Media Studies

At Harris Academy Peckham, we aim to develop our students’ ability to understand and interpret the world around them. The Media curriculum is designed in such a way that students develop an acute awareness of how the media influences modern life. Students also come to understand and evaluate their own role as both active and passive consumers.

Mastery in Media means having the ability to critically analyse and deconstruct a range of different media forms, including newspapers, television, films, music videos and online media.  

Our students learn how to apply the theoretical framework (media language, audiences, media industries and representation) and use subject-specific terminology to evaluate the impact of the choices that the producers of media make. 

They develop an excellent understanding of how social, political and historical contexts influence products as well as how stereotypes are used to communicate messages and values.  At HAP, the students learn about the power of conglomerates and the ways in which they shape and control the media.  By developing their own understanding of themselves as consumers, they can evaluate the impact that media has on audiences and the different ways that people may react to texts, based on their own backgrounds. Within Media, students develop their communication skills through extended writing where they analyse and compare media products, making informed arguments and drawing substantiated conclusions about a range of media issues.

Through the creation of their own media products, students are encouraged to be independent learners. They apply the knowledge and understanding they have gained of the theoretical framework.  By appreciating how theoretical understanding supports practice and practice supports theoretical understanding, they learn how to create a product that reflects the codes and conventions of a chosen media form and meets the needs of an intended purpose and audience.  We equip them with the skills necessary to create portfolios for applications to courses and apprenticeships beyond the GCSE. We enrich the curriculum with trips to broadcasting companies and promoting the involvement in programmes such as the Young Reporter Scheme.

Media industries such as film and television production, marketing and advertising and online companies are amongst the fastest growing in the world. Our Media curriculum prepares students to pursue further and higher education courses in Media as well as employment in these sectors.

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Implementation

The schemes of learning are designed in such a way that each unit builds on the knowledge and skills developed in previous units whilst also preparing students for what is to come.  Lessons are planned to contain regular quizzes to check understanding and develop students’ long-term memory.  Models of excellence are used to encourage students to exceed their potential with guided and independent tasks designed to support, stretch and challenge.

Year 9 acts as a foundation year in which students develop a conscious awareness of the media, including the relationship between the producers of the media, their products and audiences. They develop the knowledge and skills necessary to analyse media products and create a range of products of their own. Students are introduced to key concepts such as media language, representation, media industries and audiences. 

Year 10 builds on Year 9 through the study of the Eduqas GCSE Media Studies course. They develop skills of comparison and a greater understanding of how Media has developed over time. They learn how to apply the theoretical framework in a more sophisticated manner.  In addition to studying the texts set by the exam board, they learn how to analyse and evaluate unseen and contrasting texts.  Students also create their own media products, learning how to meet the requirements of a set brief.

In Year 11, students develop the knowledge and understanding of the framework through an in-depth study of television crime drama and music videos. 

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Impact

Good indicators of the successful implementation of the Media curriculum include:

• Positive student and parent feedback.
• Students developing in confidence and self-esteem inside and outside of the classroom.
• An increase in student participation in Media enrichment such as The Young Reporter Scheme and Film Club.
• An increase in students applying to study Media at KS5.

Assessment (formative and summative)

• Students receive written feedback at least once every three weeks to ensure that they are making good progress.
• Students receive verbal feedback regularly in lessons as understanding is regularly checked.
• Students receive intervention based on the outcomes of their mid-terms as well as their Christmas and Summer formal assessments (Years 9 and 10) and their November and February mock examinations (Year 11).

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Further details of the curriculum can be downloaded below.