Media & Film
Curriculum intent
At Hayes School, our commitment is to provide moments of joy, support pupils to thrive beyond our gates, and nurture community and character through a curriculum that is conceptual, inclusive and responsive. Our values — kindness, endeavour, inclusivity and responsibility — shape every aspect of this curriculum. They ensure that every pupil, particularly the most disadvantaged and vulnerable, is known, supported and challenged to achieve highly and to flourish in school and beyond.
Purpose
The Media Arts Department has 3 aims:
- To equip students with a critical toolkit for navigating and understanding the impact of mass forms of communication on our world, both past and present.
- To make the subject relevant and useful for every student through the use of real world examples and linking to industry.
- To develop skills so that students can produce their own media and develop their own vision and creativity.
We believe that the skills we teach, particularly the analytical skills, are vital to understanding the world in which young people will live their lives and that society would be improved if everyone had these skills.
Specification Information
GCSE WJEC Media Studies
CamNat OCR Creative iMedia
A Level WJEC Media Studies
A Level WJEC Film Studies
CamTech OCR Media Studies
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Academic end points Media – GCSE – A Level Media Studies (please note that it is not a requirement to have taken a Media course at KS4 to be able to progress to one of our KS5 courses) |
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Year 10 |
By the end of year 10 students will have completed their first year in GCSE Media Studies, a subject with which they would have had little prior knowledge, having not been taught it previously. The year is designed to engage learners into the dynamic and relevant world of textual analysis. Students will cover six case studies including advertising (Quality Street & NHS 111), the film industry (James Bond – TMWTGG & NTTD), television crime drama (Trigger Point) and music video (Taylor Swift & Stormzy). These case studies will teach year 10 students how to analyse and critique media texts across the four key concepts of media studies (language, representations, industries and audiences). These four concepts form the sections of the first of the two media studies written exams. Along this journey they will be introduced to and will eventually be able to apply a range of tier 3 vocabulary to their work. |
| Year 11 | By the end of year 11 students will have studied all set texts (covering BOTH media exams) as well as having planned and produced an original media product (component 3). The set texts covered in year 11 include newspapers, magazines, radio and video games. Students will closely study these products across the range of media key concepts (media language, media representations, media industries and media audiences). By the end of HT 4 students will have covered all the required content and from then on – will solely use lesson time to improve exam performance (AO1 & AO2). Upon starting year 11, media students will be working on component 3 – the coursework unit. This means that they will plan and produce a media product in relation to a brief that is created by the exam board (AO3). |
| Year 12 |
In Year 12, students begin by developing an understanding of the key concepts of Media Studies before applying these to a range of set texts and case studies from the Component 1 examination. They study advertising, film marketing, newspapers, video games, music videos, and radio/podcasts, analysing texts through the media concepts of language, representation, audiences, and industries as appropriate to each topic. Set texts include products such as Tide, Super.Human, The Times, Daily Mirror, Black Panther, I, Daniel Blake, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Formation, 17 Going Under, and Have You Heard George’s Podcast?, alongside wider industry contexts. Throughout the year, students prepare for and complete a mock examination, using feedback to strengthen their understanding of all content covered. The year concludes with research and planning for the Component 3 coursework, culminating in a 500-word Statement of Aims and Intentions that contributes directly to the final coursework marks. |
| Year 13 | In Year 13, students complete the study of Component 2 by exploring television in the global age, media in the online age, and magazines, applying all five key media concepts: media language, representation, industries, audiences, and contexts. Set texts include Black Mirror, The Returned, KSI, Attitude Online, Vogue (1965), and The Big Issue (25th Anniversary Edition, October 2016), enabling students to analyse how media products are created, distributed, and interpreted within different social, historical, and industrial contexts. Alongside their exam studies, students complete the coursework component, producing a cross-media product in response to a prescribed brief and demonstrating their understanding of media concepts through practical application. This process includes the completion of a 500-word Statement of Aims and Intentions and the creation of media products designed to communicate effectively with a defined target audience. By the end of the year, all course content has been taught and assessed through mock examinations and class-based assessments, preparing students fully for both the Component 1 and Component 2 examinations. |
| Academic end points
A Level Film Studies |
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Year 12 |
