9ine Consulting

9ine Consulting We're 9ine, your school tech experts, delivering top-tier education technology services globally.

If you lead on privacy at your school, there is a good chance you do it alongside another role.Most schools have the key...
02/10/2026

If you lead on privacy at your school, there is a good chance you do it alongside another role.
Most schools have the key documents in place. What is harder is keeping them working: updating Records of Processing as things change, making sure retention periods are applied in real systems, and handling subject access requests and data incidents that never arrive neatly.

Our latest article walks through the areas where school privacy work most often stalls, and sets out practical steps to keep it moving. The first is one of the simplest: be clear about who is responsible for what.

What is the one privacy task you wish you had more time for?
https://hubs.ly/Q04z0M7R0

If your school has written an AI policy, that is a good start. But has it changed what happens day to day?In most school...
02/10/2026

If your school has written an AI policy, that is a good start. But has it changed what happens day to day?

In most schools, AI arrived informally: a free tool here, a new feature in an existing app there. Responsibility ends up split between teaching, safeguarding, IT and privacy, and often lands on one person as an extra job. Without a clear way to request, assess and record decisions about AI tools, practice carries on around the policy rather than through it.

Our latest article looks at the five most common gaps in school AI governance and sets out practical steps to close them, from building a cross-functional team to creating a simple register of the AI tools in use.

Read it here below

How does your school currently keep track of which AI tools staff and pupils are using?
https://hubs.ly/Q04z0GF50

Most schools have a web filter. Far fewer have a plan for what happens inside an AI conversation.When pupils and staff c...
24/09/2026

Most schools have a web filter. Far fewer have a plan for what happens inside an AI conversation.

When pupils and staff chat with AI tools, the exchange can go anywhere, and a URL blocklist was never designed to follow it. That raises real questions for everyone responsible for keeping children safe: what should be overseen, who responds when something goes wrong, and what should schools expect from the companies behind these tools?

Join Mark Orchison and Julia Pidduck from 9ine, alongside Dan Fitzpatrick (The AI Educator), for Episode 6 of the Educators' AI Playbook: Beyond the filter: governing AI interactions in schools.

Thursday 1 October, 12:30 to 13:30 BST. Free and live online.

Register here: https://hubs.ly/Q04ydN9k0

Governors, leaders and safeguarding teams: has your school talked yet about how AI conversations are overseen?

The regulatory landscape around children's online safety and artificial intelligence is changing. Understanding what the...
16/09/2026

The regulatory landscape around children's online safety and artificial intelligence is changing. Understanding what the KIDS Act means for your school, and how to respond practically, is not always straightforward.

Next week two of 9ine's data privacy and AI governance consultants, Julia Pidduck and Katie Snelling, are hosting a free one-hour session on the KIDS Act and its implications for schools.

They will cover the objectives of the KIDS Act, leadership responsibilities for AI governance, safeguarding and privacy considerations, how to assess AI-enabled tools and EdTech providers, and practical measures schools can put in place now.

If you work in or support a school and want clarity on AI governance, this session is worth an hour of your time.

What questions are you sitting with around AI governance right now? Let us know in the comments.

Register your place: https://hubs.ly/Q04xFy9D0

With AI rapidly entering classrooms, parents and educators are right to ask: is student data safe? Are teachers still in...
11/09/2026

With AI rapidly entering classrooms, parents and educators are right to ask: is student data safe? Are teachers still in control?

A groundbreaking new agreement between Microsoft and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) aims to answer those questions. Moving past vague promises, Microsoft has made legally enforceable commitments regarding AI privacy, safety, and human oversight. The core message? AI should support a teacher’s professional judgment, never replace it. It should help students learn, but never weaken their ability to think for themselves.

While this sets a fantastic new standard for the tech industry, schools still have vital work to do. They must decide locally how these tools are configured, what is age-appropriate, and how parents are kept in the loop.

Curious about how this changes the landscape of education technology? Read our full article below.
https://hubs.ly/Q04xf2Sd0

Tomorrow's Educators' AI Playbook is a special session.Brad Smith, Vice Chair and President of Microsoft, joins us along...
09/09/2026

Tomorrow's Educators' AI Playbook is a special session.

Brad Smith, Vice Chair and President of Microsoft, joins us alongside Mark Orchison, Dan Fitzpatrick and Julia Pidduck to discuss Microsoft's new AI Safety and Privacy Standard for Schools.

The standard introduces contractually enforceable protections around student data, human oversight, transparency for families and safeguards against vendor lock-in. It is one of the most significant developments in the education AI conversation so far.

The session is free, 60 minutes, and live online this Thursday 10 September at 12:30 BST. It is designed for Heads, senior leaders, IT directors, DPOs, safeguarding leads and anyone responsible for governing AI in schools.

Register below

Today is a big day for school technology leaders.Our Founder and CEO, Mark Orchison, is presenting a live session this e...
08/09/2026

Today is a big day for school technology leaders.

Our Founder and CEO, Mark Orchison, is presenting a live session this evening at the Back to School AI Summit 2026 — the world's largest free AI conference for educators, running across 8–9 September.

His session, AI Governance in Practice: A Framework Every School Can Use This Year, starts at 6:30 pm BST.

If you've been wondering where to start with AI governance in your school, this session is designed to answer that with a practical framework you can actually put to use this term, not just a set of principles.

The event is completely free, and there is an exclusive offer available for everyone who joins Mark's session.

Register and join here: https://hubs.ly/Q04wTW8Y0

Has your school started putting an AI governance framework in place yet? We'd love to hear how you are approaching it.

Are autonomous AI agents the next big thing for our schools? Maybe. But they are probably a problem for another day. The...
04/09/2026

Are autonomous AI agents the next big thing for our schools? Maybe. But they are probably a problem for another day.

There is a lot of excitement right now about AI moving from simple chatbots to "digital workers" that can complete complex, multi-step tasks. While this sounds great for reducing workload, schools are highly complex, seasonal environments.

In my newest post, I look at why embedding this kind of technology is rarely just about the software. It’s about governance. If an AI agent is going to draft parent communications, review safeguarding records, or suggest vendor actions, who is checking its work? Do they have the time and context to actually review it safely?

Before we rush into building custom AI agents, schools need to focus on the basics: understanding what AI is currently being used, training staff, and setting up proper governance.

Check out the full article to see why building the foundations of AI governance matters more right now than chasing the latest tech trend
https://hubs.ly/Q04wH4Dr0

5 AI issues schools need to be aware of this year - Discover the top 5 AI trends shaping education this year. Guest auth...
03/09/2026

5 AI issues schools need to be aware of this year - Discover the top 5 AI trends shaping education this year. Guest author Dan Fitzpatrick, The AI Educator, explores connected workflows, AI governance, and the future of assessment.
https://hubs.ly/Q04wwq_D0

AI and children’s rights: Why schools need governance, not just guidance - AI is already shaping students' lives. Learn ...
03/09/2026

AI and children’s rights: Why schools need governance, not just guidance - AI is already shaping students' lives. Learn why schools must move beyond basic guidance and implement practical AI governance for safeguarding and privacy
https://hubs.ly/Q04wtV3l0

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