With the new national lockdown applying in England as well as in Scotland, the BBC has now stepped up with educational programming on weekdays, as it did last year.

The BBC is aiming to deliver the biggest selection of educational programming in its history. It will show these on BBC Scotland, BBC ALBA, BBC Two, CBBC, BBC Red Button, BBC iPlayer and online. This will include curriculum based learning so that all children can keep up to date with lessons. Full details for Scotland here.

Edinburgh magician Kevin Quantum will join those helping to educate children who, for the moment, are unable to go to school. Other presenters will be Judy Murray and Sanjeev Kohli.

From Monday, each week day on CBBC will include a three-hour block of primary school programming from 9am including BBC Live Lessons and BBC Bitesize Daily, as well as other educational programming such as Our School and Celebrity Supply Teacher and much loved titles such as Horrible Histories, Art Ninja and Operation Ouch.

BBC Two will cater for secondary students with programming to support the GCSE curriculum, with a least two hours of content each weekday.

Content will be built around Bitesize Daily secondary shows, complemented by Shakespeare and classic drama adaptations alongside science, history and factual titles from the BBC’s factual programming units.

Bitesize Daily primary and secondary will also air every day on BBC Red Button as well as episodes being available on demand on BBC iPlayer.

Tim Davie, BBC Director General, said: “Ensuring children across the UK have the opportunity to continue to follow the appropriate core parts of their nation’s school curriculum has been a key priority for the BBC throughout this past year.

“Education is absolutely vital – the BBC is here to play its part and I’m delighted that we have been able to bring this to audiences so swiftly.”

Last year the BBC provided Bitesize learning content on the Scotland channel with subjects such as Maths, English, Science and Social for primary and secondary pupils. Now there will also be new content such as health and weather.

From 10am each weekday the BBC Scotland channel will offer a range of programmes. Judy Murray will explain and show how to stay active even in a small space. Sanjeev Kohli brings fun to maths. Kevin Quantum will call on his physics background to teach some science.

Authors Live will feature an archive of events for primary and secondary pupils and writers Michael Rosen, Malorie Blackman and Steve Backshall will read aloud from their work.

Some of the programmes date from before the pandemic and others have been filmed recently with strict adherence to Covid-19 guidelines.

All programmes will be available on BBC iPlayer and there will be some Gaelic programming too on with Baile Mhuilinn, A’ Bhùth, Leugh le Linda, Aithne air Ainmhidhean and Saidheans Spòrsail and they will be screened in the daily CBeebies and CBBC ALBA schedule.

bbc.co.uk/lockdownlearningscotland 

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Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.