FAQ

What can I do if I am having trouble viewing the podcasts?

Many Local Education Authorities (LEA) will block any new site until access has been requested by teachers. Please contact your LEA webmaster and request that your school be given access to www.thefaculties.org and its sub-sites (i.e. www.theenglishfaculty.org, www.themathsfaculty.org etc.)

Please check to see if other podcasts on this site are functioning properly. If other podcasts are displaying properly please contact us via the podcast reporting system.

Is your browser up to date? If no podcasts are displaying properly, please ensure that you are using the most up to date version of your preferred browser. Please also ensure that any third party plugins (Flash, Quicktime, Java) are up to date. You may also have to check whether any security software you have installed on your hardware are not blocking the site or its content. You may need to adjust the security settings.

Please be aware that the file sizes associated with our podcasts can be quite large. If you experience jumpy or stuttered viewing of a podcast, press the pause button and allow it to buffer fully before resuming. Alternatively, bookmark the page and view again when you have a better connection to the internet.

If the problem persists, please contact us at the above address with as many specific details (when and where you attempted to view the podcast, which podcast you have had trouble with, etc) as possible.

How can I get my Local Education Authority (LEA) to unblock content?

LEAs will generally unblock content when they receive requests from school officials. If you are a pupil, make the request to your teacher or head teacher. The person who unblocks content will vary from LEA to LEA, but the LEA webmaster will be a good place to start.

How can I download the podcasts?

Podcast downloads are made possible with the support of our corporate sponsors. They will sponsor the download of podcasts most in demand, so please submit the form below each podcast and get your colleagues/peers to do so as well. The more requests we receive the sooner podcasts will be available for download.

How can I request a title you do not have?

Please request titles using the ‘contact us’ form. Titles should be relevant to the A-level curriculum.

What is the difference between this site and iTunesU, YoutubeEDU and other sites providing university lectures freely on the web?

Most lectures on these sites, are ‘video capture’. This means they are recordings of lectures delivered to undergraduate students. Our lectures are also delivered by University lecturers, but all are designed for the A-level classroom. All our topics have been provided by the major exam boards and by teachers. Consequently, they are more directly relevant to the A-level curriculum. Please note that these resources are not commissioned or sponsored by the exam boards. They are a ‘stretch and challenge’ resource intended to prepare you for a successful transition to post secondary education and to encourage deeper learning.

I really like these video podcasts – how can I contribute to your project?

There are many ways to contribute. You can leave feedback. This can be done by rating a podcast or by telling us what you think of the site and the resources via the ‘contact us’ form or on www.thefacultiesblog.com. You can request a download of your favourite video podcasts. You can ‘follow’ us on Twitter, ‘like us’ on Facebook, or ‘share’ us using the social network links at the bottom of each page. You can participate in the ‘discussions’ associated with each podcast. You can tell your friends and colleagues about the site. If you are a graduate recruiter, a universities admissions, widening participation or outreach officer, contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it