducing workload, building staff confidence or setting a school position on AI. If it looks like a good fit, we can follow up with a free 30-minute consultation by phone or in person. Either way, we will suggest a practical next step.

AI Training for Primary Schools in East Sussex

Practical, careful AI support for school leaders and staff

Orion Forge is a UK-based AI training and implementation consultancy based in Eastbourne, East Sussex. We help primary schools use AI to reduce teacher workload and build staff confidence, with data protection and safeguarding built in from the start.

If you lead a primary school, you have probably noticed that AI questions are arriving from every direction. Staff are experimenting with tools, governors are asking what the school's position is, and parents are curious. Our role is to give your team a clear, practical way forward that fits how your school actually runs.

What we help schools with

Staff AI literacy. Hands-on workshops that help teachers and support staff understand what AI tools can and cannot do, so they can use them with confidence and spot where they go wrong.

Teacher CPD programmes. Training built around the tasks your staff do every week, such as planning, preparing resources and drafting feedback, so the learning is useful the next morning rather than abstract.

Curriculum design. Support in thinking through where AI fits in your curriculum and how pupils can learn to use it thoughtfully.

Student AI ethics. Help for schools that want pupils to understand honesty, bias and responsible use as AI becomes part of everyday life.

Everyday admin. We can also show staff how to use AI agents to help manage email, which has nothing to do with pupil data.

Throughout, teachers stay in control. AI is there to support staff, not to replace them or the relationship between a teacher and a class.

Reducing teacher workload

Workload is the reason most schools first ask us about AI. The Department for Education's guidance on generative AI in education recognises that these tools can help reduce administrative burdens and free up teachers' time to focus on teaching. Typical uses include lesson planning, creating resources and drafting feedback.

The same guidance is clear that professional judgement still matters. The quality and content of any final document remains the responsibility of the professional who produced it. That is the principle we teach: AI produces a first draft, and the teacher decides what is good enough to use.

Using AI safely in a school

Schools carry responsibilities that most businesses do not, so safe use matters more than speed. These are the areas we help you think through.

Pupil data. The DfE's guidance says personal data should not be entered into generative AI tools, and that where it is strictly necessary, schools must make sure their use complies with data protection law. You can read more in the government's guidance on data protection in schools. We help staff build habits that keep personal data out of the wrong tools. You do not need to share any pupil data with us to get started.

Pupils' work. The DfE guidance also says schools should not allow pupils' original work to be used to train AI models without permission from the pupil or their parent or guardian. This is easy to overlook, and it is worth having a clear school position on it.

Safeguarding. Safety should come first when deciding whether to use a generative AI tool, and pupil use needs appropriate safeguards, including close supervision. Your existing safeguarding duties continue to apply, as set out in the statutory guidance Keeping children safe in education.

Choosing products. The DfE has also published generative AI product safety expectations, which describe what AI products used in education should meet to be considered safe. We help you ask better questions before a tool is adopted.

How we handle your data

Orion Forge operates as a Data Processor under UK GDPR. Before any project begins we put a Data Processing Agreement in place that sets out how your data is handled, who can access it and how long it is retained, and we can have it with you within 48 hours of engagement. Your data is never used to train AI.

Working with schools across East Sussex

Whether your school is in Eastbourne, elsewhere in East Sussex or further afield, we start with a conversation about what you are trying to achieve. We build the training around your staff and your context rather than dropping in a generic session, and we make sure you leave with something your team can use straight away.