BBC School Radio facts for kids
.jpg) |
|
|
|
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | United Kingdom |
| Programming | |
| Affiliations | BBC Radio 4, BBC Learning |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | BBC |
| Technical information | |
| Repeater(s) | BBC |
| Links | |
| Webcast | Podcasts |
| Website | BBC School Radio |
BBC School Radio is a part of the BBC that creates audio (sound) learning materials. These are mostly for primary schools across the United Kingdom. It helps kids learn through exciting radio shows and podcasts.
Contents
The Story of School Radio
BBC School Radio has a long and interesting history. It started way back in 1924, helping students learn through sound.
Early Days of School Broadcasts
The very first radio show for schools happened on 4 April 1924. It was put together by the British Broadcasting Company. A music expert named Sir Walford Davies gave the talk. It was sent out from one of Britain's first radio stations, called 2LO in London.
After a few years, the British Broadcasting Company became the British Broadcasting Corporation (the BBC we know today). In 1928, a group called the Central Council for School Broadcasting (CCSB) was set up. They worked with teachers to make sure the shows were helpful.
From 1929 to 1957, a woman named Mary Somerville was in charge. By the 1930s, older students in secondary schools also started listening. They even added shows to help learn foreign languages.
School Radio During World War II
During the Second World War, School Radio became super important. All the different local shows were combined into one national service. They even had a five-minute news show. This news show helped explain the confusing war events to children. By 1942, half of all schools in Britain were tuning in!
After the War: A Golden Age
In 1947, a new group called the School Broadcasting Council for the United Kingdom was formed. It included schools in Scotland and Wales. By 1953, over 25,000 British schools were using school radio. Different times were set aside for primary and secondary schools.
The years from the 1960s to the 1980s were a "golden age" for school radio. By the early 1970s, about 90% of schools were using the service! The BBC made about 80 different series each year. This meant around 16 hours of school radio every week. Later, you could even get older shows on cassette tapes.
Where School Radio Was Broadcast
School radio shows first aired on the BBC Home Service. In 1967, this became BBC Radio 4. From 1973, you could only hear them on Radio 4's high-quality FM frequencies. Shows were on weekdays in the morning and afternoon.
In 1990, the shows moved to BBC Radio 5 and BBC Radio 3. Radio 5 was on a lower quality signal. So, the shows were repeated overnight on Radio 3. This way, schools could record them with better sound quality.
In 1994, Radio 5 closed down. The school shows then moved to Radio 3 during the day. This made some Radio 3 listeners unhappy! From 1996, all programmes were broadcast overnight on Radio 3. A few years later, they moved to the digital version of Radio 4. Over-the-air radio broadcasts finally stopped on 28 June 2018.
Since 2003, all school radio programmes have been available online. Now, with podcasts, it's even easier to listen whenever you want!
Adding TV to School Learning
TV shows for schools began on 13 May 1957. The BBC started its own schools television service a few months later. These TV shows were first on BBC1. In 1983, they moved to BBC2.
Celebrating an Anniversary
On 4 April 1984, a special radio show celebrated 60 years of BBC Schools Radio. Later that year, a three-day festival was held in Birmingham. Famous people like Duncan Goodhew and Sue Lawley hosted it.
Where School Radio Was Made
In 1939, the School Broadcasting Department moved to Bristol.
Meet the Presenters
Many people have presented shows for BBC School Radio, including:
- Sophie Aldred
- Sandra Kerr
- Simon Mayor
- Rhoda Power (who made history shows)
- Andy Day
- Cat Sandion
- Gemma Hunt
- Ben Faulks
- Steven Kynman
How School Radio Works Today
In 2011, School Radio moved from London to a new building in MediaCityUK in Salford. This is also home to other BBC learning and children's teams. A small team in Scotland makes special programmes just for Scottish schools.
Until 2018, shows were broadcast overnight on Radio 4 Digital. Schools could record them. But now, all programmes are available online as streams and podcasts. New content is added all year round, not just on a strict schedule.
What You Can Learn with School Radio
BBC School Radio covers many different school subjects. Here are some of them:
- Collective Worship
- Curriculum for Excellence (for Scotland)
- Drama
- Dance
- Early Learning
- English
- Geography
- History
- Mathematics
- Modern Foreign Languages
- Music
- PSHE - Citizenship (Personal, Social, Health and Economic education)
English Stories and More
The English section has many classic stories. Famous voices read these stories. For example, The Wind in the Willows is read by Bernard Cribbins. The Tales of Hans Christian Andersen are read by Anne-Marie Duff, Sir Derek Jacobi, David Tennant, and Penelope Wilton.
In the past, you could buy programmes on CD or DVD. But now, everything is online as podcasts.
Past Programmes You Might Not Know
- In the News - a news show for ages 9 to 12 in the early 1980s.
- Wavelength - a show about youth culture.
- Talks to Sixth Forms - talks for older students by famous thinkers like G. K. Chesterton and T. S. Eliot.
- How Things Began - a natural history show from 1943.
- Make Up Your Mind - a discussion show for older students.
See also
- BBC Schools – a similar TV service that started in 1957
- Newsround – a BBC news programme for children
- BBC Learning – the wider BBC department for education
