Department for Education used little-known legal power to fund Oak National Academy

The government took advantage of a little-known, sweeping legal power to fund a high-profile, much-debated home learning initiative, Education Uncovered has learned.

Ministers used powers in the 2002 Education Act, which effectively allows them to fund any education project they choose, to commit £300,000 at short notice to Oak National Academy, an online learning platform which has been set up for use during the coronavirus lockdown.

Oak National Academy (ONA) has been greeted enthusiastically by many parents and teachers while attracting a reported 800,000 pupils last week. The site is entirely free, with it having been reported last week* that there were no plans to charge for materials in the future.

However, questions have been asked as to how it managed to secure funding from the government quite so quickly, with its “principal”, Matt Hood, having written that the initiative was set up in just 10 days.

Attention, including from some sources who have found it more difficult to secure funding for education projects from ministers, has also focused on the fact that some of ONA’s leading players appear very well-connected to DfE policymaking.