A strong foundation: Global Academy

Broadcasting and digital media are popular career choices for school leavers, but the competition is tough, so gaining skills and experience from an early age is always an advantage. That is why Global Academy, a college in west London, has been established to provide a stepping-stone for young people towards media careers. The academy was founded by Global, the British media and entertainment group that is behind Classic FM, Heart, Capital, and many other radio stations, with the aim to prepare a new generation for work in the rapidly developing digital world.

Along with Global, the academy is also supported by the University of the Arts London (UAL), which allows it to be classed as a University Technology College (UTC). Jonty Archibald, principal of Global Academy, explains: ‘We are a state school, funded by the Department for Education [so there are no fees] and sponsored by Global. Most UTCs are STEM-based, so they focus on science, technology, engineering, and maths. However, we are set up to meet the needs of students who want to go into creative digital media areas.’

While the academy's focus is on vocational, media-related training, it also fulfils the role of a state secondary school and the Academy is proud of its role in the local education system. ‘We are a Hillingdon school,’ says Archibald, ‘and we work closely with other Hillingdon schools. This is reflected in the makeup of the board of governors, which includes parents and representatives of the local community, as well as figures from UAL and Global. The balance between local and broader communities is also demonstrated by the enrolment policy, with 50% of pupils coming from the catchment area and 50% from beyond. ‘A UTC is at an interesting transitional point,’ explains Archibald. ‘For many students, the reason they want to come here is because their mainstream schools do not have a creative focus, instead focussing on achieving the English Baccalaureate, which does not allow them to do more than one creative subject.’

The UAL serves two important roles for Global Academy, as a partner in the creative and vocational training, and as an awarding body. Year 10 and 11 students work towards a UAL Level 2 Diploma in Creative Media Production and Technology, and Year 12 and 13 students work towards the UAL Level 3 Extended Diploma in Broadcast & Digital Media. Archibald says: ‘We think these are the best courses, because they are all about the process and producing coursework. There are no final exams, and it's very much like a degree.’ That is what makes the school distinctive. ‘We are not chasing progress through attainment figures or gameplaying for exams,’ he continues. ‘We are doing qualifications that are right for the industry. The UAL qualification is the industry standard.’

Strong routes

Students can apply to enter Global Academy at either Key Stage 4 level or sixth form, with entry at Year 10 and Year 12 respectively. Along with the UAL Level 2 Diploma, Year 10 students also study towards the OCR Cambridge National qualification in Enterprise and Marketing—key skills in any media environment. On the academic side, they take GCSEs in English, Maths and Science. They also choose one of three GCSE ‘Pathways’: Music, Technical, or Creative. Surprisingly, GCSE Music is not offered at Global, and Archibald explains that this is because the academy is primarily a technical college. But the music pathway allows students to gain a significant amount of exposure to music-related technologies. They study towards the NCFE in Music Technology, as well as towards the ICT qualification, courses that complement each other well.

The sixth form curriculum is even more vocational. ‘That is when they really start to specialise in either audio, digital or visual,’ says Archibald. ‘So, for example, they will be making podcasts or making short-content films, or a website. It is all about digital media.’

Some A Levels are offered, including Music Technology. ‘We think these are appropriate,’ says Archibald, ‘to run alongside the UAL Level 3. But we are not really a sixth form college in the strict sense of offering A Levels, it is more about the UAL. Our focus is on helping students identify a pathway for their future career – be that university, work or an apprenticeship.’

Music technology can give students a head start on a career in the industry

Branching out

Students at all levels benefit from the academy's close ties with the media industry. Global obviously has a strong presence, but other important collaborators include Sky and Facebook. Masterclasses are regularly given by industry insiders and Year 12 and 13 students have opportunities to learn from people working in the media industry, including presenters from Global. ‘We recently had Capital XTRA do a live set from here,’ says Archibald. ‘They didn't just do the live set and go, they worked here for a week, and our students got involved with the content of the show, working with producers.’ The academy uses these industry contacts to maximise the opportunities for students to create professional-level content. Students have provided material for the Global Awards ceremony, for example, and have also collaborated on the government's flagship anti-drugs campaign, Talk to Frank.

Global Academy was founded in 2016, so it is still only in its third academic year, but its graduates are already vindicating the new approach. Of the students who completed Year 13 last year, one third continued to university, one third went straight into work and one third into apprenticeships – neatly mirroring the academy's balance of academic and vocational activities. Global has accepted several students for apprenticeships, and others have gone on to companies and institutions not directly linked to the academy. Archibald reports that one former student has recently been accepted for a training scheme with Google, while another is currently on an apprenticeship with Facebook and she regularly returns to the Academy to tell younger students about the experience, bringing the story of media collaboration full circle.

More information about Global Academy, including the application process, please visit the website globalacademy.com or email info@globalacademy.com.