A school in Letchworth is launching a new skills-based curriculum at the start of this new school term, as a direct result of artificial intelligence (AI) "transforming workplaces".

The new curriculum at St Francis' College adopts a skills and personal development-based approach to teaching and preparing students for exams and the world beyond them.

Lessons throughout the college, which caters for children aged four to 18 years, will now be taught in a style that promotes the development of crucial skills alongside teaching knowledge.

The college says this shift is as a result of AI "transforming our workplaces, and creating what will no doubt be a seismic shift in how we work, and the types of skills organisations will require, in the both the short and long term".

The World Economic Forum’s ‘Future of Jobs’ report, which explores how jobs and skills will evolve over the next five years, estimates that AI will replace some 85 million jobs, but that 97 million new jobs that are adapted to the new division of labour between humans and machines could be created by 2025.

A spokesperson for St Francis' College said: "The speed and scope of these changes create new demands on schools to prepare children for their future where skills such as creativity, collaboration, communication and critical thinking, rather than just pure knowledge, will be crucial in the future economy."

James Nichols, head of the college, added: "We want to ensure that our curriculum adapts to the changing political, educational and social landscapes.

"For students, achievement goes hand in hand with wellbeing, and this is why skills and personal development are at the heart of our new curriculum, equipping our students with the essential skills they’ll need to be invaluable in the future world of work.

"This, however, is not at the expense of our outstanding academic outcomes. Indeed, great care has been taken to ensure that nothing we are changing or introducing causes the dilution of the academic reputation and outcomes of the college.

"Where new initiatives have been installed, primarily in terms of personal development, these have been included to raise these elements to the same heights as the academic successes in the curriculum."