The BBC Learning Zone (previously The Learning Zone) was an educational strand run by the
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as an
overnight
Overnight may refer to:
Film and broadcast media
* ''Overnight'' (1985 film), a Canadian comedy film
* ''Overnight'' (2003 film), 2003 documentary film
* ''NBC News Overnight'', an American late night newscast from the early 1980s
* ''The Overn ...
service on
BBC Two
BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...
. It shows programming aimed at students in Primary, Secondary and Higher Education and to adult learners. Viewers are encouraged to watch programmes after the original broadcast via the use of, originally
VHS, currently
DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...
. In 2015, the BBC confirmed that due to budget cuts, the service would no longer be running.
History
The BBC Learning Zone was launched as The Learning Zone on 9 October 1995, as an extension service of
BBC2
BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...
, to free up more of their schedule. Previously, these educational programmes had been based on the channel in mornings and often until the early afternoon on weekdays. However, following the channel's rebranding to the
'2' idents and the increased viewer perception that resulted from it, the channel was anxious to use more of their daytime for different programming. The Learning Zone was the solution to this problem.
The idea had been around for a while: by 1995
ITV
ITV or iTV may refer to:
ITV
*Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of:
** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
was operating as a 24-hour channel, freeing up their prime time and daytime schedules. The
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Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...
attempted producing specialist television overnight by launching
BBC Select. This service played out encrypted programming for professions such as medicine and law overnight between 1992 and 1995. Also, from the start of 1993, some
BBC Schools
BBC Schools, also known as BBC for Schools and Colleges, is the educational programming strand set up by the BBC in 1957, broadcasting a range of educational programmes for children aged 5–16. From launch until June 1983, programming was based o ...
programmes were shown (as subject blocks or a series block) overnight as part of a new experiment called Night School.
When BBC Two's regular programmes concluded for the night, BBC Two would transfer to ''
Pages from Ceefax
Ceefax (, punning on "seeing facts") was the world's first teletext information service and a forerunner to the current BBC Red Button service. Ceefax was started by the BBC in 1974 and ended, after 38 years of broadcasting, at 23:32:19 BST ( ...
'', until the service began at 12.30am (2am on Monday mornings). It would continue through the night, ending at 7am. Programming was also broadcast at the weekend, but only two hours, between 3am and 5am for ''
DynaMo'', were shown on Fridays and Saturdays. In 2004 the service started at 2am every day and continuing until 6am when programming on BBC Two would begin, however this was not always the case. The service then ran between 4am and 6am, and usually did not operate when schools were not open (Summer, Easter Holidays etc.).
In 1997, when the
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Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...
rebranded, The Learning Zone was renamed BBC Learning Zone, became a separate strand of programming in its own right and became independent of
BBC Two
BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...
.
In 2015, the BBC confirmed that 'due to budget cuts', the service would be no longer be running on BBC Two. Instead, it was said to be moving online on the BBC Education and BBC Teach websites. The final BBC Learning Zone aired in the early hours of 24 July 2015.
Programming
The service, upon launch, was used for the transfer of programming, including the bulk of
Open University
The Open University (OU) is a British public research university and the largest university in the United Kingdom by number of students. The majority of the OU's undergraduate students are based in the United Kingdom and principally study off- ...
programming, secondary school programming previously from the
BBC Schools
BBC Schools, also known as BBC for Schools and Colleges, is the educational programming strand set up by the BBC in 1957, broadcasting a range of educational programmes for children aged 5–16. From launch until June 1983, programming was based o ...
strand as well as other programming.
Programming was divided up into segments, as seen below:
*Open University and General Interest - Programming from the open university for
Degree
Degree may refer to:
As a unit of measurement
* Degree (angle), a unit of angle measurement
** Degree of geographical latitude
** Degree of geographical longitude
* Degree symbol (°), a notation used in science, engineering, and mathematics
...
students and other programmes that may be of interest to the public. This later category came about by the Open University's use of education programming in the style of prime time documentaries, pioneered by ''
Coast
The coast, also known as the coastline or seashore, is defined as the area where land meets the ocean, or as a line that forms the boundary between the land and the coastline. The Earth has around of coastline. Coasts are important zones in n ...
''. Also included in the category was the programme WorkSkills, that helped with applying for jobs, however this programme ceased after some time. This segment ceased when the Open University stopped programming.
*Languages and Travel - Programming focusing of teaching new languages and the differing cultures. Programming in
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
,
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
,
Spanish,
Italian,
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...
,
Portuguese,
Greek and
Japanese. This service ceased in Summer 2012.
*Schools - Programming from
BBC Schools
BBC Schools, also known as BBC for Schools and Colleges, is the educational programming strand set up by the BBC in 1957, broadcasting a range of educational programmes for children aged 5–16. From launch until June 1983, programming was based o ...
for students at
GCSE
The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is an academic qualification in a particular subject, taken in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. State schools in Scotland use the Scottish Qualifications Certificate instead. Private sc ...
and
A-Level
The A-Level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational aut ...
and for those in Secondary and Primary education. Includes repeats of old schools programmes.
These segments ran on alternate days and for only certain times of the year. The segments and programming may be changed during exam seasons, so programming is revision orientated, with the programme
Bitesize
BBC Bitesize, also abbreviated to ''Bitesize'', is the BBC's free online study support resource for school-age pupils in the United Kingdom. It is designed to aid pupils in both schoolwork and, for older pupils, exams. National sections
Engl ...
being a staple of the schedule.
On 15 December 2006, the last Open University programme was broadcast on the service, following which the strand was removed from the service.
