The importance of maths in creative processes comes under the spotlight in Shape, Space and Measures (C4 7-11), this term’s TVM series of programmes. For science there is Come Outside (BBC2 4-5) to stimulate children’s awareness of their environment by means of songs, poems, rhymes and stories. Channel 4 has Stage One: Great Science Stories (C4 5-7) dramatising a particular discovery which has changed the way we live.

New history programmes include How We Used To Live: Britons at War (C4 7-11) a vivid recreation of wartime through the eyes of a 10-year-old and Eureka: Romans and Celts (C4 7-11), looking at the (often gruesome) facts of life in Roman Britain, from lice in your clothing to the wolf at your door.

Arts are well served by both radio and television. Let’s Dance (C4 8-10) is part of The Mix series, and will include dance from a variety of cultures including Aboriginal, Celtic and Western. Dance Workshop (R3 9-12) also covers a range of musical styles: pop, classical, reggae, bhangra, folk and jazz for pupils to compose their own music. For the early years there is Music Box (R3 4-5).

Three great poems are the basis for Middle English: The Tyger, The Rose and The Pleasure Dome (C4 11-14) which will compare and contrast these works with contemporary poetry. Listen and Write (R3 9-11) offers an interactive approach to encourage writing skills.

For geography there are new programmes for Landmarks with a look at the River Severn (BBC2 9-12) and See You, See Me (BBC2 7-9) which has a Scottish theme this term. Zig Zag: Village, Town, City (BBC2 7-9) visits four locations from a Dartmoor farm to a Northern city.

General programmes include Check It Out: Understanding People in Society (R3 10-12) which covers a mixed bag of topics from food and school closures, to disability and Scotland’s cultural diversity and Whose Side Are You On? (C4 11-14) looks at controversial issues, beginning with hunting.