The government should remind the schools sector that Oak National Academy is “optional” and “adaptable” in order to ease any concerns about the curriculum resources quango, a major review has suggested.

More work is needed to “maximise the positive impact” of its resources and to “fully realise the ambitions of the original business case”, the independent review into Oak also advises.

The review, led by Lara Newman, chief executive of LocatED, was published today after being delayed from September 2024 and again from early 2025.

When Oak was relaunched by the government in September 2022 as an arm’s-length body, the Department for Education committed to review it within two years.

The quango has faced widespread criticism from both schools and educational technology suppliers, including that Oak has caused “significant market damage”.

Oak faced ‘significant headwinds’

The review notes that Oak has faced “significant headwinds” since being established.

“Several influential voices in the system expressed concern about its proximity to government, and there has been a commercial challenge on the impact on the educational publishing sector,” it states.

“This, combined with restrictions on marketing activity, has hindered Oak’s ability to increase awareness of their new offer and take on the system leadership role envisaged by the original business case.”

In light of such concerns, the review advises that “Oak should continue to emphasise that its materials are optional and fully adaptable”, and that it should be permissible to remove most or all of the Oak branding, if users wish.

However, the review notes that Oak is a “well-run organisation” with “good financial controls and governance”, and that teacher usage of Oak has recently “increased sharply”.

The support that the quango provides is “valued by teachers”, “saving them time” and “improving the quality of lesson planning for those that report using it”.

The review also finds that the rationale for establishing Oak as an arm’s-length body still holds.

The original business case identified two main problems affecting schools: weaknesses in curriculum design and delivery, and high teacher workload as a result of the time spent searching for resources and creating brand-new lessons.

While teacher workload remains a “pressing issue”, Oak is “well placed” to support schools and trusts as they implement upcoming curriculum reform.

The review recommends that the DfE ensures Oak is “appropriately resourced to promote it to ensure maximum value for money through wide and diverse use”.

It states: “More work is needed both to maximise the positive impact of the high-quality resources already paid for and available, and to fully realise the ambitions of the original business case.”

It suggests a “refresh of the Oak branding and website”, which could include removing the “National Academy” part of the name to “reinforce the evolution of Oak”. It also recommends a “small level of further investment”.

‘Risk and uncertainty’

The DfE has also considered the market impact of Oak.

Its report finds that Oak has had a “modest” effect on the domestic curriculum resources market; it has “likely impacted the investment decisions of commercial suppliers, leading to a reduction in investment”. The review says that Oak’s establishment added a degree of “risk and uncertainty” around commercial suppliers’ domestic investment.

However, it adds that it is difficult to attribute negative impact on commercial suppliers wholly to Oak, given “other potential market influences”, as well as the fact that Oak’s usage was “mostly stable” at this time.

John Roberts, interim CEO of Oak National Academy, said that the review provides a “powerful demonstration of just how much Oak is valued by teachers” and an indication that its use is “growing significantly” and that it is “helping to improve teacher workload and lesson planning”.

Mr Roberts added that the quango has now released more than 90 per cent of its updated content, while more than a third of teachers now use Oak resources.

“When Oak was established as an arm’s-length body, it was expected that this vital and valuable support would have some wider impact, but that teachers would continue to have a choice of high-quality curriculum resources. We’re pleased that continues to be the case,” he said.

A DfE spokesperson said: “It’s great to see that teachers are finding Oak a helpful resource. We welcome the findings of both the independent review and market impact assessment, and will take them into consideration when deciding on Oak’s future strategy and funding.”

Tes understands that the DfE will make announcements on funding for Oak in due course, following the government Spending Review in July.

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