In Year 12, students develop a secure understanding of the core areas of Film Studies—film form, meaning and response, and social, cultural, political, and historical contexts—which underpin all aspects of the course. They study the full range of Component 1 films, including Casablanca, Alien, Pan’s Labyrinth, This Is England, Shaun of the Dead, La La Land, and Captain Fantastic, applying specialist areas of study such as auteur theory, narrative, ideology, and spectatorship. Through close textual analysis, students explore how films from a variety of national, historical, and industrial contexts construct meaning, engage audiences, and communicate social and ideological perspectives. Alongside analytical study, students develop practical filmmaking skills through the study of short film conventions and hands-on production work, culminating in the collaborative planning, creation, and exhibition of their own short film. By the end of the year, students will have studied all films required for Component 1, developed confidence in responding to a range of examination questions, and built the creative and technical skills needed for the coursework component in Year 13. |
| Year 13 | In Year 13, students complete their study of Component 2 by exploring a diverse range of film forms, including global film, documentary, experimental film, and silent cinema, applying both the core and specialist areas of study to all set texts. They analyse films such as City of God, Pan’s Labyrinth, Amy, Memento, Man with a Movie Camera, and À Propos de Nice, developing sophisticated understanding of film form, meaning and response, context, narrative, ideology, auteur theory, digital technologies, and filmmaker theory. Through comparative and evaluative analysis, students learn to make connections between films from different historical, cultural, industrial, and national contexts, producing the extended responses required for examination success. Alongside their exam preparation, students complete the Component 3 coursework, creating an original short film and accompanying evaluative commentary that demonstrate their creative, technical, and analytical skills. By the end of the year, all film content has been studied in sufficient depth to enable students to respond confidently to any question across both Component 1 and Component 2 examinations. |
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Academic end points Cambridge National Creative iMedia |
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| Year 10 | By the end of Year 10, students will have developed practical skills in manual Digital Photography via the completion of an official coursework unit, worth 25% of their final qualification. Students must work on projects unaided and are taught to organise their files and documents in a coherent manner. The coursework unit develops a pragmatic approach to investigating, planning, shooting and evaluating an exam brief. Students are taught key terminology that should be applied when responding to each section within the coursework unit. Coursework Units and the exam unit are taught in parallel to ensure intrinsic links are made by the student. The aim is for them to apply their practical skills knowledge to the exam unit that tests their understanding of pre-production documents. Students are taught how to use industry-standard software and expensive photographic equipment where responsibility on its safe use is emphasised. When taking photographs and filming, students must learn be respectful of their environment and subjects. They should be independent, creative and aware of the digital media sector. |
| Year 11 |
Students should be familiar with the demands of each coursework unit as the layout, number of pre-production documents and individual tasks required remains similar throughout. |
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Academic end points Cambridge Technical Digital Media |
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| Year 12 | Students develop a comprehensive understanding of how media industries operate, including ownership structures, advertising, distribution, audience research, regulation, and the legal and ethical frameworks that shape media production and consumption. They learn how media products create meaning through media language, codes and conventions, representation, genre, narrative, and audience targeting, applying these concepts to a wide range of contemporary media forms. Alongside theoretical study, students gain an understanding of professional media production processes, from responding to client briefs and generating ideas to developing proposals, pitching concepts, and planning projects using industry-standard pre-production documentation. They build practical knowledge of how media products are created across audio, audio-visual, and print formats, using appropriate technologies, production techniques, and conventions to meet the needs of specific audiences and clients. By the end of the course, students are able to analyse, evaluate, plan, and create media products with a secure understanding of both the creative and commercial realities of the modern media industry. |
| Year 13 | In Year 13, students deepen their understanding of professional media production by examining how client briefs, audience requirements, legal and ethical considerations, budgets, resources, and industry constraints influence planning decisions and the development of media products. They learn how to interpret briefs, analyse audiences, manage workflows, allocate resources, and create industry-standard pre-production documentation, including schedules, storyboards, production plans, and project management materials. Students also explore advertising as a cross-media practice, analysing how campaigns are constructed, distributed, and regulated, before planning and producing their own advertising campaigns that communicate a consistent message across multiple platforms. Alongside this, they develop knowledge of personal branding and professional practice by creating a personal media profile, selecting, adapting, and presenting their work for specific audiences such as employers, clients, or higher education providers. By the end of the course, students are able to plan, produce, evaluate, and present media products professionally, demonstrating a secure understanding of industry expectations, audience engagement, campaign development, and portfolio creation. |
Click here to visualise the Year 10 to 13 Media Learner Journey
Click here to visualise the Year 10 to 14 Media Vocational Learner Journey
