Case study
incorporate the other aspects of Diploma been accommodated into next year’s
learning, we have embedded Personal, timetable. Year 11 will be pushed
Learning and T_h inking Skills into the main through this aspect of the Diploma,
curriculum. Work experience has been while the model has been developed
Diploma-dependent in terms of individual in a more structured and coherent
teachers exploring “work-based learning way for year 10.
opportunities”. Detailed planning, supporting and
Creative and Media, for example, has developing all staff , and raising pupil
had an extensive range of visits to local and parent awareness of the whole 14
providers and performances; ICT has engaged to 19 agenda has allowed us to refl ect
local businesses and individuals to deliver back on a very successful fi rst year of
workshops in school; and SHD has benefi ted Diplomas. enjoying the Diploma course and
most from the collaborative working of the T_h e key measure of success though was the opportunities it was giving them. T_h at is
partnership – regularly hosting visitors from pinpointed for me recently when a hastily what really matters. DD
related services and attending workshops. arranged collection of Diploma students were
Related Functional Skills and the Extended gathered to speak to some school leaders from • Phil Bevan is deputy head at Hanham
Project have unfortunately only been covered another local authority. High School in Bristol. Mr Bevan and some
in Principal Learning, and not in the required T_h e feedback from the visitors was of a of his Diploma students will be presenting at
depth. group of articulate, engaged and happy pupils the Fourth National Delivering Diplomas
T_h is is now our biggest challenge and has who thought highly of their teachers and were conference on October 1 (see page 29).
Focus on students
Kelsie Hogan and Oliver Owens, Creative and Media students from Hanham High, describe their f_i rst year
E CHOSE the Creative T_h e course involves a lot of group work every Wednesday is “Creative and Media
W
and Media Diploma and requires all people taking part to be Day”, during which we have fi ve hours of
because we both are really very outgoing and ready to try new things, learning with the same class – although we
interested in the media such as performing, photography, physical have three diff erent teachers.
industry (careers in catwalk photography theatre, watching live theatre, and using We are given a very fl exible way of
and radio broadcasting). We both expected editing software. working and are left to handle our own
it to be a media-based course, almost like T_h is year we have done three units, time. At the start of each day, we are
a simple version of media studies at “Scene”, “Performance” and “Campaign”. often given a list of tasks that need to be
AS level. However, we were wrong. It For Scene, we had to create an interactive completed but are given the freedom to
actually involves a lot of performing map of the arts scene of Bristol. T_h is choose how and when we do them.
arts, such as dance, drama and music, included visiting many arts venues and We enjoy this very much and believe
although it does also involve media, such interviewing employees about their jobs. that we learn essential skills working
as photography and For Performance, we created a piece of this way, such as how to manage time
fi lming. drama that incorporated physical theatre, effi ciently and work collaboratively.
which we devised ourselves. We composed T_h e course has let us have the
music to go with this performance using opportunities to do things that we would
music technology. All of this was performed of never normally tried out, such as
at the Christmas Concert and was recorded. watching Ramberet Dance Company and
Our most recent unit was Campaign, using high-level photo editing software.
for which we oversaw our own campaign We believe Diplomas are a useful way
– Prove T_h em Wrong Day! T_h is was about of learning and you develop many skills
proving to the public that teenagers are which will be useful for later life. We
not as bad as the press makes out. We would recommend the course to people
made a dance, which we performed in who enjoy hands-on learning and like to
our school summer concert, along with explore things for themselves.
an exhibition about the campaign. T_h is Most modern jobs ask for previous
included a DVD of teachers’ views. experience in the media and this course
T_h e Diploma is very diff erent to off ers that, giving us a crucial advantage in
other subjects for many reasons. All day the workplace. DD
60 Delivering Diplomas • Volume 1 No 1 Autumn 2009
59-61 hanham.indd 14 18/9/09 13:26:32
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