Holmes Chapel
6th Form College
Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School & Sixth Form College
Our Curriculum
Media
Intent
To provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the media industry and its social, cultural and ethical implications and to instil a passion for developing practical skills in media production, inspiring creativity.
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Implementation
Our Media Department aims to provide students with a thorough understanding of the media industry and its various forms, including; television, film, radio, digital media, and print. We are dedicated to developing a passion for Btec Media by providing students with a supportive, ambitious and inclusive learning environment. Through a course that is designed to provide students with practical skills in media production, as well as analytical and critical thinking, it allows students to explore how media products are created, distributed, and consumed. Btec Media encourages creativity, technical expertise, and the ability to work collaboratively, while fostering an understanding of the social, cultural, and ethical implications that the growing media industry has on society.
We recognise that BTEC Media is a challenging subject which requires our students to continuously contribute to their GCSE grade, throughout the two year course. Lessons are designed to include practical learning experiences where students are given the opportunity to gain hands-on expertise in media production, critical analysis, and creative problem-solving. The course provides students with essential skills and knowledge in a rapidly evolving digital world. These skills are not only valuable in the media industry but are also transferable to a wide range of careers in communication, marketing, and technology. Moreover, BTEC Media encourages students to understand the social and cultural impact of media, fostering responsible digital citizenship. Ultimately, the BTEC Media course empowers students to engage with and influence the media landscape, while preparing them for future employment or further education.
We have designed our schemes of work to allow our learners to go on a journey of exploration and discovery. Key concepts underpin the knowledge base built across Year 10, preparing students for more in depth levels of analysis required in other components of the course, which they will complete in Year 11. Our Schemes of Learning are guided by the knowledge and skills we believe are invaluable to our students completing the course successfully. By outlining a clear knowledge and skill base that we strive to cultivate within our learners for each component, each Media teacher is provided the opportunity to prepare lessons and activities that are bespoke to their learners, ensuring an enjoyable and fruitful experience for each individual. We consistently review the media texts that we study with our students to ensure we offer an up-to-date, appropriate and purposeful curriculum.
As a faculty, we consistently seek opportunities to liaise with outside agencies and participate in subject knowledge advancement opportunities so that we are able to continuously implement a knowledge-rich and ambitious curriculum for our learners.
​Impact
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Learners in Media are engaged, happy and thriving. In our Media Suite, an observer will be presented with students who are enjoying the opportunity to explore a topic which they are genuinely interested in and enthusiastic about, and who are engaging in creative activities, demonstrating keen participation and considered discussion. Uptake in BTEC Media at A Level is very good and continues to rise, year-by-year. The curriculum allows our learners to explore a subject which they hadn’t had the opportunity to previously and as a result, achieve success in a topic that they are passionate and curious about.
Key Stage 4 - Media Overview
How do we implement our curriculum?
The course requires students to develop an understanding of the following areas:
Media Language
Students will identify the ways in which different media texts are constructed and they will learn new terminology that is specific to the subject of Media. This new language will be based on how media texts are put together, in terms of their technical features and the way that texts are organised as well as the theory around why they are constructed that way.
Audiences
Students identify the ways in which different texts are designed to appeal to different groups of people, and how we respond to and influence the media. They also look at the way audiences are ‘segmented’ in order to target them with different products and services, and realise that they are the most important part of the process – after all, without an audience there is no point in creating media!
Purpose
Who makes the media? Who regulates it? These are the questions students ask (and find the answers to) when they study this key concept, as well as investigating how the various industries influence the texts that are produced.
​Representation
Students analyse how people and social groups are portrayed in the media, including celebrities and media-created social groups such as the ‘chav’. They analyse the ways in which these representations are constructed, and comment upon whether they feel that these representations are fair and accurate. To what extent are our opinions of people influenced by what we see in the media?
How do we measure the impact of the course?
Assessments used for internal progress monitoring
Smaller tasks are regularly set throughout the course to help students consolidate their understanding of the key concepts and allow regular teacher assessment. It is essential that all these tasks are completed as they will greatly assist students’ understanding of what is, for all of them, a brand new subject.
External Assessment
The subject is assessed via two examinations and one piece of non-examined work.
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Examination – Paper One (35%)
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What's assessed: Questions will focus on three areas of the theoretical framework: industries, audiences and representation. There will be a balanced approach to these three areas of the theoretical framework in that Section A will focus on industries and audiences whilst Section B will deal with the representations.
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How it's assessed: Written exam: 1 hour 30 minutes
84 marks
35% of GCSE -
Questions: Multiple choice questions assessing breadth of knowledge.
Short answer questions assessing in depth knowledge.An extended response question assessing in depth knowledge.
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Examination – Paper Two (35%)
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What's assessed: Questions will focus on media language and contexts of the media.
Students will be expected to analyse media products both in relation to the theoretical framework and their contexts.
Section A will focus on language and Section B will focus on contexts. -
How it's assessed: Written exam: 1 hour 30 minutes
84 marks35% of GCSE -
Questions: Multiple choice questions assessing breadth of knowledge of language.
Short answer questions assessing in depth knowledge of language.
Stepped response questions assessing breadth of knowledge of language.Extended response questions assessing in depth knowledge of all elements of the media studies course.
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NEA Assessed component (30%)
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What's assessed: Application of knowledge and understanding of the theoretical framework.
A piece of practical work relating to a media format of the student's choice. -
How it's assessed: A choice of topics related to the over-arching (annually changing) theme
72 marks
30% of GCSE -
Assessed by teacher, moderated by AQA.
What we Teach and When
How are students grouped?
Students are taught in mixed ability classes.
How can students be supported through learning at home?
It is extremely beneficial if parents and carers can encourage students to engage with as wide a variety of media as possible and talk about the ideas we are investigating in class. Simply encouraging a student to read a national newspaper once a week, or watch different genres of film or TV programme can actually help, as this encourages them to broaden their own media experience.
What extra opportunities to learn are available?
Students are encouraged to take part in projects which promote activities taking place in school within the local media; for example, students contribute regularly to the Wilmslow.co.uk website with photos and articles.