Coronavirus: DfE seeks more online education resources to promote

The Department for Education has launched a consultation process to identify more online education resources that it can promote to schools and parents.

It follows the publication around a month ago of a list of online education resources, hosted by the DfE on its Gov.uk website.

Now the Department says it is “reviewing and updating” the list, and wants to find more resources to feature.

“When the department launched the resources list on April 7, we were clear we would review and update this in due course. The initial list was not intended to be exhaustive, and our review reflects the wide range of free offers on the market,” the DfE said in its consultation document.

“We have not yet set a date for schools to reopen and will be guided by the science in doing so. These resources list will remain online for the period of the coronavirus (COVID-19) response, at which point they will be reviewed.”

Suppliers of resources can apply to have their products listed. In order to quality, they must offer free content covering at least one of the following areas: English, maths, science, PE, mental wellbeing and SEND.

For some other subjects, professional bodies will be providing guidance to schools, the DfE said.

The consultation document also points out that “not all of the resources submitted will be published on the list”.

“The department and its subject matter experts will be looking to identify quality resources through expert assessment that would be most helpful to support remote education at this difficult time.

“If a large volume of the resources submitted to the department are deemed to be quality resources, it may be necessary to prioritise between them to ensure that the list remains user-friendly and not overwhelming in length.”

Suppliers must apply before midnight on May 12.