“Children, parents and teachers want choice, so that is what we are offering.”

The BBC is committed to sustaining TV and radio resources in key areas such as the expressive arts - including music, movement and RE at primary. It also acknowledges a continuing need for high-quality programming across the arts and humanities. Subject areas such as PSHE and citizenship in secondary are also high on the agenda with 15 to 30-minute slots tackling real-life scenarios.

Specific new TV projects that will be featuring on the BBC stand at this year’s BETT include: Razzle Dazzle, foundation literacy (radio and TV); The Maths Channel, five hours of new programming over a term for 5 to 11-year-olds; Indus Valley Civilization, history and geography TV (ages 7 to 11); and Special Needs - Something Special, aimed at ages four to seven.

Internet radio is a relatively new string to the BBC’s bow, and BETT sees it showcasing the BBC Radio Player - available from www.bbc.co.ukschoolradio. The stand will feature a range of the corporation’s offerings including Primary French (ages 7 to 11), Meet the Writers, Let’s Make a Story and Let’s Write a Story. There will also be live broadcasts online from the show.

Although the focus on “bridging the gap between home and school” is aimed at the wider picture of the BBC’s education provision, there is no doubt this is paving the way for the Digital Curriculum, and, with technical testing due to start around late spring, you’ll be able to check out the latest developments at BETT. Flynn is keen to point out that the aim here is the same as with all other BBC resources: “Supporting the learner, teacher and parent - not supplying teaching resources for all subjects.”

Also showcasing at BETT will be WW2 People’s War, a growing archive of stories and photographs contributed by those who lived and fought in during the Second World War. This will also feature lesson plans and classroom activities, plus schools will be invited to run their own commemorative events.

Other things to look out for from the BBC include Curriculum Bites, a bank of video clips and knowledge blocks to support the curriculum and encourage wider creative use of resources, and the Creative Archive which, although not specifically an education resource, will be a downloadable clips service from bbc.co.uk. This should be due to pilot early this year.

Meanwhile, 4Learning will be bringing its growing range of interactive educational CD-Roms, online offerings, expanding ClipBank resources (review, p46) and DVDs for both primary and secondary to this year’s BETT show.

The successful Seeing Science series has now been extended into history and geography. Seeing History and Seeing Geography are aimed at 7 to 11-year-olds and titles include Tudor Times, Victorian Times, Britain Since 1930, Localities in the UK and Environmental Change. CD-Roms cost pound;35 each and a site licence is pound;100.

Those in DT will know it is an under-resourced area, and will be pleased to see that 4Learning is launching five new CD-Roms for the subject. These include: Food; Textiles; Systems and Electronic Control; Resistant Material; and Graphic Products. Each disc contains 40-45 minutes of curriculum-relevant clips, complemented by concise on-screen information (pound;49 each; site licence pound;200).

On top of this, the company now offers a complete secondary language curriculum proposition with the release of nine new modern language CD-Roms, including three for German, Spanish and French. Prices are the same as for the DT CD-Roms.

Also, the popular ClipBank resource has now been made easier to access and can be delivered on a DVD or downloaded via an FTP service. “This choice is part of our aim for rich media content to be delivered to students and parents by a wide range of means,” says Heather Rabbatts, managing director of 4Learning.

The company is also focused on putting its educational programming on to DVD. New titles this BETT will include Twelfth Night, Life Stuff: A-Z of Drugs, Wilde Stories and The Virtual Body. As Rabbatts says: “Our aim is to continue to produce engaging material and extend digital content to reflect how things are. TV does this very effectively and this is the strength of the broadcasters, to find engaging and inspirational stories and offer in-depth curriculum resources through CD-Rom and DVD.”

Don’t miss

Teachers’ TV Stand X34

For those that don’t already know, Teachers’ TV is due to go on air early this year. The new digital channel will be available 24 hours a day on Sky and Freeview, with discussions under way with both NTL and Telewest.

With an annual budget of pound;20 million provided by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) it will be a key part of the government’s drive for personalised learning.

The channel will include interactive services, enabling viewers to access further information about programmes, personalise their viewing and highlight what’s relevant to them on the schedule. Some programmes will be made available on demand on the website, (www.teachers.tv) where there will also be links to online resources directly related to programmes, lesson plans and Teachers’ TV community services such as forums.

Teachers’ TV will show programmes specific to primary and secondary teachers, plus programmes of general interest dealing with important issues in education.

One of the largest strands on the channel will be Resource Review, which will road-test resources for teachers, and thereby share best practice.

These tests will be viewed from three angles: subject specialists at either primary or secondary level (in some instances both); teachers and pupils who will be filmed using the selected resources in a lesson; and a panel of education experts who will review the resources and their application.

Tel: 020 7025 8040

www.teachers.tv

Other contacts

4Learning Stand D42

Tel: 020 7306 5545

www.channel4.comlearning

BBC Stand F30

Tel: 020 8752 5261

www.bbc.co.uk