An unusual teaching assistant is waiting for the students of St John’s primary school, in Wigan, north-west England, when they return from their summer holidays.
To get them back up to speed, after a year of disruptions from Covid-19, is a computer program made by Century, a London-based online learning company, which claims its artificial intelligence-powered system can help teachers to tailor lessons for each individual pupil.
The app, which St John’s students also used during lockdown, assesses the strengths and weaknesses of each child based on how quickly and accurately they respond to questions in either English, maths or science. Century’s algorithm then feeds this information back to the teacher, offering plans for future lessons.