Frequently Asked Questions
The following is a selection of the most frequently asked questions by teachers regarding National Schools Film Week. If there are any issues and queries that are not covered here, then please phone (020 7292 7300) or email us and we’ll be more than happy to provide an answer.
Is it really free to participate?
All places booked for National Schools Film Week are free. We do, however,
charge a late cancellation or no-show fee (£50); this is only enforced if a teacher does not contact us to cancel within 6 working days prior to the screening or fails to show up on the day. As many of our events are sell out events , schools who do not take up the places that they have booked, will have denied the opportunity to another school in the same area to attend the screening.
Is there any limit to the number of places we can book?
No. You may bring as many students as you like, and for as many screenings as you like, as long as there’s space in the cinema! But please carefully consider the number of seats that you book and be as accurate as possible. And don’t forget to include teachers and helpers!
How can I use cinema in my teaching?
Learning which takes place beyond the classroom walls plays an important role in students’ social and cultural education. By providing free film screenings, along with a rich programme of educational events and a wealth of high quality, curriculum-based online resources to support learning, National Schools Film Week ensures these opportunities are available to students of all backgrounds.
Learners at any level can gain immensely from the cinema experience whether they are an A-level Film Studies student or a Year 1 child seeing their first-ever big screen film. Indeed the experience of film can start before children and young people arrive at the cinema.. Before a screening, teachers can involve their whole class in preparing for the event, for example, by researching the history of the local cinema, investigating current films’ releases or exploring the issues that feature in their chosen film. Back in the classroom, Film Education’s curriculum–focused teaching materials make it easy to incorporate film across a sequence of lessons or even a whole term, whether exploring issues presented onscreen or developing an understanding of the language of film. Whatever your focus, film can provide a valuable, accessible and engaging mode of delivery to learners. For further advice or guidance, see our website or contact one of our education team.
I have a few students with a sensory impairment in my class, what can I do for them?
Many of our events take place in cinemas with services for the sensory impaired. These can be easily identified by the symbol that appears in the listings section.
Ewen Kelly, Class Teacher, Tollcross Primary School
"The children loved the film and it's fantastic to hear eight and nine year olds praising a subtitled Polish film! Hopefully seeing this film will build awareness that subtitled or less well-known films are just as good as Hollywood blockbusters. "