Equipping young people to navigate the complex media environment in which we all now live is essential both to their wellbeing and to the functioning of a healthy democracy. MILA therefore welcomes the government’s pledge to give media literacy more focus in schools in England following the publication of the Curriculum and Assessment Review, along with the government’s response to it, on 5 November (a summary of the review’s conclusions and recommendations can also be found here). We are told that media literacy will be embedded within English and Citizenship teaching, with the latter extended to primary schools for the first time. These are promising steps forward and a positive sign that both the review team and Department for Education have listened to the many who see media literacy not as an optional ‘add on’ but key to success across all subjects.
It is essential that the opportunity presented by this curriculum reform is seized to ensure that our children learn media literacy skills that make a positive difference to them and to society, rather than simply how to spot ‘fake news’. They must learn how to thrive, create and feel confident in the presence of reliable information online, rather than only learning how to avoid what is harmful and negative. The latter approach will only breed cynicism and disengagement. Meanwhile, important questions remain about how expanded media literacy provision will be funded; how much classroom time it will get; how teachers will be trained and supported, and what measures will be put in place to ensure that MIL cannot be a tick box exercise within a busy curriculum. It is also essential that the critical thinking skills that are core to media literacy are embedded across all subjects, not just Citizenship and English. It is clear that many people care about this issue. The review report noted that media literacy was “one of five areas that received most attention from young people, parents and carers and other stakeholders”.
MILA looks forward to working with this broad coalition of stakeholders to ensure that the promise of this report is delivered. We will shortly set out a fuller, joint statement that reflects the views of a range of players with an interest in media and information literacy.
