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<p>Academies have the autonomy to set their own school curriculum. However, they are
required to teach a broad and balanced school curriculum, including maths, English
and science, that is comparable in breadth and ambition to the national curriculum
as a piece of statutory guidance.</p><p>For academies, the national curriculum acts
as a benchmark for a high-quality, knowledge-rich school curriculum. Many academy
schools choose to deliver the full national curriculum, but this is not a requirement.
With their freedom, multi-academy trusts have been at the forefront of curriculum
innovation, and they have led the development of evidence-based, subject-level teacher
development programmes, resources, and research.</p><p>Ministers have no intention
of using regulatory reforms to interfere in the day-to-day management of academies,
other than in cases of failure. Ministers have no intention to restrict the freedoms
that enable academies to collaborate, innovate, and organise themselves to deliver
the best outcomes for pupils.</p><p>All schools are held accountable for delivering
a broad and balanced curriculum through their performance in tests and exams and Ofsted
inspections. Ofsted aims to reduce curriculum narrowing through the implementation
of the 2019 education inspection framework, available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/education-inspection-framework"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/education-inspection-framework</a>.
This framework evaluates the intent, implementation, and impact of each school's curriculum.</p><p>Oak
National Academy was created in April 2020 as a rapid response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Teachers and colleagues from leading education organisations came together to support
schools’ efforts to keep children learning. This included several multi-academy trusts
who contributed to the development of lessons and online resources and continue to
work with Oak as curriculum partners.</p><p>Building on the success of Oak National
Academy’s work in the pandemic, the department announced in the Schools White Paper
that we will establish a new arms-length curriculum body. It will work with thousands
of teachers to co-design, create and continually improve packages of optional, free,
adaptable digital curriculum resources and video lessons. These optional resources
will be available across the UK, helping teachers deliver a high-quality curriculum.
This sector-led approach will draw on expertise and inputs from across the country,
involving teachers, schools, trusts, subject associations, national centres of excellence
and educational publishers.</p><p>The resources are to be optional, non-Ofsted endorsed
and intended to exemplify high-quality curriculum design to improve system curriculum
thinking and support teachers across the country with their lesson planning and teaching.</p>
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