Hundreds of children to enjoy movies at National Schools Film Week

HUNDREDS of schoolchildren across Weston-super-Mare will be enjoying a free trip to the movies during National Schools Film Week.

Pupils across the district will be visiting The Odeon Cinema between Monday and Friday, October 15-26 as part of the world's largest film festival for schools.

This year the festival, which is celebrating its 17th birthday, will see 2,500 screenings take place at 570 cinemas across the UK.

The aim of the festival is to support classroom teaching by providing schools with a powerful experience for their students that links directly to elements of the curriculum - supported by an on-line library of resources related to individual films and more generic topics.

A two week programme of films has been put together, starting on October 16 with a screening of Brave.

On October 17 students will enjoy watching Dr Suess' The Lorax and on October 19 there will be a Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days followed by Ice Age - a Continental Drift on October 19.

A screening of Mirror Mirror takes place on October 22 and on October 23 students will be able to watch Coriolnus.

On October 24 the classic Wuthering Heights will be screened, followed by Jasper, Penguin Explorer on October 25 and The Muppets on October 26.

The films fit a range of ages from U to 15 and some have been chosen due to their suitability for children with special needs.

Students from Walliscote Primary will be among those taking a trip to the cinema.

Walliscote Primary teacher, Tessa-Kate, said: "We bring our school to the film week because we like to participate in activities, which the whole school can be involved in, and it's a good opportunity to reinforce their speaking and listening skills.

"The films also let them take some time to consider lots of different issues.

"I feel it's really good for the children to see a film on the big screen as it is a completely different experience to seeing something at home, they should be able to feel the force of film."

The festival is organised and funded by the charity Film Education, which also runs teacher training events and produces BAFTA winning and curriculum based resources.

Each year Film Education's activities reach an average of more than two million school children aged four to 19 years - aiming to reach all schoolchildren regardless of economic, cultural or social background.

Festival Director, Nick Walker, said: "The festival seeks to create a greater awareness and understanding of cinema based on the concept of relationships and dialogues in a variety of films, address issues of cultural exchange and raise awareness amongst teaching professionals of the use of film across the school curriculum.

"This is achieved by in-cinema talks and on-line resources, which give teachers the tools to encourage students to explore and understand new cinematic worlds."

Teachers can book their free tickets on-line by clicking HERE.