Filmmaking to be embedded in Scottish school curriculum in bid to boost industry skills
All age groups within the Scottish curriculum from nursery to senior level, will be given access to film education
Filmmaking is to be embedded in the Scottish curriculum from nursery to high school in a bid to widen access to practical skills within the film industry.
Screen Scotland is to implement the initiative, backed by the Scottish Government, which will see film and screen taught as an expressive art, rather than studying the theory or history of film.
Speaking at the launch of the Edinburgh International Film Festival on Thursday night, Screen Scotland executive director Isabel Davis highlighted initiatives such as the Sean Connery Youth Talent Lab - a 12-month talent development programme for 25 aspiring filmmakers - as part of a wider drive to expose more young people to the film industry.
The curriculum, which has been in planning stages for three years, will include a Film and Screen Award developed in conjunction with the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA).
She said: “Collectively, we are providing more opportunities than ever for emerging Scottish talent to tell their story through film. And next month, we’ll have a bit more to say about our work to embed filmmaking in the Scottish school curriculum to ensure that every child in Scotland can see their role within the world of filmmaking.”
A launch of the scheme and its rollout is planned for September.
Screen Scotland estimates that the screen sector is set to be worth £1 billion to the economy by 2030.
A statement from Screen Scotland said: “As part of their commitment to education, Screen Scotland aim to embed a film and screen curriculum across Scottish education from early years to senior phase, situated within the Expressive Arts curriculum.
“This is core to Screen Scotland’s work to widen participation in film and screen production, cultivate a skilled screen workforce, and develop the screen professionals needed to carry forward Scotland’s film culture.”
In July 2022, a symposium, hosted and facilitated by Screen Scotland, was attended by academics, professionals from across early years, primary, secondary and tertiary education, and screen access and education practitioners, as well as representatives from the SQA, the Scottish Government and Education Scotland.
A draft Film and Screen curriculum was developed, detailing content for each age and stage of school education, while in 2023, a draft 21-credit Film and Screen Award for the upper years of high school was developed by the SQA in collaboration with Screen Scotland.
A pilot programme to test the planned curriculum was launched in February 2023 in five local authority areas, including Argyll and Bute, Edinburgh, Dundee, the Highlands and Shetland.
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Scotland’s screen sector is set to be worth £1 billion to our economy by 2030 and the Scottish Government is committed to seizing the significant opportunities that come with that growth, working with Screen Scotland to achieve this through skills and training opportunities, education for the next generation, and inward investment.”
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