BBC RESPONDS TO CURRICULUM ONLINE CONSULTATION

THE BBC have published their response to the Department for Education and Skills’ consultation document, Curriculum Online.
The consultation document, released by the Department at the beginning of April, sets out options for delivering higher standards in schools through the extended use of digital technology and in particular through the creation of resources to support teaching and learning across the school curriculum.
In their response, the BBC argued strongly that substantial public investment needs to be made in a comprehensive service universally available through a dedicated broadband portal and that public money is best focused on the creation of a single coherent core of materials, rather than in funding rival offerings of the same popular subjects. Complementary materials could be offered alongside the core. Resources should be designed so that use can be made of them in schools and homes, no matter how basic the equipment available.
The BBC believes they are well placed to play a central role in the creation of an online curriculum, as lead content commissioners. They have the experience and track record to oversee the delivery of high quality materials and are able to commit over £130 million of licence fee funding. However, they are keen to do so by working with other providers and thus exploiting the strengths of the whole creative production sector. Should the BBC become the lead body, they would expect to commission broadly half of the content from producers outside the BBC.
The BBC believes that the successful creation of an online curriculum will require the involvement of a wide range of public sector bodies and businesses - with a clear distinction between content and distribution - and that no single body can deliver the whole picture.
The BBC carried out their own consultation on proposals for a digital curriculum last autumn. This elicited over 1300 responses, mainly from individuals and organisations involved in education. Of these, 89 per cent of individual respondents and 94 per cent of those responding on behalf of an organisation supported the BBC’s plans.
The BBC’s full submission to the DfES and a summary of the results of their own consultation last autumn are available on BBC Online at www.bbc.co.uk/consult. (CD)