Oct 22, 2026
Your pupils' AI tools changed this term: a Gemini settings check for UK schools
Google has given pupils a Gemini student hub with study notebooks, flashcards and practice quizzes. It has no switch of its own. A guide for DSLs and IT leads in UK schools and trusts: what changed, what KCSIE and the DfE expect, and five questions to settle this half term.
Alex McPherson | Special Projects Lead (UK)
Since 1 October, pupils signing in to Gemini with a school Google account can open a student hub that collects study notebooks, flashcards and practice quizzes in one place. Google says the hub is "available to Google Workspace for Education users of all ages", and that it has no switch of its own: it "is subject to these existing controls", meaning the Gemini settings your Admin console already has. If your pupils can use the Gemini app, they can reach the student hub at gemini.google.com/students.
The student hub is the latest of several changes this term. Since 10 August, the Gemini tab in Google Classroom has been on by default for pupils of all ages wherever Gemini was already allowed. On 19 October, Google began letting teachers read pupils' chats with Gemini Notebooks they assign in Classroom. Pupils got the student hub and the Classroom tab without anyone changing a setting in your Admin console.
This guide is for designated safeguarding leads (DSLs) and IT leads in schools and trusts in England, with notes for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It covers what pupils can now reach in Gemini, what KCSIE, the DfE and the JCQ expect of you, and five questions to settle before the end of this half term. It links to Google's own help pages for the settings, because Google changes the menus often.
Flint makes an AI platform for pupils, so we have an interest in this topic. Flint appears only in the box at the end. Many schools will rightly decide to keep Gemini on.
What pupils can reach in Gemini this term
"Gemini" now covers several products. They have different age rules and different settings.
| Product | What pupils get | Which setting controls it |
|---|---|---|
| Student hub (gemini.google.com/students) | Study notebooks built from their own class materials, flashcards and practice quizzes. Google says new learning tools will appear here | The Gemini app settings. There is no separate switch |
| Gemini app (gemini.google.com and the mobile apps) | A general AI chatbot, including Guided Learning, quizzes and Gems | Gemini app service status |
| Gemini tab in Google Classroom | Study guides, quizzes and starter prompts based on class materials, plus notebooks teachers assign | Gemini in Classroom. The tab is hidden if the Gemini app and Gemini Notebook are both off |
| Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM) | A research notebook that answers from sources pupils or teachers upload | Gemini Notebook service status |
| Gemini in Gmail, Docs and Slides | Writing help inside Workspace apps | Not available to users under 18 |
The study notebooks in the student hub belong to the Gemini app. They are not Gemini Notebook, so turning off Gemini Notebook does not remove them.
All of these come free with every Workspace for Education edition, including Education Fundamentals, according to Google's quickstart guide.
Under-18 accounts get a restricted version
In primary and secondary schools, Google gives every user not designated 18 or over "an age-restricted experience". The setting is under Account settings, Age-based access settings, and has only two options: some or all users are under 18, or all users are 18 or older. There is no setting for younger primary pupils.
As of Google's 20 October table, under-18 users can't use Deep Research, Gemini Live, the Thinking model, Audio Overviews, or image editing, music or video generation in the Gemini app. They can upload files, generate images and use Gems, Guided Learning and quizzes.
Check your sixth form. If a sixth-form organisational unit (OU) is designated 18 or older, those pupils get the adult features. Google also warns that changing someone's age designation can delete data they created in features they lose, starting 30 days after the change.
Is the student hub live for UK schools?
Google's announcement names all Workspace for Education customers, and an update on 19 October added the European Economic Area. It does not name the UK separately. Google lists the UK among the countries where the Gemini app is available. The quickest way to be sure is to sign in as a pupil in each OU and open gemini.google.com/students.
What staff can see
- Teachers can read pupils' chats only with Gemini Notebooks they assigned in Classroom. Pupils see a notice that their teacher can see those chats. Notebooks pupils create from their own Gemini tab are private to their account.
