More than 2,000 young people have learned journalistic skills and how to spot fake news this summer, as part of ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ School Report roadshows.

The media literacy skills initiative has toured the country recently, including at the Bournemouth Air Festival; Clacton Airshow; Godiva Festival in Coventry; at ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ offices in Salford and London, and in the coming weeks will be at ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Digital Cities in Birmingham, and in the North East during October.

 

Since starting in 2006 ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ School Report has supported teachers in more than 2,000 secondary schools to help 11- to 16-year-olds develop new literacy skills and critical thinking.

We’ve now expanded to include young people aged up to 18, as well as youth organisations so that those in harder to reach areas can also take part.

This means ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ School Report can operate all the year round because while schools finish for the summer, youth organisations don’t, so we’ve lots of events running throughout the holidays.

Although research has shown that young people are aware of the concept of fake news, a majority of children both in the UK and overseas struggle to recognise it.

There’s been some great feedback from young people saying they’ll now able to tell what’s real and what isn’t when they go online, which is one of the biggest things we can teach them.

It’s a real moment for them when the penny drops, and they ask why people would put out false information in the first place.

You could teach it as ‘this is an example of fake news, and this is an example of real news’, but we felt that was quite a simplistic and not very exciting way to approach it.

When we broke down what you needed to know when it comes to identifying fake news, it’s actually the principles of good journalism.

That’s what we’ve used to guide our workshops, and to be the framework of iReporter, the online game we have made with Aardman Studios that places you in the heart of a newsroom amidst a breaking news story.

It’s been played more than 83,000 times so far, and makes you think about motivations, source checking, why people might say certain things, how data can be confusing, balance and different viewpoints – what journalists face every single day.

The game measures you on speed, accuracy and impact, so if you go really fast through it you’d score low, because accuracy is of crucial importance.

As well as events, films, lesson plans for teachers and online tools, more than 100 ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ staff members have been trained as mentors to go into schools and help young people distinguish fake news from the real thing.

Going global with ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ School Report is the next step, as we know that fake news can be more of an issue abroad than in the UK. There will be further events in Nairobi and in Delhi during the autumn, and we are also in talks about Europe.

Find out more at the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ School Report homepage .

Over on the  is an abundance of ‘Brain Booster’ videos such as  and  - simple solutions to help children learn while they move - all linked to the UK curricula and easy to use in the classroom, with no extra equipment required.

Super Movers will also help encourage families to live active lifestyles and can be used at home with a range of ‘Just For Fun’ videos and games designed to get children and grown-ups moving together in their living rooms. Naturally my favourite includes Arsenal mascot – .

To cap the week off there will be a Super Movers Live Lesson taking place at Anfield, home of Liverpool FC – a prime example of what a strong collaboration this is.

This partnership represents a long term commitment between two organisations that want to affect positive change. I’m confident that Super Movers will achieve something truly transformative that proves the power of partnerships.

James Purnell is Director of Radio and Education.

• Visit the Super Movers website.
• Read the press release '' on the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Media Centre website.

That reputation has changed dramatically. In all the schools I visited, I learnt how the study of the media is regarded as a crucial part of an all-round education, supporting the development of literacy skills and promoting a sense of citizenship and inclusion. In some locations, the message was stronger: studying media, the way it works and the way it intersects with our lives today helps young people establish and manage their lives in the digital space, something that never crossed my mind I’d need to do when I was at school thirty years ago.

What the students said

I was surprised that I’d gone into the project with assumptions about teenagers. I’ve never felt at ease interviewing people in a school environment. Far too many memories of my own school days come flooding back. Would the students be nonplussed? Would they poke fun? Would they understand the questions?

Every student demonstrated an eagerness to find out what I was doing, what I did at the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ and wanted to help. And when they sat down to answer my questions what they said did often blow me away. One 13 year old boy in Lampeter talked about the story he worked on about LGBT rights in India. He talked about the experience in a completely matter of fact way. Thirty years ago at school, I couldn’t even imagine anyone in my school even talking about such a subject let alone producing some writing about it and then proudly telling others.

