New curriculum plans launched to inspire creativity, digital skills, and activity in schools nationwide

Oak National Academy, a publicly-funded provider of free, high-quality, optional teaching resources, has today (7 November) launched curriculum plans across nine subjects to schools nationwide, with creativity, activity and digital skills at their heart.

The plans are designed to inspire and help teachers deliver rigorous, engaging lessons and equip children to navigate the modern world. They come as the debate grows on what is taught in schools, the breadth of subjects and how teachers can place a greater emphasis on the arts, sport and digital skills.

The subjects are art & design, citizenship, computing, design & technology (including cooking and nutrition), modern foreign languages, primary music, physical education (PE), religious education (RE) and secondary geography. They join Oak’s curriculum plans and resources in the core subjects, including maths and English, which were launched a year ago.

Matt Hood, CEO of Oak National Academy, said: “We want to inspire the next generation of artists, tech entrepreneurs, athletes, coaches and musicians with our lessons.

“These comprehensive and exciting new curriculum plans will help schools and teachers deliver great lessons that spark children’s interests and prepare them for life beyond the school gates.”

Oak’s resources are used by about one in three teachers to develop their curriculum and plan lessons.

PE

Parkour features in secondary lessons, with safe instruction on key elements such as rolling and wall running. The UK became the first country to recognise parkour, or free running, as a sport in 2017 and its popularity has soared in recent years.

The numbers taking part in England increased in 2023. Between November 2022 and November 2023, roughly 118,000 took part, up from 85,100 the year before.

The challenge is to move freely along and over obstacles in a fluid and graceful manner, using only the abilities of the body by running, jumping and climbing. While the daring and acrobatic videos popular on social media usually take place in the urban outdoors, Oak’s introductory lessons can all be executed in a standard school gym and allow teachers to use existing equipment such as beams and vaults, so there is no need for schools to invest in expensive new facilities.

Oak’s contemporary PE curriculum sees mainstream sports such as tennis, hockey and athletics sit alongside korfball, a form of basketball, and pickleball, the fast growing racket sport. Sport England estimates 27,000 people played pickleball at least once last year.

Oak’s PE curriculum is designed to encourage all pupils to find a sport they love before leaving school, taking it into their adult life. 

Art & design

Pupils encounter a wide spectrum of artistic voices and practices in the broad and inclusive curriculum. In addition to contemporary artists like Alberta Whittle, Chila Kumari Burman and Frank Bowling, pupils also study well-known figures such as Picasso, Van Gogh, and influential female artists such as Frida Kahlo, Georgia O’Keeffe and Barbara Hepworth.

By exploring this wide array of artists, pupils can develop a more comprehensive understanding of artistic traditions and innovations. They have the chance to practise painting and sculpture, while also delving into contemporary methods like installation, digital, and conceptual art.

The curriculum introduces creative careers such as fashion design, illustration, animation, and product design, expanding pupils’ sense of possibility within the arts.

Computing

The new computing curriculum is designed to enable pupils to become confident, efficient and safe users of technology and the internet.

Through designing programs and coding, pupils apply the principles of information and computation to solve problems. The curriculum ensures that pupils develop digital skills that are transferable to any form of technology.

Computing aligns with Oak’s PSHE curriculum so, from the age of five, pupils learn how to stay safe online. Topics include the risks of excessive screen time, responsible online behaviour, cyberbullying, and how to report it. Oak also includes lessons on finding trusted sources of information online and being aware of misinformation.

Cooking and nutrition

Children learn to prepare British favourites and international delicacies ranging from toad in the hole, cottage pie and scotch eggs to jollof rice, aloo gobi, sushi pinwheels, patatas bravas and plantain stew. Their knowledge of food provenance and nutrition is also developed.

Modern Foreign Languages

Primary pupils can study both French and Spanish at primary school with German added to the mix at secondary. The curriculum gives pupils the independence to build their own phrases, giving them more freedom to say what they want to say.

Oak will also develop and share resources for a variety of PSHE topics including online safety, first aid, exercise and healthy eating. The Department for Education is currently reviewing responses to the consultation on RSHE statutory guidance. Oak will expand its PSHE plans to cover a full RSHE curriculum plan and resources to support teachers following this process.

Teaching resources for the nine subjects will be rolled out over this school year. It means by autumn 2025 schools, teachers and pupils will have full teaching resources, which include slides, quizzes, worksheets and videos.

All of Oak’s optional, adaptable resources are the product of extensive collaboration with expert schools and organisations across relevant subject areas. Its partners include Ormiston Academies Trust, the National Society for Education in Art and Design (NSEAD) and Raspberry Pi Foundation. The plans have all been assessed by expert groups drawn from across the sector.

Matt Hood said: “The teaching resources that will be rolled out later this school year will be high-quality and grounded in the latest evidence on how pupils learn, the hallmark of Oak’s work.

“One in three teachers uses Oak resources and research shows they lower their workload and increase their confidence in the classroom.

“These resources are once again the product of close collaboration with education professionals, and are a prime example of what can be achieved when the sector pools expertise.”

Jason Elsom, CEO of Parentkind, said: “When we speak to parents, online safety and the risks of social media are consistently one of the biggest worries.

“In a nationally representative poll of parents we conducted this year 93 percent of parents told us they were concerned about the potential harms of social media to their children, the same number of parents told us they felt social media is harmful.

“These figures show how worried parents are so it is welcome that online safety will form part of a new PSHE offer for children from a young age.”

Adella Dando, partnerships manager at Liverpool School Sports Partnership (LSSP), commented on the new curriculum plans. She said: “At LSSP, we work closely with PE Scholar, the team supporting the development of Oak’s PE curriculum.

“It is vital that schools provide engaging PE, school sport, and physical activities (PESSPA) that foster a lifelong love of participation. These lifelong habits need to be supported and nurtured from an early age, helping young people and, in turn, adults, live happy, healthy, and active lives.”

Adella added: “At LSSP, we are passionate advocates for the importance of exciting PESSPA opportunities. Our programmes are proven to develop young people’s relationship with PESSPA, leading to excellent physical literacy.”

Find out more here.