Broadcasting Act 1990
Section 25 requires the ITC to include conditions in the Channel 4 licence to ensure that a public service of information, education and entertainment is provided and that a suitable proportion of Channel 4 programmes are of an educational nature.
Section 34 requires the ITC to ensure that there is a suitable proportion of schools programmes on Channels 3, 4 and 5 (taken as a whole). Any of these licences may include conditions requiring the licence holder to produce or finance the production of schools programmes; they must be of high quality and meet the needs of the schools in the relevant areas. A minimum number of hours must be specified in term time which will be allocated to schools programmes. Follow-up material must be provided to secure effective use of schools programmes. Consultation must also take place with such people who have an interest in schools or the production of schools programmes as the Commission thinks fit.
Channel 4 Licence
Channel 4 has to devote seven hours a week to programmes with an educational purpose, aimed at the adult audience and provide appropriate support material.
The Channel 4 licence requires at least 330 hours per annum of schools programmes to be broadcast in term time, supported by a full range of appropriate material.
Channel 4 Schools Service
Channel 4 became formally responsible for the schools service at the start of 1993, having appointed a Commissioning Editor for schools programmes. The full new Channel 4 schools service was launched in September 1993.
4Learning is a part of Channel 4 which was created to take on all the functions in support of the schools service.
The Channel 4 requirement for schools programmes was exceeded during 2002. Channel 4 had provided an effective and comprehensive resource for schools, supported by skilfully designed information and teachers materials. The ITC’s Schools Advisory Committee was impressed by continuing efforts to improve access to resources for teachers, including a growing range of CD-Roms and on-line services through 4Leaningwebsite.
Schools Advisory Committee (SAC)
The SAC was established by the Commission in 1992. Its purpose is to offer advice to the ITC on the effectiveness of the Schools Television Service so that the Commission may fulfil their responsibility to do all they can to ensure that the programmes are of high quality and are suitable to meet the needs of schools. The Committee prepares an annual report to the Commission on its own activities together with a commentary on the programme output of the service and the information and liaison arrangements supporting its effectiveness.
Channel 4 Education
The average weekly requirement of seven hours of educational programmes on Channel 4 was exceeded in 2002 with 11 hours 50 minutes of programmes drawn from a wide range of subjects..
Channel 3 Licences
Channel 3. The Invitation to Apply for regional Channel 3 licences listed nine programme strands which the ITC expected applicants to include in the service if they were to pass the quality threshold. The education strand included: educational programmes which have a clear educative purpose and are supported by specially prepared factsheets which are promoted on screen and: social action covering programmes which reflect social needs and give the viewer the opportunity to carry out individual or community action.
Most licensees offered to carry around 1 hour 45 minutes weekly of networked education and social action, and about one hour weekly of regional education and social action.
Channel 5
The Invitation to Apply for the Channel 5 licence listed a range of programme strands, which included education and social action. The Channel 5 licence requires the licensee to supply a weekly average of 3 hours of this type of output. In 2002 Channel 5 supplied 4 hours a week.
Cable and Satellite Television
The ITC licenses a number of channels which are available on cable and/or satellite. These included Discovery, Discovery Home and Leisure, The History Channel, The National Geographic Channel, .tv (The Computer Channel), and Animal Planet.
Further References
IBA/ITC Publications
* ITC Library bibliography: Educational broadcasting
ASHTON, Paul. A class act. in Spectrum. 1994: Autumn, 4-5
ASHTON, Paul. New term with a difference. in Spectrum. 1993: Autumn, 20-21
ITC annual report and accounts 1997. 1998.
Television Research Monographs (published by John Libbey now at the University of Luton Press)
LANGHAM, Josephine, Teachers and television: a history of the IBA’s educational fellowship scheme. IBA. 1990
MOSS, Robin, JONES, Chris, and GUNTER, Barrie. Television in schools. 1991
The future of schools television. ITC Research. 1998
June 2003
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