Home

AI Is Moving Fast.
Schools Deserve Advice That Keeps Up.

Whether you're a principal figuring out what AI governance looks like for your school, or a teacher looking to make AI a practical part of your teaching toolkit, I work with primary and secondary schools in the West of Ireland to help you take the right steps without feeling overwhelmed.

Talk to Me About Your School

Here's what the research tells us about AI in Irish schools: teachers are curious, many are already using these tools, and almost all of them say they want proper training. At the same time, most principals are still working out what their school actually needs to have in place. Both reactions are completely understandable.

The tools arrived before the support did.

99%
of Irish educators say formal AI training is necessary
83%
have had no formal AI training
Feb 2025
AI literacy became a legal requirement for schools

Source: FORTH/Oide International Survey on AI in Education, 2024; EU AI Act, Article 4

How It Works

Four Steps. No Surprises.

From first contact to ongoing support, here's what the process looks like.

1

Get in touch

Tell us about your school. A short form or a quick call is all it takes.

2

We learn about your school

A brief conversation to understand your ecosystem, your policies, and what your staff actually need.

3

The session

Tailored to your school's tools and context. Teachers leave with a prompt card and a resource they've built themselves.

4

Follow-up and resources

For principals: a scheduled 30-minute session tailored to your school, plus a complete reference pack with compliance checklist, AUP review guide, and policy materials ready for Board ratification.

For everyone: ongoing support when questions come up.

Sessions

Most schools follow a path
that looks something like this

Each session builds on the last, but every one stands on its own. Start wherever makes sense for your school.

Introduction to AI

Introduction to AI

Your staff are expected to understand the AI tools they use. This session gets them confident and your school compliant.

A clear, practical introduction to AI for your whole staff: what it is, how it works, where it already shows up in your school, and what to be aware of. No jargon, no hype. This session also covers your school's AI literacy obligation under the EU AI Act, so you're meeting a compliance requirement and giving your staff something genuinely useful at the same time.

Since February 2025, yes. Article 4 of the EU AI Act requires schools to ensure staff have a sufficient level of AI literacy for the tools they use. This session meets that obligation in a single sitting.
If your school runs Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, AI features like Copilot and Gemini are already built in. Most staff don't realise they're there. This session makes them visible.
That's exactly who it's for. 53% of Irish educators say they don't understand how AI algorithms work. This session assumes no prior experience and builds from there.
AI Governance for Principals

AI Governance for Principals

AI governance connects directly to your Digital Learning Plan and your ICT funding. This session shows you how to get it right without adding to your workload.

In 45 minutes, we explain what the EU AI Act requires of your school in plain language, show how it connects to policies and plans you already have, and give you three practical first steps. You'll also get a scheduled follow-up where we work through your school's specific requirements together.

That's the entire point of this session. You'll leave with a checklist, a staff survey template, and materials ready for Board ratification. Leading Lights does the preparation; you review and approve.
Your school is classified as a "deployer" of AI under the Act. Some obligations are already in effect; the full requirements apply from August 2026. This session explains what's required and where to start.
Yes. The DLP is a condition of the ICT infrastructure grant, and the Department now expects AI to feature in it. Getting governance documented protects your funding eligibility.
No. The Department says schools should update existing policies: your AUP, data protection policy, Bi Cinealta, and Digital Learning Plan. This session shows you exactly what needs updating.
That's happening in most schools. This session includes a staff survey to surface what's actually being used, so you can govern it properly.
Hands-On AI Training for Teachers

Hands-On AI Training for Teachers

Teachers are already curious about AI, and 83% say they've had no formal training. This session gives them the skills and confidence to use it well.

Teachers learn the RASE prompt framework recommended by the Department of Education, watch a live demo of AI producing a classroom resource, and then use it for a lesson already in planning. The focus is on saving preparation time, creating differentiated materials, and getting confident with the AI tools already built into your school's technology.

A single well-structured prompt can produce a differentiated lesson plan, classroom presentation, and discussion questions in under three minutes. This session shows you how, live, using the tools already on your school's system.
It can be, with one rule: never put student names, SEN details, or any personally identifiable information into a public AI tool. This session covers exactly what's safe, what isn't, and why.
That concern is shared by 70% of Irish teachers, so you're in good company. It depends on how the tool is used. This session shows you how AI can develop critical thinking rather than bypass it, with techniques you can try the same week.
What Makes This Different

Built Around Your School,
Not a Template

There's plenty of AI training available. Most of it is generic, built for a broad audience, and has very little to do with the reality of an Irish school.

Every session I deliver starts with your school. What technology are you already using? What policies are in place? What do your staff actually need? I build from there, drawing on Irish research, EU legislation, and the Department of Education's guidance as it stands. The result is something specific to your school, not a template.

That shapes how I work with schools: keep it practical, keep it relevant, and never add to the burden.

Practical Every session leaves your staff with something they can use the next day.
Relevant Grounded in Irish research, EU legislation, and the Department of Education's guidance.
Respectful of Your Time Never adding to the burden. Sessions are focused, efficient, and built around your schedule.
About Leading Lights

Straight Answers Grounded
in Real-World Experience

Chris Dunn, founder of Leading Lights

I help schools in the West of Ireland make sense of AI: what the tools can do, what your obligations are, and how to bring it all together without the headache.

I started Leading Lights because I kept meeting teachers and principals who felt overwhelmed by how fast AI was moving. They wanted to do the right thing but didn't know where to start, and most of the advice available was either too technical, too vague, or had nothing to do with Irish schools.

My background is in Trust & Safety. I spent 12 years at Workaway, a global platform with millions of users, where my primary focus was protecting the people who used it. I built the systems and policies that kept users safe, including navigating the GDPR minefield when compliance was still being worked out.

Since then, I've worked directly with AI systems, evaluating model outputs and understanding how the technology actually works under the hood. That combination of governance experience and hands-on AI knowledge is what I bring to schools.

Whether you're looking at what the EU AI Act means for your school, or you just want honest guidance on using AI tools well, I focus on straight answers grounded in real-world experience.

Get in Touch

Let's Talk About Your School

Want to talk about how AI fits in your school? Get in touch and I'll come back to you, usually within 24 hours.

contact@leadinglights.ie