Screen Scotland’s vision to embed film and screen education in Scottish schools took a major step forward today with the launch of a Screen Educators in Residence programme in Shetland, Dundee, Edinburgh, Inverness and Argyll & Bute.
The newly appointed Screen Educators will road test a draft curriculum for film and screen, developed by Screen Scotland, in nursery, primary and secondary schools. Pupils will have an opportunity to study film and television production and to make films as a team. The ultimate aim of the two-year pilot programme is to introduce film and screen qualifications in secondary schools.
Outlander’s Sam Heughan said: “Film and Screen storytelling is at the centre of developing a child’s imagination, a way for communities to represent their identity and individuals to connect with others. I wholly support a new curriculum that focuses on this art form, giving children and young adults a voice through film and screen. I look forward to seeing Scotland’s diverse and rich culture/heritage represented on screen by the next generation of filmmakers and storytellers.”
Screen Scotland published an Economic Value Report in June of this year which showed that the screen sector in Scotland contributed £567.6 million to Scotland’s economy in 2019, providing 10,280 full time equivalent jobs. The independent Report also demonstrated the potential to double the economic value of the screen sector by 2030, if investment in local content, production skills and infrastructure continues.
David Smith, Director of Screen Scotland, said: “Scotland’s production sector has seen significant growth since 2019. Our aim is to widen access to film and TV as a career and a passion for people across Scotland, to develop the next generation of filmmaking talent from Scotland, and to deepen understanding of the incredibly wide range of highly rewarding careers you can follow in the screen sector. We want the next generation of Scottish filmmakers to be the driving force behind our sector's growth, developing and producing the films and programmes watched globally.
Fi Milligan-Rennie, Head of Education- Screen at Screen Scotland said: “Film and Screen taught in schools as an expressive art form supports creativity, develops agency and literacy and creates a platform for pupils to make sense of the world around them. This vision of a film and screen curriculum aims to put film and screen education into every school in Scotland, not as a distant academic study but as a living, breathing experience to embed understanding that as a young person in Scotland you can absolutely have a career in the film and TV industry. We want to make sure that filmmaking is as accessible as writing a story or drawing a picture in a classroom.”
Lauren Lamarr, Producer at Glasgow-based independent production company Blazing Griffin said: “Working to include Film and Screen in the Scottish Curriculum is incredibly important in the long term for our booming industry, to cultivate a pipeline of new and diverse talent across all areas. However, in a world where a huge portion of our news, artistic content, cultural messaging and worldwide events are channelled to us through our screens, it has never been more important for our young people to learn about screen literacy. Not only will this curriculum introduce them to exciting career prospects, it will teach them how to express their art on screen and empower them to analyse the messages and content that they consume throughout their lives.”
The programme will run in tandem with other work including the development of a teaching qualification in Film and Screen Education, development of Early Years Film and Screen Education model and practice; meta skills development and creative engagement for Film and Screen Education and work with partners from higher education institutions, film and screen access organisations and smaller scale funded film and screen education programmes across Scotland.
Ollie Bray, Strategic Director at Education Scotland said: “The pilot programme of the Film curriculum by Screen Scotland is an encouraging innovation and shows what is possible within the flexibility of the current curriculum. We look forward to working with Screen Scotland to measure its impact for those learners.”
Recruitment for freelance screen education practitioners to deliver the programme also opens today in partnership with Station House Media Unit (SHMU) in Aberdeen, more details can be found on Creative Scotland's Opportunities website.
The Screen Educators in Residence Programme is delivered by Screen Scotland through National Lottery funding.
More information
*confirmed schools taking part in the programme are:
Brae School in Shetland
Forthill Primary and Grove Academy in Dundee
Muirtown Primary and Charleston Academy in Inverness
Rothesay Joint Campus on Bute
Screen Scotland
Screen Scotland is the national body that drives development of all aspects of Scotland’s film and TV industry, through funding and strategic support. Screen Scotland is part of Creative Scotland and delivers these services and support with funding from Scottish Government and The National Lottery. Find out more at screen.scot and follow us on Twitter and Instagram.
Media Contacts:
Eilidh Walker
Media Relations and PR Officer- Screen
M: +447545 402 064
[email protected]