BBC Learning Zone

This was a wonderful "10 out of 10" website. Sadly, the BBC stopped the Learning Zone in 2015 for financial reasons, and today (2018) I can give it only 2 out of 10.

Although the Learning Zone website still exists, nearly all the good videos have disappeared. It is still possible to find some videos which are:

• short, fun and educational
• in clear and easy English
• with subtitles

but it's also possible to spend an hour on the website and find only broken links ("This content is no longer available..."). Most of the videos that I have found are at C2 (Mastery) level.

Here's what the BBC said about it: "The BAFTA-winning Learning Zone commissioned hundreds of short films a year for children and young people aged 3 to 16. These included original dramas, animations and documentaries, as well as versions of some of the BBC's landmark series such as Brian Cox's Wonders of Life and Neil Oliver's Vikings. The aim of the films was to inspire children's learning. They might transport them to different periods in time, or far-flung parts of the globe; illuminate concepts and ideas which are hard to grasp from a text book; challenge children to think differently about the world; or simply to help make learning exciting and relevant. The films combined great visual story telling with engaging curriculum-related content. They were generally between 5 and 15 minutes in length, and designed to provide the stimulus for a lesson or discussion in the classroom, and beyond. The Learning Zone has won dozens of awards and nominations." Sigh...