Timeline of schools broadcasts in the UK

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This is a timeline of the broadcasting of schools programmes on television in the UK.

1950s[]

• 1957
  • 13 May – The very first UK broadcast of a television programme for schools takes place. It is transmitted by London's ITV contractor Associated-Rediffusion.
  • 24 September – The first programmes for schools are broadcast on the BBC.^[1]

• 1958
  • No events.

• 1959
  • No events.

1960s[]

• 1960
  • 19 September – BBC Schools starts using the Pie Chart ident to coincide with the first morning broadcasts, which are branded as For the Schools.^[2]

• 1961
  • No events.

• 1962
  • No events.

• 1963
  • No events.

• 1964
  • No events.

• 1965
  • BBC Schools programmes are now branded as For Schools and Colleges.

• 1966
  • No events.

• 1967
  • No events.

• 1968
  • No events.

• 1969
  • No events.

1970s[]

• 1970
  • In around 1970, ITV Schools programmes start being broadcast in colour.

• 1971
  • No events.

• 1972
  • September – Following a law change which removed all restrictions on broadcasting hours, ITV is able to launch an afternoon service and ITV Schools transfers to a new morning slot with programmes shown between 9:30am and midday.

• 1973
  • No events.

• 1974
  • 23 September – The presentation of BBC Schools changes with the introduction of the blue diamond on a black background with the BBC1 legend.^[3] It is commissioned to mark the start of BBC schools programmes being broadcast in colour.

• 1975
  • No events.

• 1976
  • No events.

• 1977
  • 19 September – The presentation of BBC Schools changes with the introduction of the countdown clock of disappearing dots around a spinning 'Schools and Colleges' legend. special holding captions with the phrase 'Follows Shortly' were beginning to be used for junctions longer than the 60 seconds that the ident required.^[4]

• 1978
  • No events.

• 1979
  • 19 September – The ITV Schools clock is revamped.

1980s[]

• 1980
  • No events.

• 1981
  • No events.

• 1982
  • January – A computerised version of the BBC schools clock is brought into service, replacing the mechanical device used since 1977.^[5]

• 1983
  • 24 June – BBC Schools programmes are broadcast as For Schools, Colleges, and on BBC1, for the final time ahead of their move to BBC2 in the autumn.
  • 19 September – Programmes for schools and colleges are transferred to BBC2 and an all-day educational strand called Daytime on Two is launched along with a special sequence of Ceefax pages, called the Daytime on Two information Service which is broadcast during the longer gaps between programmes.^[6][7] A special version of the striped 2 ident is created, featuring an orange background instead of the usual black. Clocks were not used alongside the look but the 'Follows Shortly' captions were retained.

• 1984
  • No events.

• 1985
  • 28 June – The end of the 1984/85 school year sees the closure of the Daytime on Two information service as when Daytime on Two returns in September, the gaps are filled by interval captions and of for breaks of more than 10 minutes, the usual Ceefax miscellenary is shown. Consequently, from September, all gaps of less than fifteen minutes are now filled using the newly designed 'Follows Shortly' captions over music, before cutting to the ident and announcement.

• 1986
  • 21 April – Following the rebranding of BBC2 and the launch of the white embossed TWO on a white background., no special ident is used to introduce Daytime on Two programmes although a later addition is a 15-second countdown timer, displaying the seconds in a box, usually located in the top right corner of the screen.^[8]

• 1987
  • 29 June – Schools programmes are broadcast on ITV for the last time.
  • 14 September – ITV Schools transfers to Channel 4 and S4C. The programmes are shown at the same time as they were broadcast on ITV ie between 9:30am and 12noon. Just two pieces of interval music are used: The Journey for a 3D holding device, and Just a Minute which backed a redesigned clock^[9][10]

• 1988
  • No events.

• 1989
  • No events.

1990s[]

• 1990
  • No events.

• 1991
  • February – Following the rebrand of TWO to BBC2, including the introduction of the '2' idents, no special presentation is used to mark schools programmes. The 'Follows Shortly' captions are phased out in place of promotions of other appropriate programmes

• 1992
  • June – Opt-outs in the Grampian Television, Scottish Television and Border Television, Ulster Television (UTV) are broadcast for the final time. This occurs as part of preparations for Channel 4 being spun off from IBA control.

• 1993
  • 11 January – The holding device which heralds the start of schools programmes on Channel 4 is no longer used for the first programme, and the introduction cut to 40 seconds of the clock.
  • 19 January – Schools programmes are shown overnight on BBC2 for the first time as part of a new experiment called Night School. The broadcasts are generally either subject blocks or series blocks.^[11]
  • 28 June – The final ITV Schools programmes are shown.
  • 20 September – Schools programmes continue to be shown on Channel 4 under the branding of Channel 4 Schools.^[12] and on S4C, schools programming is branded as S4C Ysgollon.^[13]

• 1994
  • No events.

• 1995
  • 9 October – BBC Learning Zone is launched and the output includes schools programming aimed at secondary school pupils - primary schools programming continues to be shown during the morning.

• 1996
  • No events.

• 1997
  • June – BBC Schools programmes are broadcast under the Daytime on Two brand for the final time.
  • September – Schools programmes on the BBC are now branded under the title of School Programmes with broadcasts limited to the morning hours.

• 1998
  • BBC Bitesize is launched as a free online study support resource for school-age pupils in the United Kingdom to aid pupils in both schoolwork and, for older pupils, exams.^[14]

• 1999
  • No events.

2000s[]

• 2000
  • April – Channel 4 rebrands its schools programming as 4Learning.^[15]

• 2001
  • No events.

• 2002
  • 11 February – The new CBBC channel launches and it broadcasts schools programmes during the day as part of their remit to show schools programming. They are broadcast as a strand called Class TV, shown during schools hours for a few hours (usually repeats of previous programmes, rather than new ones).

• 2003
  • No events.

• 2004
  • 8 July – The first Schools edition of Question Time is aired on BBC One. Recorded in London, the panel is made up of guests chosen by the winners of the Schools Question Time Challenge.^[16]

• 2005
  • After 18 years, Channel 4 ends its packaged schools television service.^[17]

• 2006
  • No events.

• 2007
  • No events.

• 2008
  • March – The remit of CBBC is altered to remove the schools element from the channel.

• 2009
  • Schools programmes are broadcast on Channel 4 for the final time.^[18]

2010s[]

• 2010
  • 26 March – Primary school programming is shown on BBC Two for the final time.
  • April – Class TV on CBBC is broadcast for the final time following. Change in the channel’s remit which no longer requires it to shown schools programmes.

• 2011
  • No events.

• 2012
  • No events.

• 2013
  • No events.

• 2014
  • No events.

• 2015
  • 24 July – BBC Learning Zone ends "due to budget cuts". Consequently, this brings to the end the broadcasting on schools programmes on BBC Television after 58 years.^[19]

• 2016
  • No events.

• 2017
  • No events.

• 2018
  • No events.

• 2019
  • December – CBBC brings back Class TV with 'Live Lessons' presented by the CBBC presenting team on late weekday mornings.

2020s[]

• 2020
  • No events.

• 2021
  • 11 January – The COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom and the closure of schools around the country during the first & third national lockdowns sees CBBC and BBC Two broadcast shows from the BBC Bitesize service for primary-school-aged children. These shows feature a mix of archive, live and newly filmed content.^[20]

References[]