At this year's Earwig National Conference, we asked delegates a simple question: where would AI support make the biggest difference to your working life?
The responses were clear, consistent and — if we're honest — exactly what we suspected. Teachers in special schools are spending significant amounts of time writing reports. And they would very much like some help with that.
It sounds straightforward, but it matters enormously. Report writing in a special school is not a simple task. Every pupil has a unique profile, a unique set of needs and a unique story to tell. Writing commentaries that are accurate, meaningful and personal takes time — time that could otherwise be spent in the classroom, with pupils, doing the work that teachers came into the profession to do.
The survey results from our conference confirmed what many of us already knew: report writing sits at the top of the list when it comes to administrative workload, and it is the area where teachers feel AI could make the most immediate and meaningful difference.
We've been listening, and we're acting on it.
We are working towards offering AI-generated report commentaries within the Earwig software — with the aim of having this available to schools by this time next year.
The way it will work is straightforward. Earwig will draft the commentary for you, drawing on the evidence, assessment data and pupil information already held within the platform. You then review it, edit it, shape it and approve it before it goes anywhere. The teacher remains in full control. The AI does the heavy lifting on the first draft.
The goal is not to replace the professional judgement of the teacher — it is to remove the blank page, reduce the hours spent on the mechanics of writing, and free up time for the things that matter most.
Special school teachers are, by any measure, some of the most dedicated professionals in education. The complexity of what they do — assessing pupils across highly individualised frameworks, building relationships with families, navigating EHCPs and annual reviews, managing complex needs in the classroom — is considerable.
Report writing, as valuable as it is, is also one of the most time-consuming parts of the job. When we ask teachers where AI could help, it is no surprise that this is where the answer lands.
Starting with reports also makes sense from a product perspective. The evidence and assessment data that Earwig already holds provides a strong foundation for AI-generated commentary. We are not starting from scratch — we are building on the work teachers have already done within the platform and using it to make the next step easier.
If you are an Earwig school, this development is something to look forward to rather than be cautious about. AI-written commentaries will be a tool, not a replacement. Every word that goes into a pupil report will still be reviewed and approved by the teacher responsible for that pupil. The professional relationship, the accuracy and the personal touch remain entirely in human hands.
What changes is the time it takes to get there.
We will share more details on the AI commentary feature as development progresses. In the meantime, if you have questions or thoughts you would like to share with us, we would love to hear from you at info@earwigacademic.com.
The conversation about AI in special education is still in its early stages, and we are approaching it carefully. The needs of pupils in special schools are complex and nuanced, and any AI tool that touches their education needs to be built with that complexity in mind.
What the conference survey told us is that teachers are not resistant to AI — they are ready for it, provided it is designed to support their work rather than complicate it. That is the standard we are holding ourselves to as we build.
We are excited about what is coming. We think you will be too.