This is a timeline of the broadcasting of schools programmes on television in the UK.

1950s 1957 13 May – The very first UK broadcast of a television programme for schools takes place. It is transmitted by London's ITV contractor Associated-Rediffusion. 24 September – The BBC broadcasts its first programmes for schools.Schools TV on its way – archive, 1955

1958 No events.

1959 No events.

1960s 1960 19 September – BBC Schools starts using the Pie Chart ident to coincide with the first morning broadcasts which are branded as For the Schools.TV Ark: BBC Education 1960 to 1974

1961 No events.

1962 No events.

1963 No events.

1964 No events.

1965 BBC Schools programmes are now branded as For Schools and Colleges.

1966 No events.

1967 No events.

1968 No events.

1969 No events.

1970s 1970 ITV Schools programmes start being broadcast in colour.

1971 No events.

1972 September – Following a law change which removed all restrictions on broadcasting hours, ITV is able to launch an afternoon service and ITV Schools transfers to a new morning slot with programmes shown between 9:30am and midday.

1973 No events.

1974 23 September – The presentation of BBC Schools changes with the introduction of the blue diamond on a black background with the BBC1 legend.TV Ark: BBC Education 1974–75 It is commissioned to mark the start of BBC schools programmes being broadcast in colour.

1975 No events.

1976 No events.

1977 19 September – The presentation of BBC Schools changes with the introduction of the countdown clock of disappearing dots around a spinning 'Schools and Colleges' legend. Special holding captions with the phrase 'Follows Shortly' were beginning to be used for junctions longer than the 60 seconds that the ident required.TV Ark: BBC Education 1977 to 1983

1978 No events.

1979 ITV does not broadcast schools programming during the Autumn term due to the strike which had kept ITV off the air for through the late Summer and early Autumn of 1979. The programming that was due for transmission in the Autumn term is transferred to the Spring and Summer terms of 1980.

1980s 1980 No events.

1981 No events.

1982 January – A computerised version of the BBC Schools clock is brought into service, replacing the mechanical device used since 1977.TV Ark: BBC Education 1977 to 1983 April–June – The Falklands War sees schools programmes sometimes being shown on BBC2 to allow BBC1 to provide coverage of the latest developments. A hastily added BBC2 Schools ident was used, with the replaced caption being the orange logo on a black background box. at TVARK containing a video of Falklands War BBC2 legend

1983 24 June – BBC Schools programmes are broadcast on BBC1 for the final time, ahead of their move to BBC2 in the Autumn. 19 September – Programmes for schools and colleges are transferred to BBC2 and an all-day educational strand called Daytime on Two is launched so that the adult educational programming previously shown on Mondays and Tuesdays on BBC2 can continue to be shown. The new service includes a special sequence of Ceefax pages called the Daytime on Two information Service which is broadcast during the longer gaps between programmes.Broadcast of the Daytime On 2 Information ServiceBBC2 Schools and Colleges inc Continuity A special version of the striped 2 ident is created, featuring an orange background instead of the usual black. Clocks were not used alongside the look but the 'Follows Shortly' captions were retained.

1984 Summer term – As in previous years, fewer schools programmes are aired by the BBC during the Summer term with the number of programmes decreasing as the term progresses. Pages from Ceefax is therefore shown for an increasing part of the day, with the general Ceefax miscellenany shown during the longer breaks, such as lunchtime due to adult education not being shown during the Summer term, with the Daytime on Two Information Service restricted to the shorter breaks. ITV continues to show a full morning of schools programmes throughout the entire Summer term.

1985 28 June – The end of the 1984/85 school year sees the final broadcast of the Ceefax Daytime on Two information service and when Daytime on Two returns in September, all gaps of 10 minutes or less are filled by a 'Follows Shortly' caption over music, before cutting to the ident and announcement. Breaks of more than 10 minutes are filled with the usual Ceefax miscellenary.

1986 21 March – At 2:30pm, the special version of the striped 2 ident is shown for the final time. 21 April – Following the rebranding of BBC2 and the launch of the white embossed TWO the previous month, no special ident is used to introduce Daytime on Two programmes although a later addition is a 15-second countdown timer, displaying the seconds in a box, usually located in the top right corner of the screen. at TVARK 22 September – From the start of the 1986/87 school year, Daytime on Two ends slightly earlier, at 2:15pm or 2:35pm instead of 3pm.

