Media Studies
Intent
We believe that Media shapes and reflects our understanding of the world around us and our aim is produce critical consumer of media texts.
The creative industries are a growth area of high-skilled employment both nationally and globally and we encourage students to aspire to careers in this field or to use the transferrable skills they gain in another career path.
We believe that in order to encourage greater diversity in the creative industries that we need to produce students who have the requisite skills to pursue careers in the media.
Students develop a variety of ‘soft skills’, such as teamwork, communication skills, organisation and problem solving. In addition, Media Studies encourages the development of analytical skills which can be applied to the set texts and unfamiliar products. We feel that these skills are so strong in our students that they happily confess that they lose the ability to engage passively with a media text.
Students develop a range of practical media skills using a limited range of technical resources which forces students to ‘think around’ a problem and identify a solution based on the resources available to them.
Implementation
We study the EDUQAS Media Studies GCSE which develops student knowledge of a full range of media texts. The emphasis on cultural context and cultural situation is created through the use of contrasting set texts.
We use quality-first teaching which ensures students understand the underlying media framework and the theoretical context for each text type.
Students are encouraged to work collaboratively on a range of analytical and practical tasks which develops their confidence, communication, and teamwork skills.
Rapid, creative recreation tasks are built into every scheme of work, where students are asked to demonstrate their understanding of media language by creating or simulating specific parts a a media text.
Our students think independently and are encouraged to know, apply and evaluate theoretical perspectives or to develop their own theories to explain the key media concepts.
Impact
MEDIA STUDIES
|
4+
|
5+
|
7+
|
21-22 Leavers
|
91%
|
66%
|
16%
|
22-23 Leavers
|
62%
|
37%
|
6%
|
23-24 Leavers
|
89%
|
68%
|
21%
|
Key Stage 3 content (Year 7-9)
Pupils cover some aspects of Media Language, Representation, Industry and Audiences at KS3.
· Year 7: Studio Ghibli Study, Chicken Run or Sherlock Holmes
· Year 8: Gender in Film, Oliver Twist or Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
· Year 9: Jojo Rabbit and Boy in the Striped Pyjamas comparison
Key Stage 4 content / exam board / spec (Year 10-11)

Exam Board:
EDUQUAS
Exam 1: Component 1 (40%)
Section A: 8 printed set products (pairs + unseen)
Section B: 4 set products – in full
Exam 2: Component 2 (30%)
Section A: A choice from Sit-com or TV Crime Drama
Section B: 3 music videos and websites for chosen artists
NEA: Component 3 (30%)
An individual piece of coursework