Question
No, you didn’t!
Answer
Well, we put it on a statutory footing because we had a piece of legislation. The question that is worth a moment of response was about the educational outcomes being within the scope of the certification process. AI tutors are a real concern, but there is an opportunity there. The Government are funding some of the leading companies around the world to develop products. They will then go into a separate programme for which we have funding, led by the Education Endowment Foundation, to establish the impact on educational outcomes and attainment. It is entirely right to suggest that there should be no widespread deployment of this technology before we know its full effects on cognitive development. Of course, there are also safety issues.
Verdict: GREEN (78/100)
The question disputed the claim that the Government has done something about phones in schools, and the reply directly answered it by pointing to a concrete step: putting the guidance on a statutory footing through legislation. The reply also included material on edtech and AI tutors, which does not bear on this question. Because the answer is direct and specific, a reader would likely have enough to understand the Government's position, though they might still want details on when the legislation takes effect.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Disputes the claim that the Government has "done something about it" on phones in schools, unlike the previous Conservative Education Secretaries who only spoke about the issue. | Addressed | Direct | The item disputes the claim that the Government has 'done something about' phones in schools. Statement 1 re-asserts that Government action was taken, citing a concrete mechanism (putting the guidance on a statutory footing through legislation), which answers the item in substance. The other statements concern edtech and AI tutors and do not bear on this item. |