- Workspace admins can search and export Gemini app conversations in Google Vault after the fact. Conversation history is on by default and kept for 18 months, and you can choose 3, 18 or 36 months. With history off, Google may still store conversations for up to 72 hours.
- Gemini reports in the Admin console show usage by OU and by user, not what pupils wrote.
- We couldn't find any Google feature that alerts a DSL to what a pupil writes to Gemini. Oversight is a Vault search after a concern is raised.
What Google says about data
Google treats Gemini for Education as a Core Service under your Workspace for Education agreement. It says pupils' content is "not human reviewed or used for Generative AI model training outside their domain without permission". Prompts count as customer data under Google's Cloud Data Processing Addendum, which covers the UK GDPR.
Google offers no UK data region. On Education Standard and Education Plus you can keep Gemini app prompts and responses in Europe or the United States. Data Regions doesn't apply to Education Fundamentals or Gemini Notebook. Google publishes a Gemini DPIA support guide for schools writing their own data protection impact assessment.
What KCSIE, the DfE and the JCQ expect
None of these documents bans Gemini or any other tool. They expect you to know what pupils can use, check it works safely, and write the rules down.
| Source | What it asks of you |
|---|---|
| KCSIE 2026, in force since 1 September | The DSL takes lead responsibility for online safety, "including… understanding the filtering and monitoring systems and processes in place". Filtering and monitoring are reviewed at least once every academic year by the SLT lead, with the DSL and IT support, and the checks are recorded. KCSIE now points to the DfE's guidance on generative AI and its product safety standards |
| Filtering and monitoring standard, updated 16 September | Your review covers "how and where any generative AI web and in-application products are used". Review again when "new technology is introduced, such as new devices or generative-AI tools". Monitoring should give weekly incident reports and immediate reports for high-risk incidents. App content may need monitoring on the device, because your filter might not see it |
| Generative AI: product safety standards, updated 19 January | Written for suppliers, and useful for judging any AI tool. Products should log prompts and responses, alert the DSL to disclosures that suggest a safeguarding issue, detect signs of distress including mentions of self-harm, and not give full answers by default |
| DfE policy paper on generative AI | Pupils should use generative AI only "with appropriate safeguards in place, such as close supervision and the use of tools with safety and filtering and monitoring features". Schools may wish to review homework policies |
| DfE guidance on procuring edtech, July 2026 | Your DPO and DSL "should be consulted before a decision is made" on an AI tool. The tool should include "an audit trail enabling safeguarding leads to monitor and review pupil usage" |
| JCQ AI Use in Assessments | Pupils must acknowledge any AI use in work submitted for assessment, naming the tool and the date. Unacknowledged use is malpractice, with sanctions up to disqualification |
| Ofsted | Ofsted doesn't evaluate AI tools, but inspectors may look at your policy on pupils' use of AI in lessons, homework and coursework |
The student hub matters most for the filtering and monitoring review. It is a new generative AI feature that reached pupils without anyone at your school turning it on, so it meets the standard's trigger for a fresh look.
In Wales, Hwb's Gemini is "only available to practitioners", so pupils on Hwb accounts don't have it. Schools in Wales that run their own Google domain should still check. In Scotland, the government's AI guidelines for schools ask for a DPIA before any AI tool that processes personal data. In Northern Ireland, see the Department of Education's Circular 2026/02 on generative AI.
Five questions to settle this half term
Pupils are using AI for schoolwork whether or not school accounts allow it. The National Literacy Trust found that 79% of 13 to 18-year-olds used generative AI in 2026, and 1 in 4 said they simply copied what the AI wrote when using it for homework. The questions below are for the DSL, the IT lead and the SLT member responsible for filtering and monitoring to answer together.
1. Which year groups have it?
For each pupil OU, record whether the Gemini app, Gemini Notebook and Gemini in Classroom are on. Whoever has the Gemini app has the student hub. Confirm every pupil OU is designated under 18, including sixth form unless you've decided otherwise. If your OUs aren't split by key stage or year group, you can't give Year 7 a different answer from Year 12, so fix that first. Google's advice for keeping Gemini from some pupils is to put them in their own OU and turn access off there.