Another student in Birmingham spoke of how she thought ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ School Report gave ‘the voiceless a voice’. And in North Shields, one teenager explained he really wanted to be a lawyer. “What inspired you to want to work in law?” I asked him. “You’re probably going to laugh at me,” he said apologetically, “but I really enjoy Suits – that’s what got me interested in law.” And there, another assumption challenged, the one we usually projected in a negative way: TV does influence the younger generation and for good too.

I don’t feel I can take the credit for the insights we managed to capture from the students.  Interviews had to be optimised to give each contributor the space they felt they needed to say what they wanted. At the same time it was important to realise that unlike the usual fast-paced environment where most visitors who appear on camera are there because they’re practised in the art of doing ‘a talking head’, not everybody is necessarily at ease talking to camera.

How could I help contributors feel more at ease? I asked parents and former teachers (from my schooldays) who are friends on Facebook. “Get them to talk about something they are really excited about,” said my former history teacher, “get them to tell you as though they were telling their best friend.” And a particular nod should go to former ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ R&D staffer and parent Ant Miller whose list of ‘questions to ask children at the end of their school day’ was invaluable. “Tell me about the best thing that has happened today” is a particular favourite.

What really impressed me was the confidence which our younger contributors spoke with.  They were at ease reflecting on how School Report helped them develop personally, a real surprise for me was how School Report News Days brought students of different age-groups across a school together in a way they wouldn’t normally collaborate. One person mentioned how immersing himself in the experience transformed his appetite and interest in news. George (see above) demonstrated how School Report could change someone’s assumptions about journalists themselves.

The students views were echoed by their teachers, who in all cases underlined how School Report went beyond journalism, that it helped promote a sense of independence amongst participants and complemented studies by providing a different ‘way in’ for topics which perhaps would be more challenging to introduce into a more orthodox everyday learning environment. The overwhelming message I took away with me was how School Report in a school environment was something which on the day almost powered itself.

Showing the finished product to Helen

Editing multiple contributions together can be quite demanding. People you don’t know who you see in clip after clip after clip, suddenly get burnt into your psyche simply as a result of visual familiarity. A tension emerges between needing to keep clips ‘punchy’ and wanting to respect each contributor’s need for space. Each subsequent edit feels like you’re cutting off a contributor’s limb in a sustained frenzied attack.

But there is a flip side to the editing process. Playing over a film to check transitions, colours and levels transforms a variety of different spoken contributions into something approaching music. I suspect that was one of the reasons why I was keen to share the rough-cuts with School Report editor Helen Shreeve before we sat down to talk. 

There was another reason. There was almost a hint of “Look what all these people are saying about the thing you and your team have worked hard to produce.” Here was an opportunity to throw light on one of the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ’s highly valued endeavours and in the process of doing so reveal the human side of it. That’s something we sometimes overlook when we think of an organisation in terms of its scale or its impact.

Helen’s words reflected what I had learnt from some of the students: that journalism has at its core some really important transferrable skills. I’ve learnt that a little late in life (at least, later than I would have liked), but it is terribly reassuring to hear.

Jon Jacob is Editor, About the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Blog

• about the project on the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ News School Report website. 
• what ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ School Reporters have reported on. 
• are available for teachers.
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It’s just over three weeks since ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Director General Tony Hall brandished the Micro Bit at a press launch and announced that the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ and partners would be manufacturing 1 million of the pocket-sized devices and distributing one free to every year seven (or equivalent) pupil in the UK.

Since then we’ve been hugely encouraged by the levels of interest and excitement that announcement caused. It’s been truly gratifying to find that others are as enthusiastic about the project as the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ and its partners.

However, the Micro Bit was one of a raft of exciting opportunities and programmes revealed as part of the initiative, so inevitably there wasn’t the space to go into lots of detail about the project.
So now is the time to start and first we‘d like to restate and underline two of the fundamental objectives of the Micro Bit:

Firstly, that its purpose is to enthuse, excite and empower a new generation of digitally creative young people. This is why the Micro Bits are for the children themselves to own.

Secondly, that we absolutely intend the Micro Bit to support schools and teachers in delivering the computing curricula.

Though the children will own the Micro Bit, the general distribution will be through schools. As well as being a fun, codeable and wearable device they are an educational aid. As such, the teaching community is vital to this initiative and we have them very much in mind as we’re planning the roll out.

