In an interview with TES Online as plans were being finalised before seeking government approval, Michael Stevenson, BBC director of factual and learning, said it was well placed given its long tradition of providing educational resources.

“Curriculum Online is a building block for the knowledge economy,” he said. “It will allow teachers to go forward into a very exciting era where multimedia resources can support their teaching at every stage of the process.”

Stevenson expressed surprise that, after many months of negotiations with the industry, some still had reservations. “This isn’t the BBC alone; it can’t and shouldn’t be. It’s the BBC with and for teachers and the BBC working hand in hand with the commercial sector, whether it’s software creators or textbook publishers.” However, Frank Flynn, the controller of children’s education, told the BBC staff magazine Ariel in December that the initiative should be underpinned by a “dominant brand”.

Dominic Savage, director-general of the British Educational Suppliers Association, said there were some 10 key points that the BBC had refused to negotiate further on with the industry, such as its relationship with the profit-making BBC Worldwide division.

Stevenson admitted these were “difficult times” for the educational resources sector. However he added that believed that the BBC’s undertaking to commission 50 per cent of its materials from the private sector would stimulate the market, as would the Government’s pound;50 million for e-learning credits to help schools buy digital resources.

Times had not been hard for the sector until the BBC made its proposal, Savage contended.

The DCMS will launch a public consultation after the BBC submits its plans.