Oak National Academy has revealed its new curriculum partners to create free lessons for the government quango – but two subjects have not been awarded after bids did not meet “the high quality bar”.
Of the 10 awarded lots – covering six subjects – four were won by schools, including Future Academies and the Twyford Church of England Academies Trust.
The other six went to the Mathematics in Education and Industry charity, the University of York’s Department of Education, the Geographical Association and publishing giant Pearson (see full list below).
But contracts to create a curriculum for primary music and secondary geography were not awarded.
The quango said this was “because no bid met the high quality bar”. It is now exploring “next steps to develop these”, such as potentially rolling them into the next procurement cycle.
The original tenders totalled £8.2 million.
Meanwhile, membership of six subject expert groups to provide “valuable independent feedback” and act as a “sounding board through the development work” has also been revealed.
Membership includes 39 teachers, academics and subject experts (full list below).
Ofsted subject leaders sit on five of the groups. Oak said while they will “input their expertise”, the leaders will not have a formal role in defining or recommending the curriculum.
As revealed by Schools Week, at least seven of the 11 leading academy trusts who helped found the platform during the pandemic did not bid to become curriculum partners for the quango.
But Oak announced today staff from three of those seven trusts will be on the new subject groups. New curriculum partners Future Academies and Fox Federation were also original partners.
Some of the new curriculum partners will also be recruiting teachers to help develop lessons resources, Oak added.
Curriculum sequences and initial resources will be available from autumn 2023. The full curriculum packages for the first six subjects will be developed by September 2024.
Oak will soon begin to recruit subject leads for its second procurement cycle. The subjects include modern foreign languages, RE, citizenship/RHSE, computing, art and design, PE, and design and technology.
An organisation specialising in diversity will also be appointed to “deliver breadth and diversity in content, language, texts, media and our teachers”.
Matt Hood, interim chief executive of Oak National Academy, said the new curriculum partners “means teachers will have access to some of the smartest curriculum thinking and resource design on tap, something they have told us they want”.
The government has started recruitment for a permanent chief executive at Oak, paid £120,000.
Oak’s new curriculum partners
- English primary: Fox Federation
- English secondary: Twyford Church of England Academies Trust
- Maths primary and secondary: Mathematics in Education and Industry (MEI)
- Science primary and secondary: Department of Education, University of York
- History primary: Pearson Education
- History secondary: Future Academies
- Geography primary: Geographical Association
- Music secondary: Knowledge Schools Trust
Subject expert group members
English:
- Dr Elaine Allen OBE – St John Vianneys Catholic Primary School/English Hubs Council
- Neil Almond – STEP Academy Trust
- Matt Carnaby – Inspiration Trust
- Amy Coombe – Athena Learning Trust
- Zoe Enser – Ofsted
- Bennie Kara – Adhara Education
- Ann-Marie Linehan – Buxton School
- Andrew Percival – Stanley Road Primary School
- Madeleine Roberts – Ark John Keats
- Laura Rowlands – Woodlands Community College
- Nick Wallace – Ark Curriculum+
- Chloe Wardle – Ambition Institute
Maths:
- Claire Christie – Ashley Down Primary School
- Shannen Doherty – Aquinas Church of England Education Trust
- Kathryn Greenhalgh – Chair of the Maths Hub Council
- Marc Hayes – Roundhay School
- Richard Perring – The Association of Teachers of Mathematics
- Naveen Rizvi – Astrea Academies Trust
- Jemma Sherwood – Ormiston Academies Trust / The Mathematical Association
- Hannah Stoten – Ofsted
- Helen Temple – Park Community School / Straightforward Maths
- Jay Timotheus – Co-op Academies Trust
- Steve Wren – Ofsted
Science:
- Jamie Conyard – Inspiration Trust
- Marianne Cutler – The Association for Science Education
- Heena Dave – Teacher Development Trust
- Euan Douglas – Saint George Catholic College
- Naomi Hiscock – Primary Science Education Consultancy
- Prof. Sylvia Knight – The Royal Meteorological Society
- Richard Lewis – Redgate Primary, Formby
- Lauren McLeod – Royal Society of Biology
- Kirsty Simkin – Reach Academy, Feltham
- Helen Skelton – Beaumont School, St Albans
- Charles Tracy – Institute of Physics
- Dr. Nicola Treby – University of Roehampton
- Henry Ward – d’Overbroeck’s, Oxford
History:
- Ben Arscott – Inspiration Trust
- John Blake – Office for Students
- David Burton – Nonsuch High School for Girls
- Matthew Flynn – Ryders Hayes School
- Manjit Harvey-More – Prince Albert High School
- Jon Hutchinson – Reach Foundation
- Tim Jenner – Ofsted
- Meghan Tipping – Heritage and Education Professional
- Josh Vallance – Oasis Academy Shirley Park
- Bobbie Young – Harris Federation
Geography:
- Tiffeny Ashton – St Columb Minor Academy
- Tom Brassington – St Modwens, Burton
- Michael Chiles – Kings Leadership Academy
- Mark Enser – Ofsted
- Iain Freeland – Oasis Community Learning
- Kate Fritter – Ark Curriculum+
- Grace Healy – David Ross Education Trust
- David Preece – Teach First
- Jessica Rennie – Stanley Road Primary School, Oldham
Music:
- Carolyn Baxendale MBE – Music Education Hubs
- Steve Berryman – The Charter Schools Educational Trust
- Liz Dunbar – Huntington School, York
- Don Gillthorpe – Music Teachers’ Association
- James Gray – Staffordshire Research School
- Naomi McCarthy – Independent Society of Musicians
- Joe Norris – Dixons Trinity, Chapeltown
- Jimmy Rotherham – Feversham Primary Academy
- Rebecca Shaw – Failsworth Co-op Academy
- Margaret O’Shea – Ark Schools
- Chris Stevens – Ofsted
- Antitsa Undzhiyan – Mere Green Primary School
- Jenny Williams – Music Hub
- Bridget Whyte – Music Mark
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