Kirsty Bailey, our Senior Project Manager for Alternative Provision, shares lessons from three years of our Empower programme and explores why critical media literacy skills matter now more than ever for our most vulnerable young people.
Three years ago, we launched our media literacy programme, Empower, to better equip teenage girls in alternative provision or at risk of exclusion from mainstream education with the skills, knowledge, and resilience to enhance their critical literacy skills, effectively engage with online media, discern misinformation and disinformation, and express their perspectives safely in the digital realm.
We have learnt that one thing is constant: change.
Whilst we continually develop our approach to provide young people with the critical media literacy skills they need to navigate today’s shifting political, social and technological landscapes, the digital world for our most vulnerable students remains as complex and challenging as ever.
I am thinking specifically of the students at the heart of our inclusion programmes: the young people in alternative provision and those at risk of exclusion in mainstream settings who so often fall through the gaps of traditional support.
For them, the internet is not just a separate space; it is the landscape where they build their identities and seek social acceptance. It is also, unfortunately, where they are most frequently exposed to misinformation that can target their mental wellbeing where it is most fragile.
Why critical media literacy matters now
The world around these young people is moving at a breakneck pace. We only have to look at the recent headlines from Australia, where a world-first social media ban for under-16s has sparked a global debate on protection through restriction.
At the same time, recent research from Internet Matters serves as a stark reminder that girls remain significantly more likely than boys to face abuse and harassment online, from stranger contact to upsetting messages.
It is easy to see why the conversation has shifted toward shielding our children. But whilst bans aim to shield, our work has shown that for those already navigating these spaces, shielding is not enough.
We must focus on empowerment.
What we have learnt: Oracy drives critical media literacy
One of our most significant takeaways is that critical media literacy cannot be taught through passive consumption. For students who have previously disengaged from education, writing-heavy lessons often act as a barrier to the very analytical skills they need.
Building on our established 'oracy-first' philosophy, we have found that the most effective way to build critical thinking is through structured debate and the articulation of worldviews.
We use our 'Assess, Analyse, Action' framework to give students a practical route through the noise. We have seen that:
- This method builds a greater sense of belonging. The percentage of students who feel they are good at taking part in a debate or discussion rose from 42% to 63%. This confidence is the foundation for questioning the 'facts' they see in their feeds.
- Vocabulary is empowering and a real tool for agency. Teachers report that introducing specific terms like 'disinformation' and 'bias' give students a sense of pride and control. It provides a way to describe their experiences and challenge content without feeling overwhelmed.
- Flexibility is essential. Whether in an alternative provision or a mainstream setting, successful delivery requires a 'pick-and-mix' approach that respects a teacher’s knowledge of their specific students.
Measuring the shift: From reactive to reflective
Whilst behaviour change is often a slow process, the shift we have seen is both measurable and heartening.
It begins with a fundamental change in mindset; our evaluation found that student confidence in assessing online information climbed from 47% to 92% by the end of the programme.
This newfound confidence leads directly to more considered habits, as the number of students checking whether a news source is one they trust more than doubled, rising from 34% to 74%.
The most moving evidence comes from individual breakthroughs.
One teacher shared the story of a student who had previously used a fake account to 'troll' others online. After engaging with the Empower sessions, he told his teacher he 'now feels bad' about his previous actions. He closed his fake account and created a new, 'real' one specifically to send supportive messages to others. This is the shift from being a passenger in the digital world to being an active, positive citizen.
Looking to the future: A seat at the digital table
Our inclusion and alternative provision work has taught us that these students often have a very high sense of justice. They care deeply about fairness. By framing media literacy as a matter of social justice and agency, we help young people realise that they deserve to be the masters of their own digital lives.
As we look toward the future, including the challenges and ethics of artificial intelligence (AI), our commitment remains the same: ensuring that the students who have the most to lose online are the ones who are most empowered to navigate it.
Want to find out more?
The National Literacy Trust provides bespoke support designed to engage students in alternative provision, and those at risk of exclusion from mainstream education, with literacy.
Whether it’s harnessing the excitement and passion surrounding sport to motivate and inspire young people to improve their reading skills or using topical and culturally relevant issues to develop students’ oracy, we offer a variety of scaffolded and supportive literacy programmes for excluded students and those at risk of exclusion from mainstream education.