RileyBot and Learning with AI

Over the past two years, many parents will have heard about RileyBot, the age-appropriate AI learning assistant we use at Caterham Prep. We recently held a parent session for Year 2 parents to explain how we use it to support children’s learning. 

At Caterham, technology is never the goal in itself. Our focus has always been on developing the whole child: confident, curious, capable young people who can think for themselves, solve problems, communicate clearly and adapt when things change. Tools like RileyBot are one way we help make those skills visible and explicit. 

AI is already part of the world our children are growing up in. Rather than avoiding it, our approach is to teach children how to use it safely, honestly and responsibly, in the same way we teach them to use other powerful tools. RileyBot is not designed to do children’s work for them. Instead, it helps by explaining ideas in different ways, supporting planning, clarifying vocabulary and giving feedback when children are stuck. 

Designed and developed by Sphinx AI, Caterham School’s own EdTech start up, RileyBot has importantly been built specifically for schools and for children. It includes strong safeguards: it does not learn from children or build profiles, conversations are anonymised and securely stored for a short period and automatic safeguarding checks are in place. Teachers and parents can see conversations concerns are automatically flagged for investigation. 

Use of RileyBot is gradual and optional. Some children may use it regularly, others only occasionally, and that is entirely appropriate. The emphasis is always on children doing their own thinking and remaining responsible for the work they produce. Rather than replacing a teacher or interactions with friends, it replaces the gaps. It is not replacing the ‘climb’ of independent struggle, but the feeling of being stuck halfway up and not being able to make it to the top – it is a tool for getting unstuck and on the move again. 

This approach links closely to the skills children need now and in the future: problem-solving, communication, resilience, reflection and independence. RileyBot is just one tool that supports this wider aim. It is not a replacement for teachers, peers or thinking, but a scaffold that can help children keep their learning moving forward. 

Slides from the parent session, along with a short summary, were shared with Year 2, but if you are in another year group and would like a copy, have any questions or would like to discuss this further, please do get in touch with Mr Lang.