When driven by an enthusiastic advocate with knowledge and motivation, school radio can deliver real benefits to a school, writes Ian Nockolds.
editing, the skills required for radio lend themselves perfectly to the teaching of subjects across the curriculum.
But how far can schools push the value of radio as a teaching tool and what can we expect for its impact on student learning?
Kingdown School, an outstanding academy based in Warminster, Wiltshire, has been developing its use of radio in the school for nearly a decade. I first visited the school in 2008, for a research project commissioned by Schools Radio. More recently, I have had the chance to return to the school to see how Kingdown FM has evolved over the last five years.
Working with the students, Ed Williamson, head of audio visual at Kingdown, has put in place a structured training programme, designed to ensure that everyone involved in the station has experience of all of the facets of radio production and presentation. Having completed this comprehensive introduction to the disciplines required for broadcasting, students get the opportunity to record their own shows. The shows are then reviewed with the students and an action plan created, identifying areas where skills can be improved.
"For me this was the eureka moment,” said Paul Barnes, assistant head of audio visual, when reflecting on the improvement of the school’s radio enthusiasts in the last six months. “Just before Christmas we got them to record their first show. We just wanted them recording; I wasn't expecting them to be brilliant. By the third or fourth week back after Christmas, every single individual had improved, some not a massive amount, but all had improved in the areas we’d identified.”
The refurbished radio studio provides students of all ages and abilities with a resource to develop their skills and confidence, learning in an environment that is far removed from the classroom.
As well as acting as an after-school club, the studio is used within the curriculum. This year, the studio has been used by 150 Year 9 students, who had to produce a ‘jingle’ for a music project. The project combined theory and practice as students spent classroom time preparing their jingles, whilst time in the studio was spent introducing them to the equipment and the practical skills needed for recording and editing. The project proved successful in engaging students of all academic abilities, including those known to be disruptive in a classroom environment.
Research conducted in 2008 for Schools Radio highlighted the use of radio as a teaching tool in schools across the country. From podcasts to Ofcom-licensed broadcasts, the use of radio was found to be a strong creative stimulus. English, drama, history and music are all subject areas where skills such as researching, presentation and audio editing can be engaged in the production of both course work and revision aids. Radio, as a media format, more so than television, enables students to achieve a high-quality output, with only limited access to audio recording and editing equipment.
One of the most interesting findings to come out of the 2008 study was radio’s ability to engage with students who struggle with classroom learning. From behavioural difficulties to slow academic progress, the ‘novelty’ environment of the radio studio, coupled with the practical training required to produce a programme, was engaging all students, from the less academic to the most disruptive.
Kingdown Community School, as it then was, featured as a case study in the 2008 project. At the time, the school had been working with its local community radio station, WCR FM, developing its radio coverage from broadcasts on the PA system around the school, to a broadcast on FM to its local community.
Originally based in a temporary studio in the school foyer, the first community broadcast took place in 2004. The success of this led to more broadcasts, culminating in the school building its own studio in September 2007, a physical manifestation of the school’s commitment to the radio project.
Kingdown FM (KDFM) proved highly successful at engaging with different groups across the school community; students from different year groups working together along with those with special needs and students from the school’s inclusion centre. The project provided an opportunity for students who
struggled to engage with classroom learning, to develop their literacy skills. Students who wouldn’t write an essay would produce a weather forecast.
Today, the studio remains but has a very different look and feel. From its humble beginnings, the old analogue kit has been replaced by digital equipment and the carpet on the walls has been replaced by acoustic tiling. The refurbished facility remains in pristine condition, respected by those who use it, a testament to the school’s belief that students’ attitudes to learning reflect their environment.
Paul believes that the respect shown by the students for their radio facility comes from the policy of treating the studio as a professional broadcast facility.
“Studio protocol exists for a reason and it applies to everyone, from students to the Head Teacher. From day one we’ve said that if you are in the chair, you are in charge of your show. If anyone interrupts you and comes in to the studio, you are well within your rights to tell them to leave and we’ll back you up. This is a respected area.”
The community broadcasts are now a thing of the past, as the school now concentrates on using its radio studio as a facility for the school, integrated with the curriculum. The project which was originally overseen by volunteers and sixth formers, is now overseen by Ed who, like Paul, is a former student at the school and KDFM volunteer.
