Can an AI tool help save teachers’ time while supporting high-quality lesson planning? A new trial launched by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) today aims to find out.
The EEF is inviting primary schools across England to join a new randomised controlled trial of Aila, Oak National Academy’s AI-powered lesson planning assistant. The trial, independently evaluated by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), will examine whether Aila can reduce lesson planning time while maintaining the quality of resources.
Launched in September 2024, Aila aims to help save teachers time by supporting them to produce personalised lesson plans and teaching resources. Teachers can tailor materials to meet the needs of their pupils – for example, by adapting content for different literacy levels, or incorporating local examples.
The new trial, which is expected to report in autumn 2026, will add to the emerging global evidence base on the impact and use of AI in teaching and learning. It follows an edtechBy EdTech, we mean pedagogical programmes and approaches that use technology to support teaching professionals and pupils with classroom teaching and learning. This may include computer adaptive learning, or innovative Artificial Intelligence approaches.-using-generative-ai-chatgpt-for-ks3-science-lesson-preparation-2024-teacher-choices-trial” target=“_blank” rel=“noreferrer noopener”>earlier EEF-funded trial, which found that teachers using ChatGPT could reduce their lesson planning time by 31%. While promising, that report also highlighted the need for more research into how AI tools can support teachers without lowering quality.
NFER is now recruiting around 450 Key Stage 2 teachers from 86 primary schools. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: one will be asked to use Aila for planning their lessons across all subjects, while the other will continue with their usual lesson planning practices.
The evaluation will look at:
- Teacher workload: measured by average time spent on planning over one term.
- Lesson quality: assessed by an independent panel. Reviewers won’t be told whether Aila was used.
This is one of several EEF-funded trials currently recruiting schools, early years settings, and colleges. To find out what’s available and register interest in a project, visit our project page.
Emily Yeomans, co-CEO at The Education Endowment Foundation, said:
John Roberts, Interim CEO of Oak National Academy, said:
Ben Styles, NFER Head of Classroom Practice and Workforce, said:
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