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About EMC

The English and Media Centre is an independent educational charity with a national and international reputation as a Centre of Excellence. It is a development centre, serving the needs of secondary and FE teachers and students of English and Media Studies in the UK and beyond.

We are unique in being a group of teachers, working in a voluntary sector organisation and able to draw on our close connections with colleagues in the classroom.

EMC offers

  • A variety of professional development courses
  • Print and downloadable publications
  • emagazine and MediaMagazine, quarterly magazines for A Level students with subscription websites
  • Consultancy/advisory work
  • Expert contributions to national initiatives and debates on English and Media teaching.

What do we do?

Watch a recording of our Introduction to EMC webinar. (55 mins)

The different sections of the webinar are also available separately:

EMC Awards

  • ERA AWARD 2018 – Finalist of the Best Secondary Resource (Non-ICT) category for Studying Hamlet
  • ERA AWARD 2017 – Winner of the Best Secondary Resource (Non-ICT) category for 19th Century Full Text Study Editions
  • ERA AWARD 2015 – Finalist of the Best Secondary Resource (Non-ICT) category for Literary Shorts Anthology & Teacher Resource
  • ERA AWARD 2014 – Winner of the Best Secondary Resource (Non-ICT) category for Spotlight on Literacy
  • BETT AWARD 2014 – Finalist in the Secondary Digital Content category for Arctic Adventure – Reading and Writing in Real World Contexts (multitouch book for iPads)
  • ERA AWARD 2012 – Winner of the Best Secondary Resource (Non-ICT) category for Investigating Spoken Language for GCSE
  • BETT Awards 2011: Winner in the Digital Collections and Resources Category for The Poetry Station
  • BETT AWARDS 2010: Finalist in the Digital Collections and Resource Banks Category: emagazine website
  • ERA AWARD 2009 – Winner: Doing Ads
  • ERA AWARD 2008 – Finalist: English Allsorts
  • ERA AWARD 2007 – Finalist: Picture Power 3
  • Learning on Screen 2006 (Short-listed) 'Macbeth in the Classroom' for Teachers TV
  • Adobe/A.P.E Award 2003 for best magazine for emagazine
  • Learning on Screen Award for 2002 for the KS3 Poetry Video
  • Education Show Resources Award 2002: Winner Best Secondary Resource for the ‘EMC KS3 English Series’
  • BETT Award 2000, Winner Best Secondary Software
  • British Film Institute, Paddy Whannel Award 1995 for The Advertising Pack
  • TES Educational Book Award Winner 1990 and 1997

What do we stand for?

At the English and Media Centre we integrate theory and practice in all areas of our work. We aim to develop and disseminate best practice and innovative approaches to language, literature and media, in all their forms. We support teachers in raising attainment and helping their students to become confident, articulate, critical, creative readers, writers, speakers and listeners for the 21st century.
Our approach combines creativity with rigour and we value our reputation for expertise and quality. In our CPD offer, we try to give teachers memorable and challenging experiences that inspire them and let them, in turn, inspire generations of students.

We aspire to reach the parts that commercial providers fail to reach.

Our aims and guiding principles

  • We seek to develop our radicalism for new times and new generations of teachers.
  • We aim to be a ‘leading institution’ in English and Media teaching and to influence both teachers and broader communities, including policy makers, awarding bodies and other organisations.
  • We seek to make a contribution to other areas of the school curriculum and to bring our skills and expertise to projects that benefit the community beyond formal schooling.
  • We are committed to addressing issues of cultural diversity and equal opportunities and seek to address the needs of students with a range of abilities.
  • We want to help answer teachers immediate concerns and needs but we also want to encourage them to take risks and challenge both themselves and their students, to raise attainment.