Interview: Matt Hood, principal, Oak National Academy

Launched in April 2020, Oak National Academy was set up by a group of around 40 education experts to solve the problem of some teachers and pupils not having online resources ready-to-go during the first national lockdown. A year on, and two further national lockdowns later, the academy has worked with 300 teachers to create 10,000 lessons for children aged from four through to 16. It has also been backed with £4.3m from the Department for Education and received support from the Mohn Westlake Foundation. For Matt Hood becoming principal of Oak National Academy presented an opportunity to continue a career, which, for the past decade, has focused on supporting teachers and developing their expertise. The former teacher says that “closing unacceptable gaps at every level of the education system that see disadvantaged children getting an unfair deal” is what motivates him.