Revealed: primary pupils at former minister’s traditionalist academy chain receiving no computing or RE lessons and two per week for science - but 19 in history, English and Latin

Pupils at primary academies within a former minister’s school chain are currently receiving no religious education or information technology teaching, while experiencing more than three lessons of history for every one they are taught in science.

History lessons for key stage 2 children at the three schools within the Future Academies chain are also taking up more time than is being devoted to maths, through timetables which seem to leave the schools – which are overseen and effectively controlled by the Conservative peer Lord John Nash and his wife, Lady Caroline Nash - as national outliers.

This term, a governor at one of the schools, all of which are in Westminster, central London, warned of parents’ concerns that the curriculum was “imbalanced”, with an alleged over-emphasis on history leaving little room for STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects. Computing/information technology has not featured on the curricula of any of these primary schools for approaching two years.

A source close to this school – Millbank Academy – has told Education Uncovered that there are widespread concerns among teachers within this primary about the content of its curriculum, this person saying: “I don’t know a single member of staff who thinks that the curriculum is suitable”.

Staff are said to have raised concerns about the content of individual history lessons. An ancient history textbook, seen by this website, sees pupils given a creative writing task in which they must imagine themselves as Cleopatra, with Antony lying dead in her arms, and then instructed to “write your final thoughts as you prepare to take your own life”.