1987 29 June – Schools programmes are broadcast on ITV for the final time. 14 September – ITV Schools transfers to Channel 4 and S4C. The programmes are shown at the same time as they were broadcast on ITV, between 9:30am and 12noon. Just two pieces of interval music are used, The Journey for a 3D holding device and Just a Minute which featured a redesigned clock.Details of the changes in presentation from the move to Channel 4TV Ark: ITV Schools on Channel 4 1987 to 1993

1988 No events.

1989 No events.

1990s 1990 Summer – For the first time, there are no programme breaks during the Summer term's Daytime on Two output with programmes shown non-stop between 9am and 2:15pm.

1991 16 February – Following the rebrand of TWO to BBC2, including the introduction of the '2' idents, no special presentation is used to mark schools programmes. The 'Follows Shortly' captions are phased out in place of promotions of other appropriate programmes.

1992 June – ITV Schools opt-outs in the Grampian Television, Scottish Television, Border Television and Ulster Television (UTV) regions are broadcast for the final time, ahead of Channel 4 being spun off from IBA control. S4C in Wales continues to opt-out of some English programmes for its Welsh-language programmes.

1993 19 January – Schools programmes are shown overnight on BBC2 for the first time as part of a new experiment called Night School. The broadcasts are generally either subject blocks or series blocks.Airings of Nightschool from 1993–1995 28 June – The final ITV Schools programmes are shown on Channel 4. 20 September – Schools programmes continue to be shown on Channel 4 under their own branding of Channel 4 Schools, along with new identsTV Ark: Channel 4 Schools & Learning 1993 to 1997 and on S4C, schools programming is rebranded as S4C Ysgollon.TV Ark: S4C Television- Schools & Learning

1994 No events.

1995 9 October – BBC Learning Zone is launched and the output includes schools programming aimed at secondary school pupils. Primary schools programming continues to be shown during the morning.

1996 No events.

1997 June – BBC Schools programmes are broadcast under the Daytime on Two brand for the final time. September – Schools programmes on the BBC are now branded under the title of School Programmes with broadcasts limited to the morning hours.

1998 BBC Bitesize is launched as a free online study support resource for school-age pupils in the United Kingdom to aid pupils in both schoolwork and for older pupils, exams.

1999 1 June – BBC Knowledge launches as part of the BBC's move into digital television. The new channel broadcasts a mix of educational and informative programming, aimed at both adults and children. Original programming included a GCSE survival guide and technology series The Kit, aimed at getting children online. Autumn – Secondary school programming is moved permanently to overnight transmissions and is aired as part of the BBC Learning Zone. Programmes aimed at primary school children continue to be shown during the day.

2000s 2000 April – Channel 4 rebrands its schools programming as 4Learning.TV Ark: Channel 4 Schools & Learning 2000-2001

2001 No events.

2002 11 February – The new CBBC channel launches and it airs schools programmes during the day as part of their remit. They are broadcast as a strand called Class TV, shown during schools hours (usually repeats of previous programmes, rather than new ones). 2 March – BBC Knowledge closes.

2003 13 January - Schools programmes on BBC Two are given an additional 10-30 minute timeslot at 1pm on Mondays and Tuesdays.https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/53ac5493a35c4c3abbc3bc8b347a867a

2004 No events.

2005 After 18 years, Channel 4 ends its packaged schools television service.TV Ark: Channel 4 Schools & Learning 2000–2001

2006 No events.

2007 December – Schools programmes are broadcast on Channel 4 for the final time.

2008 20 March – The remit of CBBC is altered to remove the schools programming element from the channel. 13 May - The 1pm schools programming slot on BBC Two ends after 5 years.https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/f49701a9e71a4c5f9bf1baf0a5edb11c 20 June – S4C broadcasts the final day of Ysgolion, its Welsh schools programming.

2009 No events.

2010s 2010 26 March – Primary school programming is shown on BBC Two during the day for the final time.The final schools programming on BBC Two - 26.03.2010 From next term, primary schools broadcasts become part of the overnight BBC Learning Zone with series shown as a back-to-back set rather than over several weeks.

2011 No events.

2012 No events.

2013 No events.

2014 No events.

2015 24 July – BBC Learning Zone ends "due to budget cuts". This sees the end of the transmission of schools programmes on the BBC after 58 years, and as from this date, all schools programming moves online.

2016 No events.

2017 No events.

2018 No events.

2019 December – CBBC brings back Class TV with 'Live Lessons' presented by the CBBC presenting team on late weekday mornings.

2020s 2020 20 April – With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the national quarantine in England, the BBC begins offering daily educational programming to help children with schoolwork at home. It is described as the biggest education push "in its history".

2021 11 January – The COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom and the closure of schools around the country during the national quarantine sees CBBC and BBC Two broadcast shows from the BBC Bitesize service for primary-school-aged children. These shows feature a mix of archive, live and newly filmed content.

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