The Department for Education published guidance on the use of generative AI in education settings, updated August 2025. This page explains how Robyn Robot has been designed to meet or exceed these guidelines.
We've organised this around the key themes from the DfE guidance: safety, data privacy, appropriate use, and responsible deployment.
Safety should be the top priority
"Any use of generative AI by staff, students, and pupils should be carefully considered and assessed, evaluating the benefits and risks of use in its education setting."
How Robyn addresses this
Robyn was designed from the ground up with child safety as the primary consideration:
- Closed system: Robyn's answers are based on what the teacher has taught in that lesson. It cannot access the wider internet, and if a pupil asks a question not related to the lesson, Robyn will decline to answer and will politely direct them back to the lesson topic.
- Content filtering: All AI outputs are filtered for age-appropriate content before being spoken or displayed to pupils.
- No personal accounts: Pupils don't log in or create accounts — there's no profile building or tracking of individual children.
- Teacher oversight: Teachers can review all questions asked and answers given through the teacher portal.
Pupils should only use AI with appropriate safeguards
"Pupils should only be using generative AI in education settings with appropriate safeguards in place, such as close supervision and the use of tools with safety and filtering and monitoring features."
How Robyn addresses this
Robyn is specifically designed for supervised classroom use:
- Classroom-only: Robyn operates during lessons under teacher supervision — it's not a take-home app or website pupils access unsupervised.
- Monitoring built-in: Every interaction is logged and available for teacher review. Teachers can see exactly what pupils asked and how Robyn responded.
- Scaffolded responses: Robyn is instructed to guide pupils toward answers rather than simply providing them — maintaining the educational value of the interaction.
- Physical presence: The shared devices around the classroom mean interactions happen in the open, not privately on personal devices.
Personal data must be protected
"Personal data must be protected in accordance with data protection legislation. It is recommended that personal data is not used in generative AI tools."
How Robyn addresses this
We've minimised personal data collection by design:
- No pupil identification: We don't know which pupil is using which device. There are no pupil accounts, logins, or profiles.
- Minimal retention: Raw audio files are transcribed and then deleted. We retain only the text transcription.
- No training on school data: Your school's data is never used to train AI models. It's used solely to answer questions in your lessons.
- GDPR compliant: Full Data Processing Agreement available, with lawful basis under Article 6(1)(e) — performance of a task in the public interest.
Be aware of intellectual property implications
"Schools and colleges must not allow or cause students' original work to be used to train generative AI models unless they have permission."
How Robyn addresses this
We take intellectual property seriously:
- No model training: Pupil work, teacher content, and lesson materials are never used to train AI models.
- Session-only context: Lesson content is used only to provide context for answering questions during that lesson. It doesn't persist beyond its immediate purpose.
- Teacher ownership: Teachers retain full ownership of their lesson content. We're just providing a tool that references it temporarily.
More immediate benefits from teacher-facing use
"We see more immediate benefits and fewer risks from teacher-facing use of generative AI."
How Robyn addresses this
Robyn is fundamentally a tool that extends the teacher's reach:
- Teacher-led: Every answer is grounded in the teacher's explanation and the content on their board.
- Extends, doesn't replace: Robyn handles the "I need a hint" and "Can you explain that again?" questions, freeing the teacher to work with pupils who need deeper support.
- Teacher portal: Teachers get visibility into what pupils are asking, which can inform their teaching — revealing common misconceptions or areas of confusion.
Technology should not replace the teacher-pupil relationship
"Technology, including generative AI, should not replace the valuable relationship between teachers and pupils."
How Robyn addresses this
This principle is at the heart of how we've designed Robyn:
- Robyn is the teacher's voice: When Robyn answers a question, it's drawing on what that specific teacher said in that specific lesson. It's an extension of the teacher, not a replacement.
- Handles routine queries: By answering "How do I start?" and "What did you say about X?", Robyn frees the teacher to have more meaningful interactions with pupils who need them.
- Scaffolds, doesn't solve: Robyn is explicitly instructed to guide pupils toward understanding rather than just giving answers — preserving the educational value of the learning process.
- Physical classroom presence: Robyn exists in the classroom alongside the teacher, as part of the learning environment — not as a separate, isolated experience.
Teachers must use professional judgement
"Teachers, leaders and staff must use their professional judgement when using these tools. Any content produced requires critical judgement to check for appropriateness and accuracy."
How Robyn addresses this
Robyn supports rather than undermines professional judgement:
- Transparent interactions: Teachers can review all questions and answers, applying their judgement to how Robyn is being used in their classroom.
- Teacher controls the input: Robyn's knowledge comes from the teacher's lesson — if the teacher wants to adjust what Robyn knows, they adjust their teaching.
- No autonomous decisions: Robyn doesn't make decisions about pupil progress, groupings, or assessments. It simply helps pupils understand the lesson content.
Comply with Keeping Children Safe in Education
"Schools and colleges are free to make their own choices about the most suitable use cases for generative AI tools in their settings, as long as they comply with their wider statutory obligations such as keeping children safe in education."
How Robyn addresses this
Safeguarding is embedded in Robyn's design:
- No external access: Pupils cannot use Robyn to access external websites, social media, or any content beyond the lesson.
- Content filtering: AI responses are filtered for age-appropriateness before reaching pupils.
- Audit trail: Complete logs of all interactions are available for safeguarding reviews if ever needed.
- Cyber Essentials certified: Our systems meet the government's baseline cyber security standards.
- DPIA support: We provide template wording for schools completing Data Protection Impact Assessments.
Summary
Robyn Robot has been designed specifically for the UK primary school context, with the DfE's guidance informing our approach from the start. We believe AI in education should extend teachers' reach, not replace their expertise — and should never compromise on child safety.
If you have questions about how Robyn meets your school's compliance requirements, or would like to see our Data Processing Agreement, please get in touch.