Paul has worked with many of the students, through both the club and the Year 9 music project. “I can’t say every single student was switched on to radio,” said Paul, “but their enthusiasm for the project was outstanding.” Paul believes there were reasons for the project’s success: one-to-one teaching and the novelty of a new environment. “When students act up in a certain way in the classroom, you think ‘this is going to be stressful’, but you can only get so many of them in the studio. Removing them from the (classroom) environment, gives them something new that requires their attention. It speaks to a wider range of students.”
The success of the music project has lead to renewed interest in the school’s radio club, as well as interest from other subject areas considering how they might be able to make use of the facility. Future projects planned for the next academic year are already being considered with English, as well as A and AS level media studies.
From its ambitious, community broadcast beginnings, the radio station is becoming an integral part of the school’s internal communications strategy, by having links to the school’s virtual learning environment and plans to link it to the school’s digital signage network. The station continues to play an important role
in encouraging students of different age groups to work together, as well as effectively engaging those with special needs and behavioural issues.
Reflecting on the success of KDFM, Ed said: “Initially, interest in the radio station came from those already familiar with the concept, but ever since the music project we’ve seen a new wave of interest from students who have found radio for the first time.”
As far as the students are concerned, the radio studio has provided them with an opportunity to develop their confidence and skills outside their traditional learning environment. Year 9 students Sam and Ehlana came to the radio club after their music project. “In the classroom you just sit there. Most of the time you just drift away,” said Ehlana.“In the studio you are really switched on, because it was something I really wanted to get into. I wanted to get ready. I wanted to get recording,” said Sam.
The reality of implementing radio comes down to each individual school’s cost–benefit analysis of the project. Where funding and expertise are readily available, schools, like Kingdown, have been quick to embrace the concept.
In conclusion, radio has proved most successful where schools have bought into a long-term vision for the project. When driven by an enthusiastic advocate who has the knowledge and motivation needed to build a sustainable model, students can engage and develop their own skills and enthusiasm. Whilst getting a project off the ground can be challenging when there are so many competing priorities for finance and resources, radio has proved at Kingdown that it can deliver real benefits for a school.
Ian Nockolds is a research director at Cognisant Research, a school governor and an amateur broadcaster
Kingdown School, an outstanding academy based in Warminster, Wiltshire, has been developing its use of radio in the school for nearly a decade. I first visited the school in 2008, for a research project commissioned by Schools Radio. More recently, I have had the chance to return to the school to see how Kingdown FM has evolved over the last five years.
Working with the students, Ed Williamson, head of audio visual at Kingdown, has put in place a structured training programme, designed to ensure that everyone involved in the station has experience of all of the facets of radio production and presentation. Having completed this comprehensive introduction to the disciplines required for broadcasting, students get the opportunity to record their own shows. The shows are then reviewed with the students and an action plan created, identifying areas where skills can be improved.
"For me this was the eureka moment,” said Paul Barnes, assistant head of audio visual, when reflecting on the improvement of the school’s radio enthusiasts in the last six months. “Just before Christmas we got them to record their first show. We just wanted them recording; I wasn't expecting them to be brilliant. By the third or fourth week back after Christmas, every single individual had improved, some not a massive amount, but all had improved in the areas we’d identified.”
The refurbished radio studio provides students of all ages and abilities with a resource to develop their skills and confidence, learning in an environment that is far removed from the classroom.
As well as acting as an after-school club, the studio is used within the curriculum. This year, the studio has been used by 150 Year 9 students, who had to produce a ‘jingle’ for a music project. The project combined theory and practice as students spent classroom time preparing their jingles, whilst time in the studio was spent introducing them to the equipment and the practical skills needed for recording and editing. The project proved successful in engaging students of all academic abilities, including those known to be disruptive in a classroom environment.
Research conducted in 2008 for Schools Radio highlighted the use of radio as a teaching tool in schools across the country. From podcasts to Ofcom-licensed broadcasts, the use of radio was found to be a strong creative stimulus. English, drama, history and music are all subject areas where skills such as researching, presentation and audio editing can be engaged in the production of both course work and revision aids. Radio, as a media format, more so than television, enables students to achieve a high-quality output, with only limited access to audio recording and editing equipment.
