Coronavirus Kent: BBC Bitesize announces daily lessons from Monday, April 20 to support home schooling
Daily lessons will be broadcast through televisions and tablets for pupils after the Easter holidays.
The BBC has announced a raft of changes to its Bitesize education programme to help parents attempting to home school their offspring in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.
Bitesize is the corporation's collection of study and learning support resources for school-age children.
From Monday, April 20 the entire service is being expanded, it has been announced, with additional resources being added to its online platforms as well as special programmes to be broadcast on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Red Button.
Those behind the plans say there will be regular daily lessons in English and maths as well as other core subjects.
A message on its website announcing the changes reads: "New maths and English lessons will be available every day for all ages. These will be created with resources from Bitesize, other parts of the BBC and other education providers. The content of these lessons will be backed up by new videos, practice tests, educational games and articles.
"BBC iPlayer and the Red Button service will host Bitesize Daily. These are six different 20 minute shows, each designed to target a specific age group, from ages five to 14, and for pupils throughout the UK. Experts and teachers will be involved, covering what should be learned that day for the different year groups and key stages."
Maths, English and science will be covered in dedicated programmes with other core subjects including history, geography, music and art also listed for inclusion.
BBC Sounds will also be launching separate podcasts, aimed at either primary or secondary pupils, to support those learning at home. The daily shows are expected to last around 10 minutes each and will link to relevant content on the Bitesize website.
For older students, BBC Four is also joining forces with the Red Button for evening programmes which will support the GCSE and A Level curriculums.
And to help under-pressure parents work through what they need to do, Bitesize's social media will also be making some temporary changes.
Facebook and Twitter will now turn its attention to parents - where information including study schedules will be shared to help families plan their learning - whilst teenage students are being directed to Instagram.
Thousands of parents across Kent have found themselves responsible for their children's education since schools across Kent were closed down on Friday, March 20 as part of efforts to contain the spread of the virus. Only children of key workers have been permitted to return, to enable their parents to continue working.
A number of school-based learning platforms have since offered parents free accounts and downloads to help them with home schooling whilst celebrities including Joe Wicks and David Walliams have attempted to join the national effort offering live-streamed PE lessons and free midday audio stories to keep youngsters entertained.
For more family-related news and events please visit www.mykentfamily.co.uk
