Ian Bauckham will step down as chair of curriculum provider Oak National Academy next month, the organisation has announced. The Department for Education has appointed Tom Campbell, chief executive of E-ACT multi-academy trust, as new chair of the arms-length body from 9 October. Bauckham has been chair of Oak since September 2022, when it became a non-departmental body in the Department for Education. Oak said he had stepped down to “fully focus” on his main role as chief regulator at Ofqual, which he has held since 2024. Campbell will continue as CEO of E-ACT, which has 38 schools across England. He previously worked as chief education officer at Greenwood Academies Trust. Schools minister Georgia Gould said Campbell’s experience “makes him well placed to lead Oak as they harness the best of technology to support teachers and help children succeed”. Campbell will oversee Oak’s work to update curriculum content based on the government’s response to the curriculum and assessment review, after the body received £22.8 million in funding from the Department for Education for 2026-27. Oak will also develop “high-quality” AI tools for teachers and a fully reviewed reception curriculum with this funding. ‘Achieved so much’ Bauckham said it had been a “privilege” to “play a part in an organisation that has achieved so much in such a short time.” “A high-quality, well-sequenced curriculum is proven to be one of the most important tools we have to tackle the disadvantage gap,” Bauckham added. Campbell said: “A strong curriculum is fundamental to helping all pupils thrive. Oak has already done hugely important work to support schools in delivering excellent teaching and learning. “I’m looking forward to working with the team, and with teachers and partners across the sector, to build on this strong foundation and ensure this national asset delivers as much value as possible for schools.” An ImpactED independent evaluation of Oak found more than 54,000 teachers use its resources every week, and the platform is used in nearly three in four schools across England. However, another independent review by LocatED called for Oak for it to ditch its “national academy” title to “shift perceptions that it is a means to impose a government-favoured pedagogy”. A judicial review over the decision to turn the arms-length body into a government quango restarted in September. The review was launched by the British Education Suppliers Association, the Publishers Association and the Society of Authors, who argued that it would pose an “existential risk” to their sector.