Many parents and teachers would probably admit that the past year has redefined what screen time means to them; at best, a guilt-free educational substitute for face-to-face learning and at worst, a free quarantine babysitter. To offset the isolation and lack of social interaction, new children's shows strive to help young minds cope with stress and stay connected, from a safe distance.
What the pandemic has also done, according to Henrietta Hurford-Jones, global director of children's content at BBC Studios, is drive a record number of children and adults to turn back to public service broadcasting for education and entertainment while reversing a trend towards "fragmented" streaming options, where parents had little control. "Parents trust channels such as CBeebies as they know that nothing weird will pop up on screen as children are watching."
Parents trust channels such as CBeebies as they know that nothing weird will pop up on screen as children are watching
Educational and children’s programming had, in 2019, been moved into the same division by BBC Public Service, to sit under the same leadership. “I’m not sure if it was prescient or good timing, but it makes perfect sense for those two genres to sit and grow together,” says Hurford-Jones.
In the industry for 20 years, as director for European programming at Fox Kids (later Jetix and Disney XD) for five years, among other roles, Hurford-Jones knows a thing or two about commissioning, developing and producing children's content. "A few trends emerged in 2020," she says. "The demand for programming around curriculum-based learning increased and parents needed support as kids were homeschooled. The BBC started to supply short, curriculum-based lessons for school-based kids. The larger effect was that everyone suddenly realised how important children's TV is as a genre, with learning at the heart of its content."
The word Hurford-Jones uses is "nourishing" content, whether it's live action, animation and puppetry, or more didactic using numberjacks, letters, art or sport. Already a beacon of trusted, age-appropriate content, reaching viewers in more than 170 countries and in eight languages, CBeebies was poised to take advantage of this evolving distance-learning environment, but the learning curve was still impossibly steep.
Lockdown created a rush to make more curriculum-based content available across all platforms: mainstream TV, iPlayer, podcasts and Bitesize, a BBC app offering study support for learners between 5 and 16 years.
During the first UK school closure from April to July last year, 150 new daily lessons weekly were broadcast in maths, English and another core subject for Years 1-9, plus the usual GCSE content for Years 10-11. By July, the channel had produced 2,000 new daily lessons. During the second UK lockdown from January to March this year, Bitesize offered structured maths and English lessons, averaging 4 million users weekly.
“It took a huge amount of work to pull this all together so quickly. Will it still be of interest going forward? I can’t predict the future, but we’ll see,” Hurford-Jones says.
She lists shows such as Bluey – the top title in Australia – soon to be released by the channel in the Middle East, as an example of a show that invites co-viewing opportunities for all ages with humour and learning at its core. It depicts the life of a modern family: their relationships and how they interact within their household. Another of her shows, Hey Duggee, encourages children to develop empathy and boost problem-solving skills.
CBeebies ranks second in the world for brand awareness in the 0-6 age category in countries such as Australia and the UK. YouTube sits at number one. It's almost impossible for any channel to compete with the speed and affordability of YouTube content, which is most often user-generated. A perfect example of this is the new, award-winning children's series My Stay-at-Home Diary, created and filmed by kids themselves, aged 6-13 years, around the world in Canada, Mexico, Germany, South Africa, The Netherlands and the US. Through the points of view and cameras of the featured children, viewers observed their lives, their worries, and learnt what they were doing to stay busy and have fun during the pandemic.
Last month in the Middle East, CBeebies worked with local parenting influencers, such as Noor Odeh, Suzan Alsadi and Dima Mousseli, to engage their followers in a conversation about using screen time for young kids in a healthy way, primarily through educational and safe content. The campaign focuses on areas that are important to children's development: being active and adventurous, creative, independent, kind and empathetic.
This month, the channel will premiere a number of new series in the Mena and Turkish territories, introducing a range of new characters to entertain and educate preschoolers. From Monday, Garden Tales connects preschool children to the natural world with entertaining stories about cute animals. Other new shows include Teletubbies, Go Jetters, JoJo & Gran Gran and Topsy and Tim – a live action drama based on the adventures of five-year-old twins. Little Learners Education Block continues to show on weekday mornings, introducing educational topics such as numeracy, literacy, cooking and sports.
Beyond this "formative" age group (0-6 years) for children's content, Hurford-Jones lists Horrible Histories as a "laugh-out-loud funny" educational show, also broadcast on BBC Radio 4, where prime-time comedians dress as Romans and act out scenes containing historical facts. Others are Operation Ouch!, all about medical science, and Ricky Wilson's Art Jam, which explores lessons through art. "It's about getting the audience to engage in active or 'hidden' learning," Hurford-Jones explains.
