Timeline of schools broadcasts in the UK facts for kids

Have you ever watched educational shows on TV for school? This timeline explores how television programmes for schools have been broadcast in the United Kingdom over the years. It covers key moments, from the very first broadcasts to how they've changed with new technology and learning needs.

Early Days of School TV (1950s)

• 1957
  • 13 May – The very first TV show for schools in the UK was broadcast! It was shown by Associated-Rediffusion, an ITV company in London.
  • 24 September – The BBC also started broadcasting its first programmes for schools.

Growing Up with School TV (1960s)

• 1960
  • 19 September – BBC Schools started using a special "Pie Chart" picture to introduce its shows. This was when they began broadcasting in the mornings, calling the programmes For the Schools.

• 1965
  • BBC Schools programmes changed their name to For Schools and Colleges, showing they were for older students too.

Colour and New Slots (1970s)

• 1970
  • ITV Schools programmes began to be shown in colour for the first time.

• 1972
  • September – A new law meant TV channels could broadcast for more hours. Because of this, ITV started showing programmes in the afternoon. ITV Schools then moved to a new morning slot, from 9:30am to midday.

• 1974
  • 23 September – BBC Schools got a new look! They introduced a blue diamond on a black background with the BBC1 logo. This new look came when BBC schools programmes also started broadcasting in colour.

• 1977
  • 19 September – The way BBC Schools programmes were introduced changed again. They started using a cool "countdown clock" with dots disappearing around a spinning "Schools and Colleges" sign. If there was a longer break between shows, they used "Follows Shortly" messages.

Big Changes and New Channels (1980s)

• 1982
  • January – The BBC started using a computerised clock for its schools programmes, replacing the older mechanical one.
  • April–June – During the Falklands War, schools programmes sometimes moved to BBC2. This allowed BBC1 to show the latest news about the war. A special BBC2 Schools logo was quickly made for these times.

• 1983
  • 24 June – This was the last time BBC Schools programmes, called For Schools, Colleges, were shown on BBC1.
  • 19 September – All schools and colleges programmes moved to BBC2. A new all-day educational block called Daytime on Two was launched. They even had special text pages called the Daytime on Two information Service shown during longer breaks. A special orange version of the striped 2 ident was created for this.

• 1985
  • 28 June – The Daytime on Two information service ended. When Daytime on Two returned in September, shorter breaks (10 minutes or less) were filled with "Follows Shortly" messages and music. Longer breaks still showed text pages.

• 1986
  • 21 March – The special orange striped 2 ident was shown for the last time.
  • 21 April – BBC2 changed its look with the white embossed TWO logo. No special logo was used for Daytime on Two anymore, but a 15-second countdown timer was added later.
  • 22 September – Daytime on Two started ending a bit earlier, around 2:15pm or 2:35pm.
  • 8 December – BBC TV started showing hourly news summaries. A 2pm news bulletin became part of Daytime on Two.

• 1987
  • 29 June – This was the last time schools programmes were shown on ITV.
  • 14 September – ITV Schools programmes moved to Channel 4 and S4C (in Wales). They were shown at the same times as before, from 9:30am to 12pm. They used two main pieces of music for breaks, one with a cool 3D image and another with a redesigned clock.

Digital Age and Online Learning (1990s)

• 1990
  • Summer – For the first time, Daytime on Two had no breaks during the summer term. Programmes were shown non-stop from 9am to 2:15pm.

• 1991
  • 16 February – BBC2 changed its look again with the introduction of the '2' idents. No special introductions were used for schools programmes, and the "Follows Shortly" messages were replaced with promotions for other shows.

• 1992
  • June – Some ITV regions like Grampian, Scottish, Border, and Ulster Television (UTV) stopped showing their own schools programmes. This happened before Channel 4 became independent from the IBA. S4C in Wales continued to show its Welsh-language programmes.

• 1993
  • 19 January – Schools programmes were shown overnight on BBC2 for the first time! This was part of a new experiment called Night School. These broadcasts usually grouped shows by subject or series.
  • 28 June – The very last ITV Schools programmes were shown on Channel 4.
  • 20 September – Schools programmes continued on Channel 4 under the new name Channel 4 Schools, with new logos. On S4C, schools programming was called S4C Ysgollon.

• 1995
  • 9 October – The BBC Learning Zone was launched. This included schools programming, especially for secondary school students. Programmes for primary schools still aired in the mornings.

• 1997
  • June – BBC Schools programmes were shown under the Daytime on Two brand for the last time.
  • September – Schools programmes on the BBC were now simply called School Programmes and were only shown in the mornings.

• 1998
  • BBC Bitesize was launched. This is a free online learning tool to help students in the UK with their schoolwork and exams.

• 1999
  • 1 June – BBC Knowledge launched as part of the BBC's move into digital television. This new channel showed educational and informative programmes for both adults and children. It included a GCSE study guide and a technology show called The Kit to help kids get online.
  • Autumn – Programmes for secondary school students permanently moved to overnight broadcasts as part of the BBC Learning Zone. Shows for primary school children continued to be shown during the day.

Shifting to Digital Channels (2000s)

• 2000
  • April – Channel 4 changed the name of its schools programming to 4Learning.

• 2002
  • 11 February – The new CBBC channel launched. It started showing schools programmes during the day as part of its mission. These were called Class TV and were usually repeats of older shows.
  • 2 March – BBC Knowledge closed down.

• 2005
  • After 18 years, Channel 4 stopped its dedicated schools television service.

• 2008
  • 20 March – The rules for CBBC changed, and they no longer had to show schools programmes.

• 2009
  • Schools programmes were broadcast on Channel 4 for the final time.

The End of Traditional Broadcasts (2010s)

• 2010
  • 26 March – Programmes for primary school children were shown on BBC Two for the very last time.

• 2015
  • 24 July – The BBC Learning Zone ended because of budget cuts. This meant that after 58 years, the BBC stopped broadcasting schools programmes on TV. From this date, all schools programming moved online.

• 2019
  • December – CBBC brought back Class TV with 'Live Lessons'. These were presented by the CBBC team on weekday mornings.

School TV During the Pandemic (2020s)

• 2020
  • 20 April – When the COVID-19 pandemic started and schools closed, the BBC began offering daily educational programmes. This was to help children learn at home and was described as the biggest education effort in the BBC's history.

• 2021
  • 11 January – During the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom and school closures, CBBC and BBC Two broadcast shows from the BBC Bitesize service. These shows were for primary-school-aged children and included a mix of old, live, and newly filmed content.