The Brook Trust kindly agreed to support this three-part project to improve the Speaking & Listening skills of around 50 young people. The Brook Trust are a major Kent-based funder who have kindly supported Academy FM in the past. The project works with the children in two Year 7 classes at the Folkestone Academy, which has a catchment area containing some of the most deprived parts of southern England. The three parts are:

 

1. Each class is given two one-hour, LIVE, lunchtime shows on the radio every week. Students are allocated in pairs into these shows by their teacher. They learn how to project their voices, speak clearly, and construct concise sentences while on live radio. They are mentored by the Young Apprentice and overseen by Academy FM management staff.  

 

2. Every year we meet more teenagers with little knowledge of the surrounding countryside, and the area’s history. Tackling this through our project work is something we’re committed to at Academy FM. We will take each class on two separate trips into the local countryside, visiting farms and places of historical interest. Students will produce radio features about these trips, which will involve them conducting research, performing interviews, and writing introductions.

 

3. Members of each class are offered a ‘Radio Session’ if part of the Performance Society, led by Lucy Simes. – similar in concept to an after-school club. They will be taught by the Project Leader to write and read scripts for radio broadcast. This will help their confidence in speaking to an audience, and also their listening skills as they will have to comprehend instructions from Academy FM staff.