A tribute to Linda Mann – an inspirational media educator

The MEA is sad to announce the death of Linda Mann, one of the true pioneers of classroom media teaching within the English Curriculum.  Her belief in the power and potential of media study to engage, inspire and challenge her inner city students informed all aspects of her working life, and enabled a vision of a genuinely cross-curricular model for media education, primarily through the teaching of English but also through a wide range of multi-disciplinary creative and classroom research projects, both within and beyond Charles Edward Brookes School (CEBS)  in Lambeth during the 90s and Noughties.

Initially an English teacher, Linda pioneered an approach to English which not only embedded the reading  and production of media texts into all aspects of the curriculum, but also constructed a developmental model which addressed key media concepts and production skills developmentally year on year throughout KS3 and 4. Examples  of her early thinking can still be seen in The English and Media Centre’s free download publication

The English Curriculum: Media Years 7-9 : Learning from the Past.  https://www.englishandmedia.co.uk/search?query=English+Curriculum%3A+Media

This was only the beginning. As Assistant Head teacher at CEBS during a brief optimistic pre-Gove period, Linda steered the school towards becoming one of the first specialist schools for media education, which allowed her to recruit brilliant specialist staff and develop school-wide production resources and digital skills. She was an early adopter of BBC News Report and teaching with and about video games, and a good friend to the English and Media Centre, with whom she collaborated in numerous and diverse classroom research projects and consultations. She was EMC’s ‘go-to’ person for support for the role of media in English, and an eloquent and passionate advocate of arts education. A long and fruitful collaboration with BFI Education led to her direction of an annual series of inspirational mixed-media promenade events from Lambeth schools at BFI Southbank, bringing together over 100 students of dance, drama, music and media – complex and empowering performances overseen by Linda’s vision and calm and creative networking  and organisation.

In 2005 Linda contributed to Media Matters, a DfE study commissioned from EMC by QCA, the precursor of Ofqual, of the  current state of play in media education nationwide.  20 years on, her testimony, examples and case studies remain relevant, clear-sighted and realistic. While heavily redacted and depoliticised, the published report incontrovertibly demonstrated the formation of a media teachers’ association, leading directly to the formation of the MEA, in which Linda was closely involved and a loyal supporter.

Visionary without preaching, modest and empathic but with a steely edge, and always totally committed to  her belief in the values of media education, inclusion and social justice, Linda was hugely loved and respected by her colleagues, students and friends.  Warm, funny, thoughtful, loyal  and so much fun to be with, we have missed her since her retirement. Thank you Linda.