This is an exciting new course, available at Long Road at two different levels (Higher and Advanced), offering great opportunities for students with a very strong interest in media production.

The course will involve a high level of commitment, including lots of teamwork and collaboration, plenty of hands-on experience with the equipment, project-based learning for each unit and a constant mix of researching, planning, presenting, making, reflecting and evaluating.

It is a broad course, which includes print, video and web work, but also elements of performing arts, photography, art and craft. It represents a real chance to make real media products for real audiences and to develop quite high level skills.

The course is broken into a series of projects, which are continuously assessed. Students gather evidence in both notebooks and e-portfolios to support and evidence their progress. Tasks are set by teachers, employers and the exam board. Long Road students will be based mainly here, with some input from specialist teachers from the other centres, but there will also be a chance to use the facilities at the other centres, particularly the new Coleridge Media Centre.

Work experience is guaranteed, but there is also the chance to apply learning in real work contexts, including visiting speakers from creative and media firms, some of whom will give ‘hands-on’ teaching and visits to a range of employers to see the professionals at work, in Cambridge and beyond.

We have drafted designs for the courses which we hope will excite your interest!

The Level 2 course can be viewed here

You will notice that at Level 2 there are units which involve constructing websites, videos, radio and T-shirt design. There is also a unit called Festival, which will be jointly organised by students from all centres in the Consortium, where you will showcase work from all the courses, in early May 2009. The course is designed to ensure that you will have the opportunity to draw upon any wider specialist skills you have, such as dance or music.


The Level 3 course can be viewed here

This course integrates the Media Studies A level, and, as you can see, contains a huge range of production opportunities, many of which will involve cutting edge technology, such as building artefacts in the Virtual World, Second Life. Again, our intention is to ensure flexible learning so that students can play to their strengths and develop existing talents, such as art, performance and music, as well as learn lots of new ones.

If you have any questions about these courses, please e-mail us at diploma@longroadmedia.com

WE WOULD LOVE TO SEE YOUR CREATIVE WORK. UPLOAD YOUR PHOTOS, GRAPHICS, FILMS AND ANIMATION, AND POST LINKS TO YOUR OWN WEBSITES AND MUSIC.

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Welcome to the longroadmedia diploma blog.

Here are some key links

Compulsory elements of the diploma


optional elements of the diploma


Diploma info site home page

Government 14-19 home page

A presentation on the Diploma at Long Road that you can download here

This is a two year course, worth the equivalent of at least three A levels. It will be recognised by universities for entry into Higher Education and by employers as a good sign of readiness for employment, particularly in the Creative and Media areas.

Students will need at least five grade A-C at GCSE, including English Language, as well as a keen interest in media production. The course will cover the material from the A level Media course and in addition, students will be asked to consider taking another A-level, for which they are appropriately qualified. This could be another creative subject or something to broaden their studies such as a language or humanities subject or even a science.

The course will also aim to ensure that students use of English, Maths and ICT have reached acceptable standards for employment. As part of the course, students will also undertake an extended project, which may take a variety of forms, and complete a minimum of ten days of relevant work experience.

This course is a one year course at Long Road for students who need a consolidation year before embarking on the Advanced Diploma or A levels (i.e. they arrive at Long Road with less than 5 A-C grades). The course will be worth 5-6 GCSEs at A-C and it is likely that students would be taking it alongside English Language and probably Maths.

It will be a very intensive course, in order to cover all units. It would qualify students to go on to the Advanced diploma or to do A levels in Arts and Humanities.

The Edexcel specifications can be downloaded here

These form the basis for the courses we shall be designing over the coming months.

The consortium of the four centres successfully got through the 'gateway' in March to earn the right to be one of only 62 consortia to deliver the Diploma in Creative and Media from September 2008. We are working closely together in the design of the course and in the purchase and allocation of resources to ensure maximum access for all students in the area.

These are some of the employers who have already pledged their support for the diploma locally. They will be involved in assisting with planning the course as well as potentially offering work experience.

For 2013 new diplomas in Science, languages and Humanities...here

H.E. institutions are very keen on the Diploma as it should prepare students better for the independent learning needed at university.

Recent comments from Admissions tutors from a range of universities:

" It's a major strength of the Diploma that it involves transferable skills"

"The problem solving, analysis and understanding of the relationship between cause and effect is a good lead-in to H.E."

and more specifically directed towards what we do at Long Road:

"I am heartened that you are engaging with it as we value and rate what you do at Long Road and always find your students superb to teach and rewarding to watch develop - whatever you do, please keep doing it!"- David Sleight, Univ of Lincoln Media Production