Education

Across 2002 and 2003,Channel 4’s education programmes will focus on Life Skills, History, Science and Technology, Health and Disability.

Channel 4 will continue to look at formats for Life Skills programmes that allow a light touch but deliver strong educational values.  Channel 4 will retain its commitment to series based on real experience, real scenarios and real value for time.  We will continue with series on sex education which have been proven to reach the target audience, as well as popular documentaries on surgery and sex changes. 

Channel 4 will screen campaigns in 2002 on Miscarriages and Diabetes.

We will also focus on the old, with documentaries and back up support.

We will exploit our new strength in Features programming, based on the success of our property and domestic architecture programmes.

Programme Support

We will continue to provide support for viewers following an average of eight hours of programmes each week. This will include telephone services and publications, both printed and on-line. While the majority of these support services will be specially commissioned, we will continue to support appropriate programmes with our successful stand-alone websites, including the Health website, the Black and Asian History Map and Brilliant Careers. During 2002 we will launch a major on-line initiative to attract new young talent into the creative industries.

Schools programmes and services

We will provide a schools service across suitable platforms and media. In 2002 this will include a service of significantly more than the 330 hours specified in our remit, and the key themes will be primary history, secondary technology, and citizenship.  We will show the second tranche of The Hoobs programmes.

Schools programmes will bring a major drama, Double Act, to the main schedule, a new dramatisation of Jacqueline Wilson's best-selling novel about identical twins.

Spring 2002 sees the beginning of a major poetry series for secondary schools, Arrows of Desire, which will continue into 2003/4.

In addition there are 13 new programmes in the market leading secondary technology series, The Technology Programme.  There are also 20 new Maths programmes for primary schools, and 10 for secondary schools.

4 Learning

4 Learning’s strength lies in the Channel 4 reputation for risk and nonconformism.  The service can target pupils and young adults with informal, innovative multi-media initiatives, and can appeal to the people traditional education services do not reach.

4 Learning will contine to offer the Homework High service for students and the new GridClub service for younger children, both award-winning sites that have proved immensely popular.  We will continue to plan for the migration of the 4 Learning audience from television towards new media, but this will happen at a pace which recognises the realities of equipment and training in schools. 

We will continue to provide printed materials and CD-ROMs, as well as our on-line and disc-based resources which are a major support in the development of ICT competence in schools.