2. Does your AI policy cover pupils using it for revision and homework?
The student hub is a revision tool, and most of its use will happen at home. Your policy should say whether pupils may use Gemini to revise and to do homework, what counts as their own work, and how pupils acknowledge AI use in coursework under the JCQ rules. If you don't yet have a policy, our AI policy guide for UK schools covers what KCSIE, the DfE, the JCQ and Ofsted expect, with examples.
3. What are parents told?
Parents can't see the Admin console. Tell them in writing which year groups have Gemini, what for, and who reviews it.
4. Who reviews it each term?
KCSIE asks for a filtering and monitoring review at least once a year, but Google changed what pupils can reach in Gemini in August and again in October. Name the person who checks Google's Workspace Updates blog and the Gemini reports each term, and the person who runs Vault searches when a concern is raised. Put the next review date in your AI policy.
5. Do pupils know to check its answers?
Gemini can be wrong, and the student hub's flashcards and quizzes are generated from whatever a pupil uploads. Pupils need to know to check answers against their notes or their teacher, and to say when they've used AI. The government's response to the Curriculum and Assessment Review commits to teaching AI literacy in the refreshed curriculum. You don't have to wait for it: a short lesson before pupils get access is enough to start.
Where to find the settings in Google's help pages
- Turn the Gemini app on or off, which also covers conversation history
- Turn Gemini Notebook on or off for users
- Manage access to Gemini in Classroom
- Control access to Google services by age
- Review Gemini usage in your organisation
- Use Vault to search Gemini app conversations
- Generative AI in Google Workspace Privacy Hub
Working in the US? Our US guide to Gemini for students covers grade bands, COPPA and state law.
How Flint approaches safeguarding
Flint is an AI platform where teachers build activities and each pupil works through them one-to-one with an AI tutor. Measured against the DfE's product safety standards:
- Teachers can read every message their pupils exchange with the AI, and school admins can read every conversation in the school.
- Flagged messages are emailed to the class's teacher and the school's chosen moderators. Self-harm alerts are always sent immediately.
- The AI flags pupils who treat it as a friend or confidant, and points them to trusted adults for personal matters. When a pupil mentions self-harm, it encourages them to talk to a teacher, counsellor or parent.
- Pupils sign in with the Google accounts they already have.
See how Flint meets each of the DfE's product safety standards. Our free AI literacy course for students gives pupils the lesson question 5 asks for, whichever AI tools you use.
FAQ
Is there a separate setting for the Gemini student hub?
No. Google says the student hub is subject to the existing Generative AI settings in the Admin console, and there is no end-user setting for it. If a pupil can use the Gemini app, they can reach the student hub.
Can schools turn Gemini off for pupils?
Yes. Admins can turn the Gemini app, Gemini Notebook and Gemini in Classroom on or off for each OU or group. Google's advice is to put the pupils you want to restrict in their own OU and turn access off there.
Can teachers see what pupils ask Gemini?
Only for Gemini Notebooks a teacher assigns in Google Classroom, where teachers can now read each pupil's chat transcript. Notebooks pupils create themselves are private to their account. Workspace admins can search and export Gemini app conversations in Google Vault after the fact. Google doesn't document real-time alerts about what pupils write.
Does Google use pupils' Gemini conversations to train its AI?
Google says no. Gemini for Education is a Core Service under the Workspace for Education terms, and Google says the content of users of all ages isn't reviewed by humans or used to train its generative AI models outside the school's domain without permission.
Is pupils' Gemini data stored in the UK?
Google offers no UK data region. Schools on Education Standard or Education Plus can choose to store Gemini app prompts and responses in Europe or the United States. Data Regions isn't available on the free Education Fundamentals edition or for Gemini Notebook.
Can pupils use Gemini for GCSE or A level coursework?
Only within the JCQ rules and your centre's policy. The JCQ requires pupils to acknowledge any AI use in work submitted for assessment, naming the tool and the date, and treats unacknowledged use as malpractice.