Written by Marios Georgiou, once a teacher, now co-founder of Step Teachers.

I read an article on the BBC Newswebsite titled, “Teachers can use AI to save time on marking, new guidance says”. Given how I felt about this, I knew it would undoubtedly spark debate across the education sector. For those of us who have been in the classroom, it raises some uncomfortable but important questions.

As a former teacher, I know how quickly a child can become disengaged from learning if they feel their homework isn’t being respected and by that, I mean marked. Make no mistake: for a child, “respect” often means seeing that their effort has been read, understood, and responded to. A tick and a generic comment won’t do, and if they suspect their work has been “read” by a robot rather than their teacher, the message it sends is even more damaging.

If we can use AI to mark their work, what’s stopping them from using AI to complete it?

Of course, such are the demands on us that efficiency matters. Teachers are under immense time pressure, and we should absolutely embrace tools that help lighten the load, particularly in administrative tasks, data entry, or summarising information. AI can even be helpful in generating model answers or checking for bias or inconsistency. But when it comes to marking children’s work, especially extended writing, creative responses, or subject areas that reveal deeper misconceptions, AI simply cannot replace the teacher’s eyes, ears, and professional judgement.

Marking isn’t just about assessment. It’s about connection. It’s how teachers track progress, spot patterns, and notice when a child who used to get it no longer does. It’s how we see the gaps, the effort, the growth or sometimes, the silent struggles. These are not things an algorithm can detect with real understanding.

To be clear: this isn’t the stance of a Luddite. I believe AI has an important role in education. But we must be careful about where we draw the line. Using AI to assist? Yes. To fully replace the teacher’s voice in marking? No.

Our children and their hard work, deserve more than efficiency. They deserve attention, recognition, and the human feedback that builds confidence, encourages improvement, and nurtures a love of learning.

And that’s something no machine can replicate.

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