BBC to start broadcasting lessons from 20th April

[noblegiraffe]

It seems the BBC is stepping up as a public broadcaster to provide an education during lockdown. A TV channel, online lessons, resources, podcasts.

www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize

This has the potential to be a fantastic resource. Will the DfE start actually doing some coordinating? Centrally mandated lessons on TV could really help reach disadvantaged kids who don’t have access to the devices needed for what schools are offering. It could also save teachers a massive job in trying to create their own content.

Watch this space, I guess.

I'm not planning on using it for my kids. We've got into a semi ok routine now that works with both children (I did chuck a quick email to school with "what bit of white rose are they up to so I can go over what's been covered and not muck up something new" - the class teacher is so much better with WRM than my cobbled together supply knowledge is) and keeps something going on.

I also have two close in age and across key stages which makes the BBC stuff a bit less useful.
I'm trying not to worry - hard when one school just sends home models to make and "play snakes and ladders for maths" as work! Knowing the mix of parents in our school there will be kids constructing the large hadron collider out of yoghurt pots... And kids who've just watched Disney plus for months - I'm aiming for inbetween.

there will be kids constructing the large hadron collider out of yoghurt pots

But why on earth aren't teachers doing this themselves via the medium of Zoom. she wails?!

I'm another parent who thinks choice is overwhelming. I am trying to work too and I can't follow up all the stuff on TV by printing and marking worksheets etc.
I also use workbooks for my two (Y1 and Y3 but both quite behind). The Y1 has a Reading Chest subscription and both use Doodle Maths. Y3 school has provided books online and maths/English worksheets.
I'd really like a set of topic materials I could pick up and use with both - e.g. several crafts, science, history, geography. DD had a Mr Men topic and DS a Mexico topic and that was what they came home and told us about. I can't provide that, and if the BBC stuff involves me finding loads of extra things every day that's not going to happen.

there will be kids constructing the large hadron collider out of yoghurt pots...

This made me laugh. This year's 11+/ pre-test threads are going to be fraught.

I don’t have a great printer - in fact I’m not even sure if it has ink in it so I’m not doing anything that relies on printing stuff out.

Neurotrash asked which books I had - well the selection in stock was limited on Amazon when I bought them. Collins ones are brightly coloured and very nice but kind of thin on content. I bought a times tables book for DS that was supposed to be Y4+ but my Y1 DD claimed it instead and it was way more suitable for her.

I also bought a load of Schofield and Sims books - they’re quite dry and don’t even try to make it “fun” but there’s tonnes of exercises and one page of mental arithmetic or handwriting is a really good chunk of work for both DC. Like a good 20 minutes at least. They’re good value for money if you have kids who like that sort of thing (I would have loved them as a kid - stop trying to entertain me and give me a page of questions please).

The first thing my son asked when schools closed "indefinitely" was "will I have to do my 11+ again?"

The BBC materials are presumably only available to those that have a TV licence. As we have no television, we have no licence. I realise we're unusual in that, but there must be lots of families that don't have a license on cost grounds? Likely they're the children that need this output the most too.

This is brilliant ! Takes me back to a TV on wheels being taken into the school library and we all watched look and learn, highlight of the school week🤣
I hope lessons are easily accessible, this is why we should all pay our TV licence, the BBC really does provide a service above and beyond any other broadcaster, their online content is also excellent.

This is brilliant ! Takes me back to a TV on wheels being taken into the school library and we all watched look and learn, highlight of the school week

I was joking on with one of my kids' teachers (who has a very similar sense of humour to me) that kids these days, with instant youtube clips on the interactive board on demand will never know the epic feeling of utter and total win as the big telly on wheels was wheeled in, or you were taken down to the "TV room" and you got to count along with the pre-program number countdown and you thought you were just absolutely and totally king of your little 8 year old world.

She agreed.

I've just done the Y5 History lesson with my DS. It was brief- bitesized in fact- and the practical task involved a printer and, realistically, construction paper so we couldn't have done that even if we had wanted to. Anyway, better than absolutely nothing.

So basically you do also have prep and the prep will probably take longer than the lesson?
Sod that!
In workbooks, we like the Priddy wipe clean ones, Letts Monster practice.

Where can I find this....? I can't see any schools programmes on the BBC schedule.

www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize For the web

You can s as Leo search for BBC Bitesize on the Sounds App.

I don’t understand how to get it on the actual TV.

Can also search

Can I ask how you get to the weekly schedule for daily lessons? I can get to it following a link someone posted but I can’t see how to find it myself if that makes sense.

Something about the red button. You get a teletext type menu. Usually used for sport.

Ok thank you. Does anyone also know how we know what’s on at what time and for which year groups?

Wondering how to find this as well. Can’t seem to find it on iPlayer and trying to sort out a schedule for the day.

If you go to the iplayer website and search bitesize, today's programmes are already there.

If you go to thenational.academy there are also lessons ready to go by year group there.

Found it, thanks.,using it as we speak!

If you are using it, can I ask how?
Do you just watch the morning's lessons and then do the activities?
How do you manage with children that won't engage/materials you haven't got/children in different KS or different years? Children that can't manage the lesson at their level?
I would love something a bit different to our worksheet/play game/worksheet rotation but I'm not quite sure if this fits the bill!

Oh and where are the activities/suggested extras/worksheets?

@CeriseClementine I could have written your post. My DC (years 3 and 6) have now got so much online content from the various sites our school is using (DD year 3 has 130 activities to do on one of them!), and were sent more English content last night that has been designed by the council's education team for daily guided lessons for the next six weeks, but with the BBC stuff online too I am just feeling overwhelmed.

I am working full time from home and DH is also working and we can't sit down and 'teach' our DC. I would just appreciate a sense of 'this is required; this is optional; this is great if you've run out of other things to do' but it's all just sent to us to basically get on with. Argh!

I just let my year 3 watch the age 7-9 lesson. He liked it. Pitched quite young, but suited him. Then I gave him an online maths game.
It’s not school. It’s not a replacement for school. But it’s okay and something to do...

The lessons at www.thenational.academy are superb from what I've seen so far.

It's more teacher narrated (for my subject anyway) PowerPoint, with videos, quizzes and activities to support.

Very impressive.

I've just enjoyed the Y5 History lesson of the day (for myself)