AI1 Scheme of work: Foundations of Artificial Intelligence. Year 7 (6 lessons)

Teach students how AI really works

A complete 6-lesson KS3 Artificial Intelligence scheme that helps students understand how intelligent systems learn, adapt - and fail.

Each lesson is hands-on, fully offline, and designed for confident delivery. Students simulate training data, build smarter bots, test classifiers, and challenge system fairness. They step into the role of designers, testers, and ethical analysts - learning how AI systems behave and why it matters.

Perfect for:

• Non-specialist teachers with fully structured classroom support

• Curriculum and subject leads building AI into KS3 provision

• High-ability learners - with built-in scaffolds for whole-class teaching

• Schools with no device access or coding requirements

• Departments delivering critical computing through system-based reasoning

Why this matters

AI already influences the decisions students see, the content they’re shown, and the information they trust. Yet few understand how these systems work - or when they go wrong.

This scheme gives learners the tools to explore what’s behind the interface.
Through offline simulations and structured reasoning tasks, they investigate how AI learns, how data drives decisions, and where bias and failure can creep in.

Students leave with more than awareness - they develop the ability to explain, question, and improve the intelligent systems shaping their world.

🔍 This is real AI literacy: analytical, applied, and essential for the next generation of digital thinkers.

Lesson structure & progression

Each lesson builds critical understanding of AI systems, preparing students to engage with intelligent technologies through logic, ethics, and design.

Lesson titles and focus:

1. What Is Artificial Intelligence? – Myths vs Reality
   Unpack the media myths and define what AI is - and isn’t.

2. Machine Learning – How Computers Learn
   Explore how systems find patterns through repetition, feedback, and rules.

3. Talk to Me – Building Smarter Chatbots
   Simulate how chatbots process input and construct responses.

4. Data Is Power – How AI Uses Information
   Investigate how datasets influence decisions - and where bias starts.

5. Ethical AI – Can Computers Be Fair?
   Examine AI decision-making, debate responsibility, and explore fairness.

6. Train and Test – Teaching AI to Recognise Colour and Shape
   Train a visual classifier and explore how and why it sometimes fails.

What you get

Every resource is ready to deliver:

• 6 inspection-ready lesson plans (fully structured)
• PowerPoints with fully scripted speaker notes
• Offline simulations and printed classification sets
• Student activities with model answers and vocabulary support
• Built-in SEND scaffolds and full classroom adaptation guides
• Optional cover lesson materials for independent delivery
• Scheme Inspection Report (intent, implementation, impact)

Built-in for inspection – without extra workload

Every AI1 scheme includes a full inspection readiness report:

• Curriculum Intent – Clear progression, challenge, and accessibility

• Implementation – Delivery model, resource structure, and inclusive design

• Impact – Evidence of progression, systems thinking, and reasoning skills

• Inclusion & Accessibility – Adaptation strategies, cultural capital, and equitable access

Gives subject leaders everything they need to demonstrate high-quality AI provision at KS3 - clearly and confidently.

Why this scheme works

High engagement
Students simulate real AI behaviours - training, testing, debugging, and improving.

Classroom-ready
Everything is clearly structured, scripted, and printable - no coding or setup required.

Inspection-proof
Built for curriculum scrutiny, with mapped outcomes, SEND scaffolds, and model answers.

Future-facing
Students don’t just use AI - they learn to interrogate, explain, and influence it.