Teachers' TV

Teachers' TV will launch in early 2005 and be available on Sky and Freeview (with the possibility of NTL and Telewest too). It will be the first television channel of its kind in the world. In addition to airing for 24 hours a day, Teachers' TV will be supported by a fully interactive website, www.teachers.tv.

"Teachers TV will be an editorially independent channel to support the people who work in schools," says Richard Graham, head of the Communications Unit at the DfES, who instigated the project and is responsible for leading its development.

"It is intended to complement other information sources available to teachers in print and on the web — giving insights into good practice and taking teachers into the classrooms of their colleagues. We want to share the many great ideas and excellent teaching practices across the system. If we can do that effectively I have no doubt the channel can make a powerful contribution," says Graham.

The channel will be managed by an independent consortium of Brook Lapping Productions, ITV and the Institute of Education. Its director of programmes, experienced former teacher Andrew Bethell, says:

"The crucial thing about Teachers' TV is that it is for teachers."

It is hoped the channel will help capture some of the good things that go on up and down the country in schools and will enable teachers (and other school professionals) to learn from each other. It will offer innovative ideas, insights and time-saving tips that can be used in the classroom.

A comprehensive pilot was run last spring involving 1,000 teachers, teaching assistants, headteachers and governors who watched 45 programmes over a period of six weeks. The results were very positive.

"The programming in general displayed an impressive depth. It was not patronising or clichéd," said Jeff Hebert from Greenford High School. And Elaine Warden of Lutterworth Grammar School commented: "The programmes cut through the standard school jargon and raise subjects that are relevant. It's helpful to see other approaches to teaching, especially if they can improve life in your classroom."

Ninety per cent of people involved in the pilot said that they would watch the channel when it launched and 90 per cent found the programmes useful and that time watching was time well spent.

Of course, it is important that the channel is editorially independent of the Government and this has been assured from the beginning. As Andrew Bethell explains: "We are editorially independent of the Government for two reasons. The first is that by law the Government may not own or editorially control a television station, but more pressingly, if our audience thought that we were a mouthpiece for the Government, the channel wouldn't work.

"The Department for Education and Skills and other key stakeholders will take a strong interest in how the channel progresses but the channel will be governed by its own Teachers' TV Board."

Bethel says that debate is going to be an important part of the channel and it will be vital that the channel represents the many different perspectives and approaches to teaching.

Good television can inspire and enthuse, provoke and entertain; Teachers' TV seeks to do all of those things.

On schedule:
A guide to the zones

The Teachers' TV schedule is built around three one-hour zones, which will each be clearly branded: the General Zone, the Primary Zone and the Secondary Zone.

The General Zone will be for everyone involved in teaching, including teachers, classroom assistants, governors and headteachers.

The Primary and Secondary Zones are for all those who work in each phase.

The three main areas covered will be training and professional development, news and educational issues and resources.

The Primary Zone will include programmes that focus on good practice and curriculum development, for example, programmes that help teachers to enable the best possible progress in reading, writing and maths, and, with high quality support in the classroom, giving children more tailored learning.

One pilot  programme (pictured) focussed on the clever use of paper cups to teach fractions to Year 3, while another followed a hard-hitting session on class management for NQTs.

FOR MORE INFO, VISIT

www.teachers.tv

Originally published in Teacher magazine