Media Studies

Head of Department: Mr M Ballard - m.ballard@collingwood.surrey.sch.uk

Introduction

In Media our main aim is to engage students critically with Popular Culture in a range of formats.  We aim to encourage creative practical skills as well as analytical literacy skills.  Our goal is for students to develop the skills needed to analyse the world around them and understand the practices that prop up one of the most thriving industries in the world. 

This is a highly successful department with consistently excellent results that place us in the top 15% nationally every year, and 4th best in the UK in 2014.  We offer courses in Media Studies at GCSE and A Level, and also a BTEC in Creative Media Production.

Facilities and Resources

The department boasts a dedicated studio space.  Students have full use of a collection of semi-professional camcorders and SLR cameras.  They also benefit from being able to work in a dedicated editing suite running the Adobe Creative Suite.

The Media is one of the fastest growing industries in the world; it is also the one facing the most change.  In Media, we open students' eyes to the world around them through deep analysis of media texts such as film, TV and, more importantly, new media.  The department has grown significantly over the last five years, to be one of the biggest in the Sixth Form.  This reflects national trends where Media Studies is now the most studied course at university.

Practical coursework is very popular within the course and remains a part of the new GCSE and A Level courses.  We benefit from state-of-the-art Media facilities in the Sixth Form Centre that include studio space and a dedicated Editing Suite for student research and practical production.  Students have access to a range of equipment from semi-professional camcorders and mics to SLR cameras for photography.  Alongside this, students use the Adobe Creative Suite to create their work, most notably Photoshop and Premiere Elements.