“Creating sophisticated, culturally aware and critical members of our society.”

KS4 Specification

WJEC / Eduqas GCSE Media Studies.

National Curriculum

Gladesmore Community School prides ourselves on delivering the breadth and ambition of the National Curriculum.

Curriculum Intent

Media Studies plays a significant role in our society and thus in pupils’ education - it is essential because it teaches students to challenge and critique, rather than be merely passive users. The subject is fundamental in helping students to develop a greater understanding of the culture in which they live, affording them the chance to develop not only culturally, but also emotionally, intellectually, socially and spiritually.  Leading students to become more aware, sophisticated and safe users of the media that forms such an integral part of our culture and society, Media Studies also broadens the necessary (and sometimes lacking) cultural capital which underpins many of our students’ other subjects, whilst aiding a more developed understanding of the complex world of which they are citizens.

Effective Media Studies education teaches pupils to be critical users of a range of media and to consider the businesses and agencies behind the media to which they are exposed. The reading of media texts enables pupils to deconstruct and analyse the media that surrounds them and thus challenge what they watch, listen to and read in terms of representation, audience, language and industry. Those who are able to question and interpret different forms of media are, in today’s society, at a great advantage. 

The Media Studies curriculum encompasses both new and old media, ranging widely across both historical and contemporary print and audio-visual texts, and encouraging pupils to become familiar with key media critical theories. The curriculum centres on pupils’ understanding of its five key concepts — language, representation, audience, industry and context - so these are always taught first and are embedded and consistently referred to throughout the programme of study. Following this conceptual introduction, students engage with focused studies of print (posters, magazine covers, advertising and newspapers), the film and newspaper industries, and radio and video games. Having become secure with the understanding and application of key concepts, subject terminology and key theories of Media Studies, pupils then hone their analytical skills through the completion of the NEA and a focused study of audio-visual media texts. 

Throughout this course of study, therefore, the aims are to:

• encourage pupils to develop and demonstrate enquiry skills, critical thinking, decision-making and analytical skills;
• acquire knowledge and understanding of a range of important media issues;
• develop appreciation and critical understanding of the media and its social, cultural and political roles historically, currently and also in the future;
• understand and use specialist subject-specific terminology to analyse and compare media products and the contexts in which they are produced and consumed, in order to make informed arguments, reach substantiated judgements and draw conclusions about media issues;
• appreciate how media theory and media practice are linked;
• develop practical and creative skills. 

Importantly, representation and, thus, diversity of representation form a key focus  of the Media Studies curriculum: where the curriculum will allow, counter typical representations of social groups are studied, some of which embody the social groups that pupils, themselves,  belong to. As one of the key concepts of the subject, emphasis is put on ‘context’ — be this social, cultural, historical or political — and hence the ‘context’ of all media texts is taught and explored so as to interrogate what and who different forms of media represent, to minimise gaps in cultural capital and to help pupils to excel.

Finally, the study of Media Studies equips students with the skills to analyse and critique a variety of texts and to communicate their ideas creatively through practical assignments, effectively preparing them for a range of post 16 courses, namely Media Studies, Art, Photography, Computer Studies, ICT, English Literature and Film Studies.  

Curriculum Summary