With the Easter break no more than a memory, parents across the country have returned to the prospect of home-schooling their brood for the foreseeable future.
To aid them in their efforts, the BBC have launched a new education service with the help of celebrities including Sergio Agüero, Danny Dyer and Mabel. The programme, expected to last for the next 14 weeks, has also sought help from Oti Mabuse, Jodie Whittaker and Liam Payne in a range of subjects.
Director of the BBC children’s services, Alice Webb, said that: “We’re proud that the BBC can bring together so many people to offer such a wide-ranging package of support to help children and parents right across the UK at such a challenging time.
“We said the BBC would be there for people through this crisis, and we meant it. It’s vital that every child is able to continue learning – and the lessons we’re putting on will make sure they have fun at the same time.”
Over 200 teachers are also working with the service both on screen and off it in order to provide an education service across the country. The programme has been built in the past month in response to the Covid-19 crisis.
BBC Four has now been tailored to focus on GCSE and A-level studies and will broadcast shows including Mary Beard’s Meet the Romans and Andrew Marr’s History of Modern Britain. Classic drama will also be shown, including JB Priestley’s An Inspector Calls, and Great Expectations.
The BBC service follows the Sutton Trust survey which has revealed that one third of pupils are participating in online lessons during the pandemic. The survey also disclosed that 15 per cent of teachers are only able to teach two thirds of their class as the remainder do not have access to the appropriate technology at home.
