Oak National Academy is expanding its subject offering from January 2021 amid increased demand for the national online school as a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic hits schools.
The expanded subject range will introduce physical education; drama; relationships, health and sex education; and design and technology, and will also include languages and arts.
The move comes as the online teaching platform set up in response to the first Covid-19 lockdown reports that its user numbers increased in October.
Oak National Academy: Everything you need to know
Remote learning: 6 things Oak’s first term tells us
Exclusive: DfE secrecy over Oak National Academy pay
The week before half-term, the platform saw 370,000 users, a 50 per cent increase on the numbers registered two weeks earlier.
Coronavirus: Rise in demand for remote learning
Numbers of users also increased in October in areas that were under Tier 3 restrictions, the highest level of lockdown - a 25 per cent increase was seen in Manchester and a 27 per cent in Sheffield in the last week alone.
The new curriculum offer has been developed with partners and subject associations.
It includes:
- Design and technology - key stages 1-3, created with the Design and Technology Association.
- Drama - key stages 1-3, created with National Drama, the professional association for drama teachers and theatre educators.
- Physical education - key stages 1-2, created with the Association for Physical Education.
- Physical Education - key stage 3, created with the Youth Sport Trust.
- French and Spanish - key stage 2, created with Research in Primary Languages.
- Art, craft and design - key stages 1-2, created with the National Society for Education in Art and Design.
- RSHE - key stages 3-4, created with Bright Futures Educational Trust.