Highlights from our Educational Symposium in Rotherham

In January 2026, we held an Educational Symposium at the stunning Wentworth Woodhouse in Rotherham. Educators and partners from across the region came together to celebrate the fantastic film education activity that has been taking place in the region. 

The event included presentations from Dr Becky Parry (Children's Capital of Culture, Rotherham), Into Film Education Ambassadors, and Screen Yorkshire, and saw screenings of locally made short films, and an exclusive first run of our new Media Literacy training session.

Bringing together partners working across the screen, education and culture sectors, the day was a great opportunity for attendees to network and build new local connections with those equally as passionate about using film in education.

From primary teacher training sessions, to work experience programmes and award-winning filmmaking, talks on the day demonstrated the breadth of exciting work which has happened locally and highlighted opportunities for those working with school leavers to hear about career pathways and new entrant schemes.

Film screenings and discussions, meanwhile, gave a chance to explore the potential of film to support a range of curriculum subjects and to tackle difficult topics with young people in the classroom.

"I was particularly inspired by the Into Film symposium last week and I know there is so much scope to collaborate further", said Lynn Provost, an educator from Derby High School. "There is a huge opportunity to develop the inspirational opportunities the Into Film are bringing to schools."

Our new Media Literacy training session, described by attendees as 'informative and useful', delved into how we can support young people to develop good media literacy habits and improve their critical thinking skills - all issues cited with the recent Curriculum Assessment Review in England.

We're delighted that this session, alongside the other rich content from the day, has inspired numerous conversations about future work in the region.

If you would like to connect with our England Team to get involved in any of our programmes, please get in touch via england@intofilm.org.