There is a lot to plan in terms of that roll out and it is a big logistical challenge. Not only will we get the devices to all UK schools, we will also ensure that home-school children in that year group are also involved.

We also realise how important it is for teachers to get a chance to see and use the Micro Bit in advance. We are working through the detail but we aim to ensure that IT teachers get their hands on the device before the summer holidays. We also want to give them the opportunity to explore ways of using the Micro Bits in lessons so there will be some curriculum resources made available at the same time.

We’re still looking at the logistics of how to achieve this and which are the best networks to use. But it’s important to note that our broad range of fantastic partners working across the project are also planning teacher events to support the roll out.

One of the most inspiring things about trials of the prototype in schools was the creative potential the students quickly saw in the Micro Bit. Among many examples we saw students create a rudimentary rock, paper, scissors game and an entertaining little tale told in LED lights called simply “The Story of Pizza”.

With this in mind, we and around 16 partners are working to create a diverse range of supporting materials for teachers, that will not only assist them in delivering the computer science curriculum (this includes all UK curricula) but also help students realise the Micro Bit’s full creative potential.

Among resources the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ is planning is a series of Live Lessons for students on the Micro Bit –these are curriculum-focused but fun and interactive webcast programmes that feature ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ talent and brands for example, .

Finally, for now, it’s important to stress that there will be lasting legacy – though the Make It Digital initiative will have a major focus in 2015, many aspects will continue in some form and we are in the process of finalising future plans for the Micro Bit beyond the autumn.

We’ll have more to share on the detail and timings over the coming weeks but we’d love to hear any questions or comments you have below so that we can make sure we’ve got everything covered.

Cerys Griffiths is Executive Producer, ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Learning.

• Find out more about the initiative at the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ’s .
• Look at other resources the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ has produced which support the computer science curriculum on the .
• See what happened at the launch of Make It Digital in London on 12 March 2015 via . 

In ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Learning, we have always provided content that is relevant to the UK curricula through sites such as . We spend a lot of time talking to teachers and other education professionals and we know that the will be a challenge for some. But we also know that many children are genuinely interested in technology.

So today, we have launched a brand new range of content to meet the needs of both. Using interactivity, animation and video, we’ve brought the subject to life with the key aim of enabling children to build their digital skills whilst also inspiring them to find out more.Μύ

You can find it all

At Primary level, we have more than covering all aspects of computing. For instance, at key stage 1, we have created content to help teachers and parents explain the concept of coding to young children and show how it can be used to create games and animations.

Higher up the age ranges, we have focused on providing guides for independent study. For example, at , we’ve created material to help students understand that computational thinking isn’t just relevant to coding, it can also provide a basis of logical thinking that can be applied to any field of study.

Combined with great television output from and in the Autumn, this means that the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ can inspire children to get creative digitally both within the formal setting of the classroom and at home through television, games and competitions. These early examples form part of the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ’s coding and digital creativity initiative for 2015. More detail on this initiative will be announced soon.

Changes to BitesizeΜύ

The new academic year isn’t just about new content for us. It’s also about making some changes to how we bring that content to our audiences. In the past, Bitesize has mainly been a destination for key stage 3 and GCSE students, featuring study guides, quizzes, videos and games. And we’ve had a number of other websites aimed at supporting students and schools across the UK.

Today, however, we are beginning to bring all our formal education resources together under the Bitesize brand. Here, all content will be mapped to the relevant part of the curriculum by key stage, topic and nation, with improved navigation throughout. Given the rise of smart phones and tablets, we recognize the importance of supporting learning, wherever and whenever so the new Bitesize is designed to be fully responsive. This means it will work seamlessly on tablets and smart phones as well as on desktop PCs and whiteboards.

We also want to help our audience continue their learning beyond the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ. We have worked with other educational providers to ensure there are links from our pages to theirs – enabling audiences to access a wide range of material from almost 60 other providers.

