FILM EDUCATION ma classroom


children attending, and more cinemas participating. However, he added: “In the end, what makes the Festival special and important are these extras that help, we hope, embed a love of film and the cinema-going experience that will stay with those attending for the rest of their lives.”


SecEd • Jerome Monahan is a freelance journalist.


Further Information National Schools Film Week 2011 runs from October 13 to 21 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and from October 27 to November 4 in Scotland. The main booking period takes place this month. For a full list of screenings, enrichment events and other information, visit www.nationalschoolsfilmweek.org Film Education provides educational resources to


support a wide range of the titles that are screened during the festival with links provided alongside the film titles in the programme lists. There is also a significant library of film resources for schools. Visit: www.filmeducation.org/resources/secondary


Action: Screenings during National Schools Film Week 2011 include Coriolanus, a modern take on the Shakespearean tragedy (above) and the new film of Jane Eyre (below)


by a local university film academic also drew in a good number of 6th-formers.” Mr Walker continued: “There has always been


a commitment to making the most of each NSFW screening and this year a number of the Hub cinemas are going to be experimenting with new ways of enhancing the before and after-screening discussions and activities that customarily accompany most of the film showings.” For example, at the Derby Quad, director of


audience engagement, Adam Buss, is looking forward to bringing young people together after the films are shown into small groups so they can have more intimate conversations about what they have just experienced. He explained: “These ‘salon’ discussions are an


experiment, but we feel it is important that after the kind of intense and provocative experience that seeing a film can be, audiences have an opportunity to debrief properly. It is also a chance for teachers and visiting speakers to provide memorable insights into the industry and film techniques. It shows that a film can be discussed seriously.” And all the signs are that the number of schools and


students getting involved with this year’s NSFW will once again increase. Back in Cardiff, Deborah Jones head of media


studies at Cardiff High School, explained that they have been taking groups of students to NSFW screenings for the past nine years. They have also visited the Chapter Arts Centre, which she says was an experience far removed from the kind of multiplex environment in which her students normally experience films. Speaking about NSFW, she added: “The films


continue to be challenging and exciting. Last year, Africa United proved a great way for our younger students to reflect on their cultural identity and some of the tough challenges young people elsewhere in the world must face: everything from HIV to being forced to become child soldiers.” In Coventry, Annette Parrott, French subject leader


at Tile Hill Wood School has had a similar track-record of successful NSFW experiences. This will be the school’s fourth year in a row. She explained: “It’s a great way to launch the


children on our fast-track GCSE course and there has been plenty in the past for our older students taking A level French needing insights into contemporary French culture for their A2 examinations. “For example, last year we saw Bienvenu chez les


Ch’tis (Welcome to the Sticks) which has been a smash- hit in francophone countries and which hilariously explores the prejudices of French southerners about


SecEd • September 8 2011


those living in the north. We have also had great responses to screenings of La Haine with its focus on the challenges faced by ethnic-minority youngsters in the Paris suburbs.” As well as the film-screenings, NSFW also hosts a


nationwide series of enrichment events to supplement the programme. Mr Walker explained: “We attempt to enhance every


screening with film-makers, academics, journalists and members of the British Board of Film Classification giving their own special insights and encouraging post- screening analysis of the films.” Film critic from the Birmingham Mail, Graham


Young, often gets involved with some of the events. He added: “When I have the chance to provide a post- screening talk, I try to get youngsters up and in-role as some of the many people involved in the making of the film they have just seen: everyone from the director to the caterers and the plasterers that helped build the sets. “Clearly, not everyone can become the star of the


show but there are exciting pathways into film for those with enough ambition and determination – that’s the message I hope to get across. I also encourage them to be attentive when seeing films and to try films beyond the blockbusters they usually see. “Here NSFW really helps by showing movies


like Precious and Shattered Glass – US independent productions that engage with challenging topics and make good use of their young casts.” For Lucy Brett, education officer of the British


Board of Film Classification, and her film examiner colleagues, NSFW is an invaluable means of explaining their role in film production across the country. She told SecEd: “The Festival has become a


significant part of our outreach, enabling us to speak to thousands of young people not only about our work but also to canvas their views about the classification of films. It is great to be able to do this in the context of a full screening because it shows that while particular scenes may be shocking, their effect can be mitigated in the broader context of a film. Similarly, how a film such as Cloverfield with an unceasing sense of menace gets the certificate it does. “In return, we benefit from young people’s insights


about what they feel the boundaries should be. It was fascinating to hear from some how fed up they become with on-screen representations of their age-group, asking why they should always watch communities such as theirs as endlessly unlawful and violent.” Mr Walker is confident that this year’s NSFW will be the biggest yet, with more films on show, more


Tweets of the week


This week: Going back to school!


