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Axe ‘unwanted and ill-fated’ Oak, Keegan told
Heads, teachers and edtech leaders have joined forces to call on the education secretary to cut funding for new quango Oak National Academy, which they condemn as an “unwanted government technology project” that will mean “vital public funding will be wasted”.
The group of 13 education sector and supplier leaders – including Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders; Dr Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney, joint general secretaries of the NEU teaching union; and Caroline Wright, director general of the British Educational Suppliers’ Association (BESA) – co-signed a letter to education secretary Gillian Keegan suggesting the money should go to schools directly instead.
The letter says they look forward to working with Ms Keegan to “develop an effective model for school support that promotes a virtuous cycle of innovation and investment” rather than “wasting vital public funding on what looks set to become another unwanted and ill-fated government technology project”.
The government relaunched Oak National Academy as a national curriculum resources provider in September. And the letter warns that, while the take-up rate for Oak “is low up to now”, the “ongoing cost pressures in schools will force greater adoption over time, causing irreparable damage to school autonomy, curriculum choice and diversity of thought”.
The signatories also say they are “extremely concerned” that ministers had “not referred the full and final plans for the ALB [government arm’s-length body] to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) for an independent investigation after the department’s own acknowledgement that the new quango will cause damage to the UK’s world-leading digital publishing industry”.
The signatories also include Dan Conway, chief executive of the Publishers’ Association, whose organisation is considering legal action over the Department for Education takeover of Oak. Legal action is also being considered by BESA.
Other signatories include former schools minister Lord Jim Knight, former culture minister Lord Vaizey and Ellie Peers, general secretary of the Writers Guild of Great Britain.
The letter also voices concerns over the government’s business case for Oak, which was published earlier this month.
The letter states that while the CMA “stresses the importance for policymakers to conduct competition assessments during the policy-making process”, Oak’s business case was “only published at the beginning of this month – two months after it had already become an arm’s-length body”.
The letter calls on Ms Keegan to “draw” her attention, “as a matter of urgency”, to the decision to allocate £43 million to Oak.
“This funding decision was taken before the October ‘fiscal event’ and subsequent increased pressures on the public purse. Following Thursday’s Autumn Statement, we urge you and the chancellor to invest this funding directly in schools rather than in the establishment of a new 80-person-strong quango under the control of the ministers of the day,” the letter states.
“Given the urgent fiscal challenges facing the sector and the moral imperative to focus spending on areas of most need, we would urge you to revisit and scrutinise the principles, aims and objectives behind the plans for Oak.”
Last week Tes revealed that the DfE was facing a second threat of legal challenge over its decision to establish Oak National Academy as an ALB.
Tes understands that the Publishers’ Association has issued a “letter before claim” to the DfE, meaning it is considering seeking a judicial review.
The move came a month after Tes revealed that BESA had sent the DfE a letter before claim informing the department that it was considering seeking a judicial review over what it believes are unlawful actions.
Jonathan Dando, director of external relations and school support at Oak National Academy, said: “It’s disappointing these signatories are arguing to take support away from teachers on a day when a welcome increased investment in schools has been announced.
“Schools deserve more, not less, support, and teachers are clear that they hugely value Oak. It’s making a big difference to many issues they care about. Around half of teachers using Oak say it reduces their workload by three hours a week, improves their wellbeing, increases the chance they’ll stay in teaching and improves their curriculum expertise.
“It is simply wrong to suggest that Oak has low take-up. 30,000 teachers use Oak each week, with a third of all teachers in the country having used it recently.
“Teachers use Oak resources extensively for planning and playing clips in lessons, so often use just parts of a lesson, rather than playing the full video.”
The DfE has been contacted for comment.
The full letter to Ms Keegan can be read below:
Dear Gillian,
We the undersigned welcome you to your role as Secretary of State for Education and look forward to working with you to steer our sector through the hugely challenging times ahead.
We wish to draw your attention as a matter of urgency to the decision taken by your predecessor to allocate £43m of funding to the incorporation of Oak National Academy into an arm’s-length body (ALB). This funding decision was taken before the October ‘fiscal event’ and subsequent increased pressures on the public purse. Following Thursday’s Autumn Statement, we urge you and the chancellor to invest this funding directly in schools rather than in the establishment of a new 80-person-strong quango under the control of the ministers of the day.
Recent reports show take-up of Oak content is at best patchy, with the equivalent of just one teacher per school regularly using the platform and only four out of 10 lessons completed. Poor metrics such as these fly in the face of the department’s stated desire to encourage schools to adopt and utilise high-quality, sequenced teaching and learning resources, and do not represent value for money for taxpayers.
Whilst the take-up rate among teachers is low up to now, ongoing cost pressures in schools will force greater adoption over time, causing irreparable damage to school autonomy, curriculum choice and diversity of thought.
Edtech investors are already deserting the UK as a result of the market distortion caused by Oak. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) stresses the importance for policymakers to conduct competition assessments during the policy-making process, yet the business case for Oak was only published at the beginning of this month – two months after it had already become an arm’s-length body.
We are extremely concerned that ministers have not referred the full and final plans for the ALB to the CMA for an independent investigation after the department’s own acknowledgement that the new quango will cause damage to the UK’s world-leading digital publishing industry.
We support the Department for Education’s mission to reduce teacher workload and to improve accessibility to high-quality curriculum products. Yet in its present form, Oak will not achieve these ambitions and vital public funding will be wasted. Given the urgent fiscal challenges facing the sector and the moral imperative to focus spending on areas of most need, we would urge you to revisit and scrutinise the principles, aims and objectives behind the plans for Oak.
We stand ready to help support you in your new role. We look forward to working with you as Parliamentarians, system leaders, curriculum experts, teacher unions, subject associations and publishers to develop an effective model for school support that promotes a virtuous cycle of innovation and investment rather than wasting vital public funding on what looks set to become another unwanted and ill-fated government technology project.
Yours,
Caroline Wright, director-general, British Educational Suppliers Association
Dan Conway, chief executive officer, Publishers’ Association
Mary Bousted, joint general secretary, National Education Union
Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary, National Education Union
Nicola Solomon, chief executive, Society of Authors
Geoff Barton, general secretary, Association of School and College Leaders
Ellie Peers, general secretary, Writers Guild of Great Britain
Professor Rose Luckin, founder, Educate Ventures
Rt. Hon Lord Vaizey of Didcot
Rt. Hon Baroness Rebuck
The Lord Strathcarron
Rt. Hon Lord Knight of Weymouth
The Baroness Hooper
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Axe ‘unwanted and ill-fated’ Oak, Keegan told
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