The MEA Chair's Report 2025

Dear Colleagues

I had thought that last year’s Chair’s report would be my last. However, circumstances have conspired against me and I find myself writing one more report for the membership. I am quite happy to do this, as it has been a positive year for the MEA, but I am glad to be handing the Chair’s position on to someone else shortly.

A number of significant events saw strong MEA involvement in the last 12 months. Our takeover of NATE’s Teaching English magazine was a great success with a number of members contributing a really interesting range of articles exploring the relationship between English and Media. I understand that copies (both physical and digital) may be available to anyone who hasn’t yet read it.

We also made strong submissions to both the Curriculum and Assessment Review and the House of Lord Inquiry on Media Literacy. These submissions are available on our website, and I urge members to read them wherever possible, as they highlight the ways in which we are fighting for meaningful curriculum change, which features both Media Studies and wider media literacy within and across the school curriculum. Our submission to the House of Lords Inquiry was complemented by the valuable and detailed in-person evidence given by Exec member Claire Pollard, who mounted one of the most impassioned and articulate defences of Media in the curriculum that you are likely to see. Again I urge members to go back and watch this on the House of Lords website here - https://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/a17af738-2a14-4342-ba41-787deb52bb8d

Finally, I want to ask all members of the MEA and all media and film educators in the UK, to get in touch with us and stay in touch. The MEA is for you so please do let us know what you think we should be doing in both the policy and the practice arenas. We can be contacted in all the usual ways and are always looking to develop both our membership and our work.

Steve Connolly

3^rd July 2025

Treasurers Report July 25.docx

Download DOCX • 15KB