Programming for this older age group (7-12 years) also extends to drama, with shows that depict the lives and struggles of real kids. These shows encourage social and emotional learning and help to build resilience, empathy and compassion, which can support academic achievement, says Hurford-Jones. The 7-12 age group is divided into "bridge" years; 5-7 and 9-11 years, and the difference in content output varies in terms of emotional and social maturity.
There is now a wider understanding of how crucial it is for children to access this educational content, at home or at school, and Hurford-Jones believes that awareness will outlast the pandemic.
Alongside the surge in TV audiences, parents find themselves couch-sharing more with their tweens and teens. What can they do to support their children’s learning at home? “It depends on the age of the child but what’s important is that parents are present for their children and engaging with them; this is almost as important as the content itself and for all ages,” says Hurford-Jones. “Older kids engage more with friends through forums and games sites that are safe zones, but parents still need to be a part of it, [and] enjoy it together, as a family.”
CBeebies is available on beIN Mena channel 103 in countries including UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
The biog
Favourite film: Motorcycle Dairies, Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday, Kagemusha
Favourite book: One Hundred Years of Solitude
Holiday destination: Sri Lanka
First car: VW Golf
Proudest achievement: Building Robotics Labs at Khalifa University and King’s College London, Daughters
Driverless cars or drones: Driverless Cars
Tonight's Chat on The National
Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.
Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster with a decades-long career in TV. He has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others. Karam is also the founder of Takreem.
Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.
Facebook | Our website | Instagram
Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
The%20specs%3A%202024%20Mercedes%20E200
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.0-litre%20four-cyl%20turbo%20%2B%20mild%20hybrid%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E204hp%20at%205%2C800rpm%20%2B23hp%20hybrid%20boost%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E320Nm%20at%201%2C800rpm%20%2B205Nm%20hybrid%20boost%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E9-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E7.3L%2F100km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENovember%2FDecember%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh205%2C000%20(estimate)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
Gulf Under 19s final
Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
What is an FTO Designation?
FTO designations impose immigration restrictions on members of the organisation simply by virtue of their membership and triggers a criminal prohibition on knowingly providing material support or resources to the designated organisation as well as asset freezes.
It is a crime for a person in the United States or subject to the jurisdiction of the United States to knowingly provide “material support or resources” to or receive military-type training from or on behalf of a designated FTO.
Representatives and members of a designated FTO, if they are aliens, are inadmissible to and, in certain circumstances removable from, the United States.
Except as authorised by the Secretary of the Treasury, any US financial institution that becomes aware that it has possession of or control over funds in which an FTO or its agent has an interest must retain possession of or control over the funds and report the funds to the Treasury Department.
Source: US Department of State
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UNSC Elections 2022-23
Seats open:
- Two for Africa Group
- One for Asia-Pacific Group (traditionally Arab state or Tunisia)
- One for Latin America and Caribbean Group
- One for Eastern Europe Group
Countries so far running:
Silent Hill f
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Rating: 4.5/5
England squad
Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Dominic Bess, James Bracey, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Ben Foakes, Lewis Gregory, Keaton Jennings, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Saqib Mahmood, Craig Overton, Jamie Overton, Matthew Parkinson, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Dom Sibley, Ben Stokes, Olly Stone, Amar Virdi, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
The specs: 2019 Haval H6
Price, base: Dh69,900
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 197hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 315Nm @ 2,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
More coverage from the Future Forum
Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
- George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
- Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
- Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
- Other residents have included Iraqi businessman Nemir Kirdar, singer Ariana Grande, holiday camp impresario Sir Billy Butlin, businessman Asil Nadir, Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills.
Hunting park to luxury living
- Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
- The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
- Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
UK's plans to cut net migration
Under the UK government’s proposals, migrants will have to spend 10 years in the UK before being able to apply for citizenship.
Skilled worker visas will require a university degree, and there will be tighter restrictions on recruitment for jobs with skills shortages.
But what are described as "high-contributing" individuals such as doctors and nurses could be fast-tracked through the system.
Language requirements will be increased for all immigration routes to ensure a higher level of English.
Rules will also be laid out for adult dependants, meaning they will have to demonstrate a basic understanding of the language.
The plans also call for stricter tests for colleges and universities offering places to foreign students and a reduction in the time graduates can remain in the UK after their studies from two years to 18 months.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Scoreline
Bournemouth 2
Wilson 70', Ibe 74'
Arsenal 1
Bellerin 52'
DIVINE%20INTERVENTOIN
%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Elia%20Suleiman%2C%20Manal%20Khader%2C%20Amer%20Daher%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Elia%20Suleiman%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%204.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
