People knock the BBC, but it’s worth every penny now it’s homeschooling our kids

When Boris Johnson announced on Sunday that all schools across the UK would be shut due to the coronavirus pandemic, it was the news every parent dreaded. I threw my head in my hands; it was double trouble. I’m a single mum with two kids aged two and four, and their nanny has Covid.  

Like many parents across the UK, I found my life suddenly turning from the normal chaos of parenting into a multi-tasking, homeschooling horror show. From next week, though, it doesn’t feel so extraordinarily hard or lonely anymore: the BBC has stepped in.

The public service broadcaster is bringing the “biggest-ever education offer in its history” to our TV screens from Monday. CBBC will have three hours of primary school programming from 9am, just as I would have dropped my four-year-old off at the school gates. And BBC Two will air at least two hours of content for secondary students every day during the week. It aims to ensure all children can access curriculum-based learning without the internet.

BBC Director-General Tim Davie said: “Education is absolutely vital – the BBC is here to play its part and I’m delighted that we have been able to bring this to audiences so swiftly.”  

The culture secretary, Oliver Dowden, described the news as “a lifeline to parents”. For me, it feels like an offering sent directly from heaven. While my primary school child’s Google Classroom is up and running, it’s simply not possible to oversee a full day’s curriculum of homeschooling while juggling a day job. And while working from home has its perks, being expected to morph into a full-time teaching assistant is not one of them.

It’s only a matter of time before children get bored of drawing rainbows, playing with Kinetic Sand, and creating as much mess as possible. It’s raining and it’s cold. The solution? Switch the TV on; it’s a lifesaver.  

The problem is that it feels like groundhog day. The last lockdown got my children addicted to TV; that was before my eldest had even started primary school. It’s been a strict rule of one hour a day ever since, but this week, it’s been: “OK, just watch Paw Patrol some more! Whatever!” So this new BBC timetable of educational programs is like a breath of fresh air.

I know children’s TV isn’t always unhealthy and mindless. It can be fun and educational. Netflix has an array of learning programmes from science lessons in Emily’s Wonder Lab to fun facts in Ask the StoryBots. But its content is nowhere near as geared towards replacing the classroom as the BBC’s latest bright idea, which also offers routine and structure.  

It’s making me reconsider my complaints about the BBC license fee of £157.50 a year. In the past, it has felt like I’m being forced to pay for something that I don’t use often. But that’s all about to change. Maybe it’s worth every penny now it’s going towards homeschooling our kids during lockdown. Not only that, but the BBC is playing an important role in society, which justifies public funding.

Next week, my children can watch a block of CBBC educational programmes including BBC Live Lessons and BBC Bitesize Daily, along with Our School and Celebrity Supply Teacher, and popular shows such as Horrible Histories, Art Ninja, and Operation Ouch. BBC Two’s programming will support the GCSE syllabus with its Bitesize Daily secondary shows, complemented by “Shakespeare and classic drama adaptations alongside science, history and factual titles”.  

You can be sure I’ll be tuning in on Monday morning. Now the routine will be breakfast and the BBC. That’s until February half term at least. Then let’s hope, for everybody’s sake, school is back on track.