Led by English teacher, Mrs Emma Curran, the virtual debate aimed to help students to navigate the complex world of media bias and formulate clear judgements about current affairs.
She said: “The girls made some really pertinent points and explored some of what they felt to be mixed messages regarding coronavirus. We explored political agenda and looked at how the media doesn’t necessarily reflect a reality but instead shapes our sense of it by what events it reports, how it reports them and the order of precedence that that is placed on these.”
Following an in-depth discussion of media perceptions surrounding Boris Johnson’s handling of the pandemic, the group then went on to discuss some recent adverts and how these sought to reflect the government’s ‘stay at home’ and ‘stay alert’ messages whilst at the same time persuading the public to buy their product, within this emotive context.
Mrs Curran continued: “It was a fascinating discussion and the Year 12s were really articulate and thoughtful in the points that they made.”
The workshop is one of many which take place every week to help our students be best prepared to thrive in the world beyond the school gates. Part of our comprehensive PSHE and Life Skills programme, sessions range from finance masterclasses and interview skills to mental health awareness and wellbeing workshops.
Every January, our Year 12 students also take part in a dedicated Life Skills day which includes workshops and seminars from specially trained guest speakers.