One of the most interesting findings to come out of the 2008 study was radio’s ability to engage with students who struggle with classroom learning. From behavioural difficulties to slow academic progress, the ‘novelty’ environment of the radio studio, coupled with the practical training required to produce a programme, was engaging all students, from the less academic to the most disruptive.
Kingdown Community School, as it then was, featured as a case study in the 2008 project. At the time, the school had been working with its local community radio station, WCR FM, developing its radio coverage from broadcasts on the PA system around the school, to a broadcast on FM to its local community.
Originally based in a temporary studio in the school foyer, the first community broadcast took place in 2004. The success of this led to more broadcasts, culminating in the school building its own studio in September 2007, a physical manifestation of the school’s commitment to the radio project.
Kingdown FM (KDFM) proved highly successful at engaging with different groups across the school community; students from different year groups working together along with those with special needs and students from the school’s inclusion centre. The project provided an opportunity for students who
struggled to engage with classroom learning, to develop their literacy skills. Students who wouldn’t write an essay would produce a weather forecast.
Today, the studio remains but has a very different look and feel. From its humble beginnings, the old analogue kit has been replaced by digital equipment and the carpet on the walls has been replaced by acoustic tiling. The refurbished facility remains in pristine condition, respected by those who use it, a testament to the school’s belief that students’ attitudes to learning reflect their environment.
Paul believes that the respect shown by the students for their radio facility comes from the policy of treating the studio as a professional broadcast facility.
“Studio protocol exists for a reason and it applies to everyone, from students to the Head Teacher. From day one we’ve said that if you are in the chair, you are in charge of your show. If anyone interrupts you and comes in to the studio, you are well within your rights to tell them to leave and we’ll back you up. This is a respected area.”
The community broadcasts are now a thing of the past, as the school now concentrates on using its radio studio as a facility for the school, integrated with the curriculum. The project which was originally overseen by volunteers and sixth formers, is now overseen by Ed who, like Paul, is a former student at the school and KDFM volunteer.
Paul has worked with many of the students, through both the club and the Year 9 music project. “I can’t say every single student was switched on to radio,” said Paul, “but their enthusiasm for the project was outstanding.” Paul believes there were reasons for the project’s success: one-to-one teaching and the novelty of a new environment. “When students act up in a certain way in the classroom, you think ‘this is going to be stressful’, but you can only get so many of them in the studio. Removing them from the (classroom) environment, gives them something new that requires their attention. It speaks to a wider range of students.”
The success of the music project has lead to renewed interest in the school’s radio club, as well as interest from other subject areas considering how they might be able to make use of the facility. Future projects planned for the next academic year are already being considered with English, as well as A and AS level media studies.
From its ambitious, community broadcast beginnings, the radio station is becoming an integral part of the school’s internal communications strategy, by having links to the school’s virtual learning environment and plans to link it to the school’s digital signage network. The station continues to play an important role
in encouraging students of different age groups to work together, as well as effectively engaging those with special needs and behavioural issues.
Reflecting on the success of KDFM, Ed said: “Initially, interest in the radio station came from those already familiar with the concept, but ever since the music project we’ve seen a new wave of interest from students who have found radio for the first time.”
As far as the students are concerned, the radio studio has provided them with an opportunity to develop their confidence and skills outside their traditional learning environment. Year 9 students Sam and Ehlana came to the radio club after their music project. “In the classroom you just sit there. Most of the time you just drift away,” said Ehlana.“In the studio you are really switched on, because it was something I really wanted to get into. I wanted to get ready. I wanted to get recording,” said Sam.
The reality of implementing radio comes down to each individual school’s cost–benefit analysis of the project. Where funding and expertise are readily available, schools, like Kingdown, have been quick to embrace the concept.
In conclusion, radio has proved most successful where schools have bought into a long-term vision for the project. When driven by an enthusiastic advocate who has the knowledge and motivation needed to build a sustainable model, students can engage and develop their own skills and enthusiasm. Whilst getting a project off the ground can be challenging when there are so many competing priorities for finance and resources, radio has proved at Kingdown that it can deliver real benefits for a school.
Ian Nockolds is a research director at Cognisant Research, a school governor and an amateur broadcaster
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