Media is a central aspect for much of the work that our older pupils and students use to explore and express their learning, it develops confidence and promotes oracy, speaking and listening in a societal time when these skills are not always used!

Communication in general, and oracy in particular is a skill that should be taught in all schools, but it is something that needs to be taught in a school such as CPA. It is an essential life skill that most of the students will need to work extra hard to attain – for some, even at the most basic level of oracy will require support.

We therefore already have an intent to use an oracy focus within the wider curriculum to support these skills.

Media has the ability to both support and enhance this endeavour. Media is in many ways a carefully considered and constructed form of communication. It requires a level of thought and deliberate intention. Communication via media is always to some degree contrived (e.g. in interview is a formalised conversation). It is therefore very similar to how many autistic people deal with all forms of communication.

Working alongside the speaking and listening curriculum in particular, and the wider oracy focused approach, it is therefore our intention to use media tuition and projects to help develop the communication skills of our students.

It is also our intention that the students will gain OCN media qualifications, sometimes alongside the OCR speaking and listening qualifications.

Media also develops and hones others skills: organisation and co-operation, practical and technical skills. When students work towards a production, whether it be a news stream or a dramatic production, they are exercising real world skills.