Gorringe pupils call “lights, camera, action”

· by · in Children, Education and schools, Young people. ·

Gorringe Park Primary School in Mitcham is all set to open its brand new TV studio and IT suite.

Cabinet member for education Cllr Martin Whelton with pupils at Gorringe Park Primary School

Cabinet member for education Cllr Martin Whelton with senior students at Gorringe Park Primary School

Merton’s cabinet member for edcuation Councillor Martin Whelton and director of children, schools and families Yvette Stanley joined pupils and headteacher Simon Elledge this week (Friday 11 September) to take a look at the state of the art equipment and to have a go at producing their own news piece to camera.

Pupils at the school will be able to benefit from hands-on experience of being both in front of and behind the camera. They will have the opportunity to present bulletins about issues that interest them. They will also have the chance to produce and direct the bulletin as well as film it.  The station includes a green screen which allows the children to make professional looking and creative programmes.

The school is planning to invite community groups into the school so that as many people as possible in Merton will be able to benefit from this resource.

Cllr Martin Whelton and head teacher Simon Elledge

Cllr Martin Whelton and head teacher Simon Elledge in the new IT suite

Merton Council’s cabinet member for education Councillor Martin Whelton said: “This is an amazing resource for a primary school to have at its disposal. There is so much potential here which will allow the children to learn a range of valuable skills including working in a team, presentation, directing and IT as well as accelerating their progress in writing. Putting together a broadcast will be incredibly rewarding and we may be seeing here a future generation of journalists and TV executives.”

Headteacher Simon Elledge said: “I’ve managed to use our IT budget to bring this exceptional resource to the school. Our TV station and IT suite will provide our pupils with the tools and skills that they will need to live in an increasingly technical world. We work hard at giving our children, at this young age, as broad a range of experiences and opportunities as possible, which is worth so much and can be very influential on decisions they make for their future. This is all the more important in areas like Mitcham, which are less well off than places like Wimbledon. I am also excited about the prospect of opening the IT suite and TV station to the community too. This is a resource for our school and also for residents of Merton.”

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