Learning on ScreenNational Schools Radio Network
Through a process of marketing, direct email, exhibition, word of mouth and other communication means, more and more schools will be encouraged to take part, to make programmes and allow them to be downloaded by any interested school, college or student, to listen and be spurred on to make a programme in response, or a different point of view or experience, a different subject, whatever drives the interest and development forward. SchoolsRadio will feature examples of good practice and programming, which have been submitted, on a regular basis, to add further incentive.
Both Arqiva and Sony have expressed a willingness to provide a ‘Schools Radio’ award in their highly acclaimed annual awards events (Arqiva Commercial Radio Awards and the SONY/Radio Academy Radio Awards) and Vision Charity will provide a special award for the best programme to be submitted by a Visually Impairment or CresteD school/college.
The target age group will be 11 to 18 years, but all children in all schools will be encouraged to take part, with the emphasis on the latter age group, as a means of real engagement in line with the latest government policy to raise the age limit for full time education to 18 years. The teacher ‘buy in’ to this project is essential to its success. Vision Charity has the clear objective of helping to create a level playing field for dyslexic and visually impaired children, to get them involved in the use and creation of good audio communications, media awareness, the building greater self confidence and overcoming some of the obvious difficulties these young people endure.
Technical resources will vary from school to school, some having state of the art, professional audio recording equipment, a studio and trained staff, with full editing and special effects facilities. At the other end of the scale, there will be schools with just a single microphone recording onto a PC/Mac or MP3 type device.
All are capable of making a worthwhile ‘programme’. We will encourage taking ‘mobile’ equipment on location, to local businesses and organisations, using initiative to interview people of interest, with an experience or a story to tell. Clearly, we are aiming to raise standards technically and creatively and to help distribute the knowledge and experiences of the well-equipped establishments and of the professionals to all.
It is planned to organise a series of workshops, over the coming years, both on-line and on location to help demonstrate and encourage good practice and techniques. We will also help to develop links with local radio stations and broadcasters, to encourage visits to their studios and to encourage some of the professionals, both creative and technical, to visit the schools. Eventually, schools radio network could extend to schools and colleges all over the world, as with the worldwide web itself. The idea of sharing knowledge and best practice with children of every conceivable ability or disability on the other side of the world has enormous attraction and potential.
Peter Thompson
President, Vision Charity and Director ‘Schools Radio’
peter.thompson@visioncharity.co.uk
www.schoolsradio.com
www.visioncharity.co.uk