Schools programmes ended when BBC Learning Zone finished in 2015. Languages programmes (shown during the summer months) were dropped after Summer 2012. BBC Two instead now shows rolling programme previews under the name 'This is BBC Two'. In 2010, the remaining primary
schools programmes, previously shown at 11am for one hour during weekdays (except Wednesday), were transferred to the Learning Zone from
BBC Two
BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...
.
Unusual among BBC services, few to no programme shown on the BBC Learning Zone is available to be watched again on the
BBC iPlayer
BBC iPlayer (stylised as iPLAYER or BBC iPLAYER) is a video on demand service from the BBC. The service is available on a wide range of devices, including mobile phones and tablets, personal computers and smart televisions. iPlayer services del ...
, due to rights restrictions on the programmes. As compensation, the BBC launched a section called Learning Zone Broadband, or more simply Class Clips which includes segments from Learning Zone as well as clips taken from other relevant BBC programmes. These clips were available to watch on demand over the internet for free. This service provided teachers and students with a range of resources, including case studies and experiments, to use in class or elsewhere. The service is no longer in use. Clips are now available on the BBC Teach website.
Presentation
Upon launch on 9 October 1995, the strand was introduced with a variation of the
'2' idents and had a logo featuring an orange stylised Learning Zone logo.
On 6 October 1997, when the strand became separate, the station's current identification was created, showing an oak tree and an acorn. The acorn falls from a tree, while a number of identification processes take place, including a
thermal image
Infrared thermography (IRT), thermal video and/or thermal imaging, is a process where a Thermographic camera, thermal camera captures and creates an image of an object by using infrared radiation emitted from the object in a process, which are ...
, a database match on computer, measurements taken, newspaper archives,
aerodynamic investigation, cross section, 3D image and the name in different languages before the acorn finally falls to the ground and seeds to become an oak sapling. The ident is accompanied by an updated logo featuring the
BBC logo and 'Learning Zone' written after in capital letters. The identification was generally only used at the beginning of the strand. Links between programmes were made using programme menus and continuity voice overs. Programme menus and static information slides were made using the logo at the bottom, and an image related to the identification featuring in the background. Very few programme slides and promotions were used.
In 2004, four supplementary idents were introduced to link into the programmes themselves. They still featured the 1997 presentational style and were based around the theme of the seasons, with one used each season. They featured the oak tree in the background and people at rest and play around it. The 1997 ident was still used to open the strand. Also introduced in 2004, were opening films to introduce the programme menu. These featured clips showing on screen of the programmes in the Learning Zone and of the acorn falling, before a version of the logo with back-lighting moving from left to right, accompanied by the music 'Wired' by Atmosphere Music Ltd. The programme menu was also redesigned with falling acorns as the background. Both new devices were colour-coded to the strand: blue for Open University, green for languages and red for schools.
Unusually for a terrestrial BBC channel, the strand is accompanied by a
BBC Two
BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...
DOG
The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog's nearest living relative. Do ...
in the top left corner of the screen. Other DOGs accompany the programmes, while some lengthy educational programmes include a timer in the top right corner to make it easier to scan and find the section the viewer wants.
The acorn ident is the longest BBC ident ever used, having beaten the
BBC Two '2' idents in 2008.
Similar strands
*Schools programming had previously been broadcast in a designated
BBC Schools
BBC Schools, also known as BBC for Schools and Colleges, is the educational programming strand set up by the BBC in 1957, broadcasting a range of educational programmes for children aged 5–16. From launch until June 1983, programming was based o ...
strand shown in the morning and early afternoon on
BBC1
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...
and from September 1983 on
BBC2
BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...
. These broadcasts have since lost their special strand, and the final programmes moved from BBC Two to the Learning Zone in 2010.
*
Open University
The Open University (OU) is a British public research university and the largest university in the United Kingdom by number of students. The majority of the OU's undergraduate students are based in the United Kingdom and principally study off- ...
programming became common viewing during daytime and weekend hours for many years since 1971, before having the hours reduced in the 1990s. These programmes have since ceased.
*The digital channel
BBC Knowledge
BBC Knowledge was a British television channel which was owned by the BBC and was launched on 1 June 1999, broadcasting documentary, cultural and educational programmes. It was shut down on 2 March 2002, and was replaced by BBC Four.
History
L ...
was launched in 1999 following the launch of the Learning Zone, featuring educational and cultural programming. The channel ceased broadcasting in 2002 to make way for
CBeebies (6am-7pm) and
BBC Four
BBC Four is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002 (7pm-4am).
*A programming strand called BBC Learning on the subscription international channel
BBC Prime broadcast similar programming. The service was axed in August 2006.
*During the ongoing
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
of 2020-21,
CBBC
CBBC (initialised as Children's BBC and also known as the CBBC Channel) is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the bran ...
operates a similar strand called the "Bitesize Learning Zone" between 9am and 12pm.
References
External links
Learning Zoneat
bbc.co.uk
BBC Online, formerly known as BBCi, is the BBC's online service. It is a large network of websites including such high-profile sites as BBC News and BBC Sport, Sport, the on-demand video and radio services branded BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds, t ...
BBC Teach - The new home of Schools clipsat
bbc.co.uk
BBC Online, formerly known as BBCi, is the BBC's online service. It is a large network of websites including such high-profile sites as BBC News and BBC Sport, Sport, the on-demand video and radio services branded BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds, t ...
{{BBC Television
Learning Zone, BBC
Educational broadcasting in the United Kingdom
Television channels and stations established in 1995
1995 establishments in the United Kingdom
Television channels and stations disestablished in 2015
2015 disestablishments in the United Kingdom