Although we intend to implement these changes with minimal disruption, it has been a big undertaking. We now have over 1000 study guides and quizzes, some 5000 infographics and over 7000 thousand class clips in the new Bitesize. However, that’s just two thirds of what we had in the old site so there is still work to be done, particularly to bring our content for primary level into the new site.Μύ

ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ iWonderΜύ

Of course, the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ’s commitment to education online isn’t just about the curriculum. At the beginning of this year we introduced iWonder, a new factual and educational format aimed at stimulating curiosity and providing learning opportunities for mainstream audiences.

Initially launched to support the , we now have iWonder guides and timelines that span all our factual genres from Science to Food and from Religion to Natural History. The tag line is β€˜be curious’ so do take a look.Μύ

I hope that you find our new content useful and enjoyable, it would be great to hear what you think.

Μύ

Sinead Rocks is Acting Head of ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Learning.

Μύ

Μύ

• See what changes have bee made to the website
• Read the press release about ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Bitesize on the website
• Read more about the 'Kid's coding push' on theΜύΜύsite

Μύ

When I got the call to say I had won the attachment I was delighted, but beyond a general idea that I would be helping school kids produce their own reports, I was unsure what was required. I just knew that I wanted to inspire at least one person to pursue a path that they would not have otherwise considered. Part of my brief was to engage with schools in hard-to-reach areas, and we have plenty of those in the North-East and Cumbria. Getting them to enrol in School Report proved to be the hardest part of my job; most headteachers would not even return my emails and calls.

But I did spend a great deal of time visiting schools, talking to the pupils about life as a broadcast journalist, and helping them produce some excellent work. We got a lot of material on air: I ended up filming three School Report pieces that made it onto Look North, ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Tees and ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Newcastle ran radio packages and radio car lives, and we had a fantastic television outside broadcast from Marden High School on News Day.

My attachment was a hugely rewarding experience, and I know that I succeeded in my aim of inspiring some of the kids, because both they and their teachers told me. I left with a new-found respect for schoolteachers, and a much greater understanding of the challenges they face every day. I hope that this experience with School Report will not have been my last.

Damian O'Neil is a video journalist for ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Look North.

Μύ

• Read Helen Shreeve's blog ".
• Find out more about the project at the .
• To find out more about how you can get involved in School Report, please contact laura.macdonald@bbc.co.uk.

Μύ

β€œAudiences are at the heart of everything we do” – it’s one of the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ’s core values, printed on our ID passes. But some of those audiences are harder to reach than others. For example children and News don't always seem obviously compatible, so at , we aim to engage young people with news by showing them how to make their own reports.

We working in partnership with teachers at more than 1,000 schools, who use the on our website to teach their children how to make the news – for example, how to find and research stories, and conduct interviews. ΜύΜύ

Then in March, we hold News Day – one special day when more than 30,000 11 to 16 year olds become part of one big news team, creating their own reports and publishing them on their school website.

School Reporters also appear on ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ programmes to tell their stories, reporting for everything from Breakfast to The World at One.

Two this year and made a big impact on the audience, with one listener getting in touch with the programme to say it was β€œthrilling” to hear them on air.

β€œTeenagers being shown in such a positive light via the media instead of being run down and portrayed in a negative way…ΜύI am a secondary school teacher and believe me, these girls represent the majority. More of this please…” – Radio 4 listener

The project is open to any UK school providing secondary education and we work with every type of school you can imagine – from academies and schools for pupils with special educational needs to pupil referral units and independent schools.

This diversity ensures that the excellent journalism our young reporters produce reflects the diverse voices of young people across the UK – and it’s why we

But the project has a legacy beyond what makes it on air and on the web. Independent research has shown that School Report has real and pupils themselves tell us what a difference taking part has made to their lives.Μύ

Μύβ€œI honestly cannot describe the impact that School Report has had on me. To put it lightly Birmingham City Uni would in all likelihood not have accepted me without the experience I gained through School Report,” – former School Reporter, writing to Radio Northampton

Young people are a part of our audience - reflecting their interests and their concerns is vital.Μύ

Over the next few months, School Reporters will be reporting on the future of education and the issues they face at school. They’ll be investigating the changes being made to exams, looking at how well schools are preparing their students for the world of work and holding the people making the decisions about the future of education to account. ΜύΜύ

So stay tuned – there’s a lot we can learn from our young people.

