Arts Award and end2end TV: giving young people a voice

Lorraine Smith Co-Founder of Arts Award centre end2end TV CIC shares with us the importance of ‘learning by doing’ and how they progressed from delivering Arts Awards in clubs and workshops to delivering within curriculum time at Hurstmere Secondary School in Sidcup. 

Learning by doing is an example of experiential learning or learning through the actions and reflections of doing something, as opposed to simply reading or being told about it. This method is so natural and organic that people engage in it without being aware that they are learning. end2end TV put young people in real life TV & film roles which increases engagement and attention; experiences become much more memorable in an environment where all abilities can achieve.

end2end TV is a unique not-for-profit TV production company where young people are the programme and filmmakers, steering digital content from concept through to creation. Our practical learning-by-doing approach enables young people to get hands on with professional broadcast equipment in the creation of digital content. Adults and young people work together in our Multi-Camera Green Screen Studio and Production Control Room based at Hurstmere School in Sidcup, Kent. We do this in a variety of ways from running workshops, working with pupils within curriculum time and giving young people the opportunity to practise their filming skills in the community, using ENG (Electronic News Gathering) cameras on location with our outside broadcast vehicle. 

By putting the production process into the hands of young people, it enables them to increase their understanding of digital media and work with their peers to construct new digital outcomes, where they bring their ideas and narratives to life using broadcast technologies. It’s definitely proving popular and demonstrates the depth of technical, digital & life-skills that are achievable by young people of all abilities when using a hands-on approach.

I founded end2end TV with Peter Barrett in January 2021 alongside our inaugural end2end TV Crew, who were a group of twelve 11 year old children we had been working with in film, technology and digital media since they were 8 years old. We decided that to truly put young people at the heart of our company we needed their input at a board level, so the crew became end2end TV stakeholders and they continue to advance their skills with us weekly. I am an Arts Award adviser and end2end TV is an Arts Award centre; it has delivered Arts Awards in TV & Film Production from its launch. All e2e Crew members achieved a Bronze Arts Award as part of their initial scholarship with us and are currently working on their Silver, whilst our senior crew member Dan (aged 16) recently achieved his Gold Arts Award; celebrating not only a fantastic personal achievement, but also on a professional level as a member of end2end TV. You can read more about Dan and his achievements on end2end TV’s blog post here. 

'Being shown how to do something and then actually learning by doing and having the opportunity to figure things out, is the best way to learn. It's like an apprenticeship and we are often learning without realising it. The Director, Andrew, played a leading role in my Gold Arts Award. He was only eleven years old when we collaborated, but his experience and support was invaluable! 

I am so proud of the things I've accomplished over the last 19 months, but I couldn't have done it without each and every member of the e2e Crew. Every member of the crew has a key role, whether being in front of camera, behind it or offering moral support and boosting morale, I couldn't have worked with a better group of young adults! It's been truly incredible and inspiring to see! As a past pupil of Hurstmere School, it is great to see what end2end TV is achieving there.’   Dan Wilds, Arts Award achiever

end2end TV have taken part in a range of activities, with one notable opportunity being appearing on BAFTA award winning news programme FYI , a programme dedicated to giving young people a voice, which was broadcast on Sky News; showing the crew and Hurstmere Media Team filming, directing and streaming a concert live! You can watch the broadcast here.

Delivering Arts Awards has become an important aspect of end2end TV. After meeting Andrew Gilbert, the musician in residence at Hurstmere School in Sidcup and filming a music showcase in 2021, we realised we shared a synergy for giving young people innovative opportunities to express themselves creatively. We met with Hurstmere’s forward thinking Principal, Lynn Bennett, to discuss our vision to give pupils opportunities to produce learning responses in a brand-new way, using green screen technology both within the curriculum and through extra-curricular clubs. Although Lynn was very positive from the outset, we had to draw up a business plan which then had to be approved by the governing body. During our probationary first term we were asked to talk to teachers in different departments and inspire them to get their pupils involved. Our impact was then assessed by the governors once again. As a result, we were given a contract and space for an immersive multi-camera green screen studio and production control room. In return we used our own furniture and equipment to set everything up over the summer holidays. Hurstmere gave end2end TV CIC a base, and we gave them an independent TV Production Company on site. 

We are thrilled to have built such a positive working partnership with Hurstmere School since April last year. Our first day at Hurstmere saw us working with a group of Year 7 pupils who were embarking on a brand-new hands-on project; making bee hives and learning more about bee-keeping which they called ‘Thr’hive’. You can find out more about it here. Since then, Peter & I have worked with young people in various subject areas across KS3-4. Sessions are rich with high level digital literacy skills and teamwork that boost knowledge and well-being simultaneously. 

Having delivered Arts Awards through our clubs and workshops, we are excited to now be delivering various Arts Award levels during curriculum time at Hurstmere. Currently we are working with groups in KS3; scriptwriting, storyboarding and producing film trailers for digital literacy groups, as well as pupils producing learning resources and documentaries for future learners in Geography. In KS4 we are working with pupils studying for their Art GCSE, enabling them to create learning responses using photography and film for their coursework and exams. In March we are scheduled to film on location again, giving the Year 7-8 Hurstmere Media Team the chance to practise their skills as they film and stream the Music Department’s ‘Music for Youth’ Festival for Hurstmere and other local schools. 

This spring term will see groups achieve Arts Award Discover in TV production and we anticipate the delivery of Arts Award within the school developing to higher levels and embedding further into the curriculum as we work with new departments. We are looking forward to celebrating the achievements of the pupils later this summer. 

‘Our TV Studio and Production Control Room at Hurstmere School is entirely new and innovative. In the green screen studio pupils literally merge with the backgrounds surrounding them! KS3 & 4 pupils are able to edit and adapt these backgrounds to meet their needs and interact with them; allowing them to extend their learning and understanding of narrative, literacy and technical skills across all subject areas in a unique environment. It’s exciting to be pioneering this new learning technique in a studio setting and giving young people opportunities that they have never encountered before.’  Peter Barrett