Ambition Institute to support teachers in new virtual school

The Oak National Academy has been devised by teachers, for teachers and is backed by the Department for Education. It will provide over 180 one-hour lessons a week from teachers across different subjects and year groups, from early years up to year 10.

It is a direct response to the coronavirus crisis: a recent poll by Teacher Tapp found that almost two-thirds of teachers want a free online curriculum resource hub to aid them and their pupils while schools are closed. 

The lessons will be taught by 40 teachers from top-performing schools and trusts including Reach Academy Feltham, Ark, Oasis and Outwood Grange. They‘ll each be an hour long and include a quiz, a video explanation from the teacher and a worksheet  – and be free to use for any teacher. They will provide the equivalent of three hours of lessons a day for primary school pupils and four hours a day for secondary.  

Staff from Ambition will support  Oak National Academy teachers, who normally teach face-to-face in the classroom, to build their expertise in teaching high-quality online lessons.

Chief Executive of Ambition Institute, Hilary Spencer, said:  “We’re delighted to have been invited to play a key role in this project.

“Our team is ideally placed to support teachers delivering lessons effectively online, building on their existing expertise in the classroom.

“School closures due to Covid-19 risk setting back pupils’ learning considerably and it will be disadvantaged pupils who are likely to suffer the most.

“This initiative will help bridge that gap before schools re-open, as will supporting our teachers and school leaders to deal with all the new and different challenges they’re facing.  We are really pleased to be supporting this work, in partnership with so many others."

Discover the Oak National Academy here - full content to be launched Monday 20 April.