Scotland's Mearns Castle High School Appoints Principal Teacher of AI Literacy

Mearns Castle High School in East Renfrewshire, Scotland, has appointed former principal biology teacher Jamie Laycock as a dedicated principal teacher of AI literacy, believed to be the first such post in the UK. The role covers AI literacy lessons for S1 and S2 pupils, with older year groups studying the subject through citizenship and PSE and senior pupils able to take an elective. Lessons include distinguishing real from AI-generated images, AI hallucinations, bias and the influence of training data, with S6 pupils helping shape how the subject is taught.

This case places AI literacy inside formal school curricula and staffing rather than leaving it to one-off talks or individual teachers' efforts, offering an organisational model other schools can reference. It also responds to parents' and pupils' questions about how AI could affect future careers, and aligns with the Scottish Government's national guidance on AI in education published earlier this year, which stresses ethical use and warns against over-reliance. The report provides no quantitative data on course outcomes, pupil assessment or spread, and the claim of being the first in the UK comes from the report rather than an official designation. Schools can set AI literacy as a year-group curriculum with a dedicated teacher, and the teacher training and materials could be replicated by other schools. Pupils encounter AI hallucinations, bias and over-reliance earlier, and parents' questions about AI and future careers get an in-school channel.