Looking back on our inclusion projects

In the 2013-14 academic year we ran three inclusion projects kindly funded by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, aimed at using film to engage students facing different forms of disadvantage.

The project was comprised of three strands:

• Rural: working with students in rural areas who rarely have the opportunity to travel outside of their community.
• Identity and Belonging: working with pupils who are newly arrived to the UK and their peers.
• SEN: working with pupils with special educational needs and their peers, both in special and mainstream schools.

Working with expert advisors and existing film club leaders, we set about curating a series of films and producing a suite of educational resources that would spark conversation and debate as well as broaden cultural and social awareness. There was also a focus on including films that students may not have encountered before in order to increase their knowledge and appreciation of film as an artform. Watch the short film below to get an overview of the project.

Nearly 140 schools took part in the project across the three strands, engaging students with film watching, discussing and reviewing using our resources. We also ran a series of filmmaking workshops which were in keeping with the project aims and themes, the results of which you can watch here.

One of the biggest successes of the project was in broadening the variety of films being watched by young people. We highlighted over 100 films on the project, everything from Marx Brothers comedy Duck Soup to the powerful documentary Alamar to the sensory explosion Life Of Pi. As a result, 87% of pupils noted they learnt about other cultures, 71% noted that they felt film club had helped them do better in school, with 78% of club leaders noting increases in their pupils' confidence in joining discussions.

Another big success of the project was in boosting literacy, with over 4,300 reviews written by participants, including many by students with different forms of autism, some of whom had never written a review before. This review writing not only increased students' appreciation for films, but helped increase their vocabulary and confidence when it comes to expressing their opinion.

To maintain the legacy of the project, all resources will continue to be downloadable, with all accompanying films free to order when you set up a film club. For a full evaluation of the project, download the report below.

We would like to thank everyone who supported us throughout the preparation and delivery of the Inclusion Projects that were funded by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation.

The Paul Hamlyn Foundation; Dimensions; Cinema Exhibitors' Association; Ambitious about Autism; Mencap; Widgit; PECS; Oily Cart; Deco Films & Television Ltd.; YoungMinds; The National Autistic Society; Sarah Rawsthorn, Edge Inclusion Consultancy; Eden Arts; Cine North; Cine Yorkshire; Rural Cinema Project, Cine Yorkshire; Creative Arts East; The Rural Media Company; Regional Screen Scotland; Kendal Mountain Festival; The Pupil Parent Partnership; WAC Arts; City of Sanctuary; Refugee Council; Future Creative; Doug Noble; Platforma South East; Bill Bolloten; refed (refugee education); Freedom from Torture; BandBazi; Refuge in Film Festival; Refugee Youth; Platforma; Counterpoint Arts; Ovalhouse Theatre; Show Racism the Red Card; The Educational Institute of Scotland; Takudzwa Mukiwa; Zimbabwe Association; Italian Cultural Institute in London; Polish Cultural Institute; Anglo-Albanian Association; Embassy of Albania; Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria, London; Bangladesh High Commission, London; Royal African Society; Birkbeck University of London; Ealing, Hammersmith and West London College; Swiss Cottage SEN School; Mid Kent College of Further Education; Park Lane Special School, Macclesfield; Collingwood School and Media Arts College; Whitstone School, Somerset; St Mary's & St Peter's, Somerset; Stratton Primary School, Cornwall; Shaftesbury High School, Harrow; Honilands Primary School, Enfield