Published: 02 Nov 2026
The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) is marking its second Education Week, 2-6 November, with its most wide-ranging programme yet.
The week includes The Big Watch compliance challenge and prize draw for young film fans and a careers event run with education charity Into Film, aimed at widening access into the screen industries.
It comes as children spend more of their lives online, with the BBFC’s free, curriculum-aligned resources designed to help teachers build media literacy and digital resilience into their lessons.
The BBFC’s educational school talks reached nearly 4,500 students in the past academic year, in person and online, across all four corners of the UK.
The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) has today launched its second Education Week, with its most wide-ranging programme yet. The week’s worth of activity begins with The Big Watch – a new nationwide compliance challenge and prize draw for primary school pupils – and will showcase educational initiatives across the UK including events in Salford, Belfast and a London careers fair. Together these activities underscore the BBFC’s commitment to introduce young people to classification issues and raise awareness of careers in the screen industries.
Through age ratings, content advice and interactive sessions, the BBFC’s free year-round resources and outreach programme help students critically evaluate what they see on screen, understand how classification works, and develop the digital resilience to navigate an ever-expanding range of content. In the last academic year alone, the BBFC’s school talks alone have reached nearly 4,500 pupils in more than 30 UK counties.
The Big Watch
As part of this year's Education Week the BBFC will launch The Big Watch, a brand new national campaign inviting children aged 4 to 11 to watch a film, spot the content issues, and submit their own compliance report on the BBFC website. The campaign will launch on November 2.
The campaign aims to help children build the critical viewing skills at the heart of media literacy, by stepping into the shoes of a BBFC compliance officer. Children are asked to watch three films at the cinema or at home that have official BBFC ratings. After each film, with the help of a parent, guardian or teacher, the young person fills out an online report on the BBFC website. Every child who submits three reports by Monday 30 November is entered into a national prize draw. Five lucky winners drawn at random will win a prize bundle, including an official BBFC Goody Bag, personalised BBFC Black Card and a family cinema gift voucher.
The Big Watch is being supported by the UK Cinema Association, where many of its members across the UK will be signposting the challenge through marketing activity and on their social media channels. A teacher pack is also available for schools wishing to run the challenge in their schools.
Code, Camera, Policy and careers fair
Beyond the classroom, Education Week also shines a spotlight on the BBFC’s work to give young people a voice in how content is classified, and a route into the industries that make it. This includes CODE, CAMERA, POLICY which brings BBFC Chief Executive David Austin OBE together with media students from UTC Media City in Salford and a local cinema to explore how age ratings, classification decisions and distribution shape creative choices in real-world film production.
Meanwhile, a careers event with Into Film, the UK’s leading charity for film, TV and games in education, connects members of the BBFC’s Youth Panel and Into Film’s Youth Advisory Council, alongside students from a local partner school, with leaders from across the screen sector. The event showcases roles from art director and location manager to lighting technician, to help open doors for young people who might not otherwise have a route in.
This autumn, the BBFC will also feature its education talks at events including the Cinemagic Festival in Belfast and the Into Film Festival to help inspire young people about the world of film.
Suite of PSHE education materials
As part of its work with schools across the country, the BBFC will showcase its newly updated and re-designed PSHE resources in partnership with the PSHE Association. These resources have achieved the PSHE Association Quality Mark – awarded exclusively to lessons that meet best practice principles for safe and effective PSHE education. From understanding and recognising the different age ratings to considering the impact of film and media content on wellbeing, the updated Key Stage 1-4 materials aim to teach essential skills for young people in an increasingly digital world. In addition, BBFC Education resources across film and media content will now be informed by insights from the BBFC’s Teacher Panel, which was formed in October 2025, to offer hands-on perspectives from frontline educators.
Natasha Kaplinsky OBE, President of the BBFC, said: “Young people are watching more content, on more platforms, than ever before. Our Education team works with students and teachers every day to build the media literacy they need to navigate, question and enjoy what they watch, and our age ratings and content advice help families make the choices that are right for them. Education Week is where that work truly comes together."
Ian Murray MP, Creative Industries Minister, said: “Film and media have the power to shape how young people see the world, which is why media literacy is one of the most important skills we can give them, alongside the protection that regulation provides.
“This initiative shows what's possible when industry works to support education, whether that's getting pupils thinking critically about what they’re watching, or hosting career events that open doors into the screen industries for the talent of the future.”
Dame Caroline Dinenage MP, Chair of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, said: “As technology continues to evolve, equipping children with the confidence and critical thinking skills to navigate the content they see on screens and online has never been more important. My Committee’s inquiry into children’s television and video content has shown just how much young people’s viewing habits have changed, and how much it matters that they can both find quality content and make sense of what they watch.
“I’m delighted that the BBFC continues to offer free resources to help young people enjoy film and navigate the rapidly changing digital world. Many students will benefit from these initiatives, and Education Week is a fantastic platform to highlight the BBFC's vital work supporting the next generation.”
Phil Clapp, Chief Executive, UK Cinema Association (UKCA) said: "The UK Cinema Association is pleased to support the BBFC’s Education Week and its ongoing work to promote media literacy across the country. The Big Watch is a brilliant way to encourage children and families to engage with film, think critically about content and discover how age ratings work as part of their next trip to the big screen.”
Fiona Evans, CEO of Into Film, said: “We are immensely proud of our ongoing partnership with the BBFC. The masterclass sessions we host with them during the annual Into Film Festival and Spring Screenings programmes, continue to support media literacy for schools nationwide. We are honoured to play an integral role in the BBFC's Education Week and The Big Watch initiatives.”
Claire Shaw, Press & Marketing Officer at Cinemagic said: “We are pleased to collaborate with the BBFC once again on their Education programme and have been delighted to feature their education talks at the Cinemagic Festival in Belfast. By engaging directly with students, the BBFC provides young people with valuable insights into content classification and media literacy, helping them make informed choices about what they watch.”
How to get involved
- Parents and teachers of 4-11 year-olds can participate in The Big Watch via bbfc.co.uk/thebigwatch from 2 November until 23.59 on 30 November.
- Schools can register for their free education talk for the 26/27 academic year by visiting bbfc.co.uk/teachers-and-educators/book-a-bbfc-school-talk
- Teachers can download the free PSHE resource packs from bbfc.co.uk/rshe-resources
The BBFC is independent and not-for-profit, and here to help everyone in the UK, especially children and families, choose age-appropriate films, videos, and websites, wherever and however they watch or use them. As well as classifying films released in UK cinemas and on DVD and Blu-ray, it provides age ratings for Video On Demand and music videos online, and helps mobile phone operators set parental controls at the right level. Please visit bbfc.co.uk for further information.
For media enquiries, please contact: press@bbfc.co.uk.
Into Film is the UK’s leading charity for film in education and the community. We provide screen industry careers information and advice via school careers leads and direct to young people; support and inspire young filmmakers; and bring the power of moving image storytelling into classroom teaching by providing training and resources.
We also run the annual Into Film Festival, which enables more than 400,000 pupils to visit the cinema for free, and the Into Film Awards - the UK’s leading showcase for young filmmaking talent.
The core Into Film programme is free for UK state schools, colleges and other youth settings, thanks to support from the BFI, awarding National Lottery good cause funding, and through other key funders including Cinema First and Northern Ireland Screen. www.intofilm.org
