Oak National Academy controversy: Council for Subject Associations sought DfE funding to “turbo-charge” support for home education early in lockdown, but got nowhere, correspondence reveals

An umbrella body for most of the UK’s school subject associations sought funding from the Department for Education to “turbo-charge” online support for schools and families during the early stages of the coronavirus lockdown –but got nowhere, Education Uncovered has learnt.

A letter from the UK Council for Subject Associations to the DfE, seen by this website, saw it sending a detailed menu of possibilities of digital support for at-home education during the crisis, from YouTube videos to webinars, live panels, pupil-hosted TV shows, competitions and extensive links to resources.

The council offered to provide this in return for £194,000 from the DfE. This is a fraction of the funds that the government has since allocated to its favoured Oak National Academy online learning platform.

However, the letter, sent on March 30^th which was three weeks before the government announced the launch of Oak, and as the work on the latter was only just getting going, prompted only a “standard” email in response, says the CfSA. There was no government cash.

The news is likely to fuel intense controversy over Oak, which has faced widespread questions – seemingly acknowledged as legitimate by its leader – over the fact that it has received nearly £5 million of public money without a tender process.