A private school in London is replacing some of its teachers with AI-powered adaptive learning, providing each student with what it claims will be a personalised learning experience.

David Game College, a boarding and day school based in Aldgate, will open its new teacherless course for 20 GCSE students this month, with students using a mixture of artificial intelligence platforms on their computers and virtual reality headsets.

The AI-platform will allow students to study at their own pace and let them build their own lesson plans, which according to the school means no more lost time studying topics they already know, and no traditional classes to ‘slow students down’.

Named the ‘Sabrewing Programme’, the initiative aims to have all core GCSE subjects taught entirely by AI-driven adaptive learning systems, though with the safeguard of human support from dedicated learning coaches who monitor progress, provide feedback, and offer guidance and mentoring.

John Dalton, the school’s co-principal, told Sky News: “There are many excellent teachers out there but we’re all fallible.

“I think it’s very difficult to achieve [AI’s] level of precision and accuracy, and also that continuous evaluation. Ultimately, if you really want to know exactly why a child is not learning, I think the AI systems can pinpoint that more effectively.”

The use of AI in the classroom has become a central theme of the new government’s education policy. Last week the UK Government announced a £4m investment in generative AI tools to ease teacher workloads by helping with lesson plans and marking homework, and the Department of Education published research supporting the potential of genAI across different use cases in education.

With tuition fees of around £27,000, David Game College can utilise its own resources to explore the impact of cutting edge technologies in education, with some seeing this as a test-case for other schools.

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Rudolf Eliott Lockhart, chief executive for the Independent Schools Association, said: “The Sabrewing programme is fascinating. Using AI to drive an adaptive learning approach has the potential to be a real game-changer and at David Game College they are looking to underpin this innovative approach with serious educational expertise.”

Not everyone agrees on this tech-driven strategy, however. Chris McGovern, a retired headteacher and former government advisor, warned that while AI can be useful, an over-reliance on technology could be detrimental.

“The issue with AI and computer screens is that they are machines—cold and inert,” McGovern said. “This dehumanises the learning process, stripping away the essential interpersonal skills and interactions between students and teachers.”