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BBC Learning Zone

R.I.P (November 2015)

This site closed in March 2021 and is now a read-only archive
NT
NorthTonight
It's a shame that the BBC don't fill their mornings / afternoons with educational programmes. As a teacher, it's a myth that I / we don't use educational programmes as resources anymore. A lot of DVDs available are quite frankly sub standard or not hitting the mark as they're made in the USA, whereas the BBC and C4 productions were well made and relevant. It would be a good way of raising revenue for either party too. If The Learning Zone has gone too, it's a sad loss.
JA
james-2001
The BBC are still broadcasting schools programmes, albeit on radio: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schoolradio/programmes/schedules/2015/11/16 which I think goes out on the digital versions of Radio 4.


Wow, schools shows for radio still exist, I find that suprising! I do remember us listening to some on the old Radio 5 back in the early 90s though!
IN
Interceptor
It's a shame that the BBC don't fill their mornings / afternoons with educational programmes. As a teacher, it's a myth that I / we don't use educational programmes as resources anymore. A lot of DVDs available are quite frankly sub standard or not hitting the mark as they're made in the USA, whereas the BBC and C4 productions were well made and relevant. It would be a good way of raising revenue for either party too. If The Learning Zone has gone too, it's a sad loss.

Isn't the vast majority of the educational catalogue available for purchase? It appears Channel 4 have sold their catalogue to Discovery quite recently: http://www.channel4learning.com/
IN
Interceptor
But if the Learning Zone has gone for good, then for the record, it looks like its last programmes went out in the early hours of 24th July, finishing with a two minute programme about stoats: http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctwo/programmes/schedules/england/2015/07/23
which would make this the last known sighting of the ident:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6ekdk_kWBk

Thanks so much for the lovely quality capture. Do you have any other junctions from the night?
BR
Brekkie
You need content that is current, not 20 years out of date (both in terms of presentation and the curriculum). It seems once again the PSBs have been allowed to scrap content with little thought to how it impacts things a few years down the line. Yes, 2-3 hours everyday of mainly the same repeated content didn't make any sense, but both the BBC and C4 should at least been made to commit to actually commissioning the same amount of new content every year as they were once were, even if it was delivered in a different way.
JA
james-2001
You need content that is current, not 20 years out of date (both in terms of presentation and the curriculum).


I can remember BBC Two still showing English Express in 2008- which I'd been shown during my last year of primary school in 1996! They hung onto stuff for a long time, it seems.

And even back then it wasn't much better, I remember us watching stuff with mullets and shoulder pads galore in the late 90s!
BE
benriggers
You need content that is current, not 20 years out of date (both in terms of presentation and the curriculum).


I can remember BBC Two still showing English Express in 2008- which I'd been shown during my last year of primary school in 1996! They hung onto stuff for a long time, it seems.

And even back then it wasn't much better, I remember us watching stuff with mullets and shoulder pads galore in the late 90s!


BBC2 even showed Look and Read: Captain Crimson (1996) as the final ever daytime Schools programme in 2010.
IN
Interceptor
You need content that is current, not 20 years out of date (both in terms of presentation and the curriculum).


I can remember BBC Two still showing English Express in 2008- which I'd been shown during my last year of primary school in 1996! They hung onto stuff for a long time, it seems.

And even back then it wasn't much better, I remember us watching stuff with mullets and shoulder pads galore in the late 90s!

But then does something need to be new to be effective? Come Outside was being shown by Cbeebies a good 15 years after it was first shown (as a schools programme). That programme with 'El Nombre' (Numbertime?) was also being shown last time I saw schools programming on in the morning.

Thunderbirds has proven time and time again that Children aren't turned off by old content.
JA
james-2001
I guess it depends how dated it is. I particularly remember the English Express featuring some clips from Euro 96 in it, which made us cheer at the time as it was brand new, but I wonder how much it would have meant to the kids that were watching it a decade later!
NT
NorthTonight
It's a shame that the BBC don't fill their mornings / afternoons with educational programmes. As a teacher, it's a myth that I / we don't use educational programmes as resources anymore. A lot of DVDs available are quite frankly sub standard or not hitting the mark as they're made in the USA, whereas the BBC and C4 productions were well made and relevant. It would be a good way of raising revenue for either party too. If The Learning Zone has gone too, it's a sad loss.

Isn't the vast majority of the educational catalogue available for purchase? It appears Channel 4 have sold their catalogue to Discovery quite recently: http://www.channel4learning.com/


As Brekkie implied there's also an issue with content becoming out of date or at least looking it. We have several DVDs from the C4 and BBC collection but they are starting to look dated. One of the unfortunate giveaways is normal the mobile phones which raise a laugh with pupils. Incidentally, Discovery have a YouTube version of Channel 4's Body Story which is the same except for the American commentary.
AN
Andrew Founding member
You need content that is current, not 20 years out of date (both in terms of presentation and the curriculum).


I can remember BBC Two still showing English Express in 2008- which I'd been shown during my last year of primary school in 1996! They hung onto stuff for a long time, it seems.

And even back then it wasn't much better, I remember us watching stuff with mullets and shoulder pads galore in the late 90s!

But then does something need to be new to be effective? Come Outside was being shown by Cbeebies a good 15 years after it was first shown (as a schools programme). That programme with 'El Nombre' (Numbertime?) was also being shown last time I saw schools programming on in the morning.

Thunderbirds has proven time and time again that Children aren't turned off by old content.


Old content is more obvious in schools programmes.

The minute a computer appears and it's an old desktop from the 90s with a tiny crt monitor. Not to mention as has already been mentioned, the old fashioned tweed suited presenters. Then there's the on screen graphics. Plus of course the shows might be in 4:3
RA
Randomrubbish
Ah, I can remember many a sleepless night where the only thing to watch was Revisewise Laughing which hasn't been aired since about 2005/6.

I also remember during the early hours in the mid 00's. They re-ran 'The Experimenter' which was one of the most tackiest and naffest looking BBC learning programmes of the 90's.

I also remember a science based one presented by a woman (Who I think was called Stella?) who lived in a submarine. I always forget the name of it.

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