News & events

Launch of Sony Award

At the launch of the new Sony Schools Radio Award, Peter Thompson, President of Vision Charity and pioneer of SchoolsRadio.com, outlined some ambitions for this exciting project.

He started by saying how he had been drawn to this whole project on learning how well otherwise disadvantaged students were able to perform in the whole arena of audio production. "It was a complete revelation’ he said, “Just marvellous to watch the improvement in self-confidence and creative thinking”.

SchoolsRadio.com was launched in December, half way through the 2007/8 academic year with a view to the ‘network’ becoming fully operational early in 2009. I am pleased to say that it enjoys considerable support from the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF).

A key objective was to serve as a focus to encourage all schools across the full age range to get involved in audio production of all kinds. This new venture would impact in four distinct ways.

It would provide advice on both technical and creative aspects of producing rewarding audio material. This would be achieved through a searchable database of information handouts, an interactive advice service and a nationwide mentoring scheme in association with professional broadcasters.

Schoolsradio.com will provide reward and recognition for excellence with a programme of competitions open to all. The first of these was in association with Arqiva, and concluded in July. It has proved an outstanding success.

Occasionally, schoolsradio.com will provide grants enabling schools to purchase technical equipment. Priority for the allocation of these grants will always be given where there was the possibility of providing specific help to dyslexic and visually impaired students.

Finally it would provide a teacher controlled method of enabling the exchange of programme material between student broadcasters throughout the country and potentially, in time, further afield.

Peter closed by urging both teachers and students to explore the opportunities open to them by visiting the website at www.schoolsradio.com.

He went on to say how excited he was at the prospect of recognising tomorrow's talent with the new Sony Awards for Schools Radio. The Sony Schools Radio Award will be made to the most outstanding male and female presenter of an entertaining school radio programme.

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