“Good luck to all the teachers going back to school! Teach, Inspire,


Motivate and Empower!” @MReTeacher


“When filling in my secondary school preferences, WHY didn’t I put


Hogwarts?” @iTweetHPotter


“Going over old lesson plans and SOWs preparing for my first teaching job. Can’t wait


to get started.” @Strayslacks


“Mr Clegg on the phone. He’s got a new pencil case and lunchbox for the new term. He’s just writing his name on


them.” @Queen_UK


“First day of student teaching tomorrow. How many days ‘til


christmas again?” @ashkdubs


You can follow SecEd on Twitter at www.twitter.com/SecEd_Education


The moral goalposts Psycho babble


THIS HAS been an interesting summer in terms of teenage behaviour, with riots and its associated anti- social behaviour stealing the headlines and drawing attention to what has been perceived to be the ferality of our youth. While there is no doubt that teenagers think in


a more abstract way than adults, resulting in more impulsive behaviour, and despite the fact that the brain continues to develop into adulthood – in particularly, the frontal cortex, which is responsible for reasoning and how we act – there have been worrying signs that acceptable, moral behaviour is eluding many young men and women. Clearly some young people are


not taught ethical behaviour which leaves them in a bit of a no-man’s land when it comes to making decisions. This is not, however, the majority, who actually do know what is right and what is not, but choose a different path. One US study, for example,


canvassed 25,000 secondary students and found that while 98 per cent of teens said that being a good person was more important than being rich, their behaviour didn’t match. Indeed, 62 per cent of the same teens admitted that they had cheated on a test, 82 per cent said they had lied to a parent about something significant, and 27 per cent had stolen something from a shop, all in the last year. The study concluded that this discrepancy is


explained by cynicism. Teen belief that immoral behaviour – lying and cheating, for example – is necessary to succeed, and that success means doing what it takes suggest that teen values are built around success, not a moral standard. This philosophy becomes dangerous in an acquisitive society, where success is linked to possessions. Reality television shows, a celebrity culture and


even the actions of those in the banking industry support and promote this ideology, which makes it more difficult for parents and teachers to encourage moral, ethical behaviour or create value-driven youth. Moreover, today’s youths operate most frequently


in groups, something that is encouraged by social networking and a gang culture, and therefore tend to adopt peer ideology. When “everyone” is doing something, behaviour becomes what is known as “normative” and, through that, seemingly acceptable. Normative does not, for the record, mean “normal”. In fact, our whole society now operates in a


different manner and the boundaries for moral behaviour are subsequently blurred. For example, the average teenager would probably be unlikely to go out and mug someone for their money, but so-called “white-collar crime”, such as fraud, has increased several-fold over the past decade. There appear to be different types


of “stealing” now, with some being considered less “criminal” than others; for example, breaking and entering might be completely discounted by the average teenager, but banking error in their favour would be considered serendipitious. There is also an undercurrent


in our society, which suggests that big businesses do not deserve to profit, and stealing from them (in whatever guise) is not actually a criminal activity. Some of this ideology may have underpinned the


actions of the looters. Parents and educators need to be aware of the fact that morality is no longer as straightforward as it used to be, and involve teens in a more in-depth and explorative series of


discussions surrounding their values and their role in contemporary society. Using PSHE, form time or philosophy classes for this purpose would be a good starting point. We cannot hope to change behaviour without


addressing the morals that underpin it, and with the boundaries that define them so open to interpretation, it is clear that we need to go back to the drawing board. Our kids are not, in the main, “bad” or even “feral”; it’s simply that the goalposts have shifted dramatically and moral education has not kept up.


• Karen Sullivan is a bestselling author, psychologist and childcare expert. She returns in two weeks.


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