OTD in early British television: 16 June 1939
John Wyver writes: On 16 June 1939 the Daily Telegraph ran the following news story, which I reproduce here in its entirety. This is the first reference I have found to television being used in schools, 18 years before both the BBC and ITV launched dedicated schools programming
Village children at Hurst House School, Staplehurst, Kent, are being given regular television lessons in school. Nearly all the children come from nearby farms.
Citizenship and ‘general knowledge’ are taught through the study of news reels and the televising of events like Trooping the Colour and the departure of the King and Queen for Canada
The television lessons have been started by the headmaster, Mr H. Farrington, who says that television and the informal talks that follow the programme are probably of more real educative value to the children than most lessons given in class.
[OTD post no. 181; part of a long-running series leading up to the publication of my book Magic Rays of Light: The Early Years of Television in Britain in January 2026.]
Image: Radio Times, 2 June 1939, showing the broadcasting of the 1938 ceremony.
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