Local school Worthing High has travelled up to London recently to further their media studies education.

The head of media at the school, Miss Hoad, told me all they have done, such as having a talk at the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification), a workshop at The Guardian and down time in the Hard Rock Café and a Vue cinema viewing. They only went for 2 days, but they managed to jam-pack it with action. Miss Hoad also got a few students interested in film making to create a film centred on the trip and students’ experiences.

They began with a talk at the BBFC, centred on the way films are rated and how to rate them appropriately. One student said of the talk, “it was very interesting. I never knew so much work went into age-rating films!”. Next, they moved onto the James Bond exhibit at the London film museum, seeing all the cars and suits and gadgets that are associated with this classic film franchise. They then shopped in Covent Gardens, before grabbing a bite to eat at the Hard Rock Café and settling down for The Greatest Showman at the cinema.

The next day, despite all being a bit weary from an inevitably late night, the students had a workshop at The Guardian, working on creating a front cover based on the days news. One child said, “I loved it. Definite highlight for me, and a great insight into what is behind the news”. They then went on to create a mini argument-based film in a film-making workshop at the City Academy, before heading home, tired but still buzzing with energy.

The students all loved it, and Miss Hoad said that she also thinks it is “really important to get students to experience education outside of school”, which is a key reason as to why they ran the trip. In the new media specification, it is key to understand not just the product, but the context of the organisation behind it, and this trip really helped students better understand this. And most importantly, they enjoyed it. That’s all that matters.

By Josh Farley.