Multi-national school united in love of film

A tiny Armagh primary school where the pupils speak six different languages is harnessing the power of film to unite and teach the children literacy, maths and social skills.
The Drelincourt School, where 80% of the pupils speak English as a second language, has won the UK-wide Into Film Club of the Month award for their innovative approach to using film in the classroom. The school was presented with a £100 voucher by Into Film. Pictured at the Box Office of the weekly film club are teachers Dawn Boyd, Principal Eileen Trew and Sharon Walker with Into Films Lorraine MageeThe Drelincourt School, where 80% of the pupils speak English as a second language, has won the UK-wide Into Film Club of the Month award for their innovative approach to using film in the classroom. The school was presented with a £100 voucher by Into Film. Pictured at the Box Office of the weekly film club are teachers Dawn Boyd, Principal Eileen Trew and Sharon Walker with Into Films Lorraine Magee
The Drelincourt School, where 80% of the pupils speak English as a second language, has won the UK-wide Into Film Club of the Month award for their innovative approach to using film in the classroom. The school was presented with a £100 voucher by Into Film. Pictured at the Box Office of the weekly film club are teachers Dawn Boyd, Principal Eileen Trew and Sharon Walker with Into Films Lorraine Magee

The Drelincourt School, where 80% of the pupils speak English as a second language, has won the UK-wide Into Film Club of the Month award for their innovative approach to using film in the classroom.

The little rural school, with just 20 pupils all under the age of eight, was honoured for the fantastic way that they have adapted the club as a unique all-encompassing learning experience.

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Every Friday afternoon, the school turns into a mini-cinema with the children running all parts of the operation from choosing the film, promoting it, running the box office, taking tickets and serving popcorn.

After the movie, each child reviews the film and they are given topics by the teachers to discuss such as the quality of music, humour or acting. The skills they are learning include literacy, language development, maths as they work the box office and earn their ticket money, social skills as they work together to choose the film and manners as they wait patiently in the queue to go into the cinema.

Teacher Sharon Walker said: “We’ve had a film club for the past five years but we really wanted to make it an even more important learning and developmental tool. With just 20 pupils, our children speak six languages between them including Lithuanian, Latvian, Russian, Polish, Bulgarian and English. Film has the power to unite them.”

They’ve watched the Peanuts Movie, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Cinderella, Cars and their next movie will be a black and white Laurel and Hardy film.

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“We’ve had such amazing support from Into Film. I hadn’t been aware of the amount of resources that they have online; there are so many valuable teaching tools and they’re all available free,” Mrs Walker explained.

Lorraine Magee from Into Film presented the school with a £100 voucher to spend on their club. “We are so impressed by the way they’ve taken their film club to the next level. This is such a happy place and by using film to teach, the children really look forward to coming to school.”

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