, is Editor of School Report

• Watch a video about

I can't believe it's been a whole year since the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ announced its first ever city partnership, yet here we are about to celebrate the first anniversary of the . The partnership saw key media organisations in the city agree to work together to create a media and creative hub. Part of the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ's commitment was to increase our outreach work in the area. Well, we've certainly been getting out and about to meet the people of Bristol in the last year.

One of the highlights was , our flagship student journalism scheme, which has seen the number of Bristol schools participating soar since the city partnership began. On annual School Report News Day in March there was a large , which involved many of the local students.

It wasn't just school children who benefited. We also provided production training for 15 young people not in employment, education or training through . All the participants received three days intensive training and ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ mentor support. Three of the young people also went on to complete six-week paid work placements. One of the trainees, Romayne Graham, is now working as a runner on Bargain Hunt. This year's trainees have just been recruited - so good luck to them.

One year on is a great time to review the project and I'll be in Bristol next week to meet with the partners involved. I look forward to hearing about the successes of the other partners and plans for the future.

Alec McGivan is Head of Outreach

The videos were made in March 2010 as part of ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ School Report, .

It can sometimes feel like an anxious time when annual reports are looming - the trenches of stats and information, probing questions from verifiers! Essentially though, I think external reporting is a thoroughly useful process - both for ensuring we keep our house in order and also for being more open with our audiences. Reporting creates a useful (and public) milestone and a chance to reflect on the year's achievements - which are by no means small.

For me, one of the highlights of the year has been seeing the strength of the - in spite of the current economic climate. Audiences have been incredibly generous. Both and exceeded their previous fundraising totals, raising £39m and over £40m respectively - a fantastic achievement that will benefit people across the UK and abroad.

I've also been incredibly proud of the support ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ staff have given to outreach initiatives that
extend beyond their day jobs. is just one example. It's a project that engages 11-14 year olds with ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ News - and one of the ways it achieves that is by drawing on the expertise of ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ journalists.

Staff provide mentoring support and help guide teachers, often including a visit to their matched school. In March, over 25,000 students from over 700 UK-wide schools took part in annual News Day by publishing their own reports, on news that matters to them. It's a fantastic moment in the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ calendar and creates a truly unique opportunity for our young audiences to have their voices heard across ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ News.

Several of my team have been School Report mentors and they've got a great deal out of it. It's amazing how talking to young people about what you do can reconfirm the reasons you do it - not to mention developing communication skills - it's no small feat to hold the attention of a room full of 13 year olds!

Staff also get involved by volunteering with charity partners through the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Connect & Create scheme. Last year, an impressive 694 colleagues took part and I also continued providing mentoring support for the charity . Ten new national charity partners have now been selected and real effort has gone into ensuring these represent the diversity of our audiences - so staff can develop their understanding at the same time as developing specific skills. I look forward to seeing how these relationships grow over the year ahead.

Reporting on the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ's environmental performance was another key focus for this year's Corporate Responsibility Report. We have continued to make progress towards reaching the targets set in the 2008 Environmental Action Plan and we're delighted to be on-track with this challenging task.

One of the most significant developments is that the team have been working hard to extend our environmental initiatives - to include how we make our programmes, as well as the way we run our business. As a result, later this year we'll launch "Albert" - a carbon calculator to help production teams assess and measure carbon emissions. I'm told the name has no particular significance - and can confirm that it's not the name of the project lead either (he's called Richard in case you wondered).

ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Environment Action Plan targets for year end 2012/13:

While the year ahead will present challenges, we remain committed to corporate responsibility and are delighted to have retained Platinum status in - a benchmark for evaluating our impacts in society and on the environment.

I look forward to the year ahead and in particular we plan to focus on the community impacts of opening a new ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ site in Salford in 2010. We're already developing relationships with people on the ground and I'm optimistic that we can make contact with significant sections of the community in advance of the building even opening. Already we have met over 3000 local young people, through projects including media training and backstage tours for schools.

Alec McGivan is the Head of ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Outreach

• Read the full

• Listen to highlights of the and find out what happened in schools around the UK and overseas, as students turned their classrooms into newsrooms
  
• Find out from students at schools who have been preparing for a big News Day.