Award win for St Mungo's Film Ambassadors at TES School Awards 2024

The Film Ambassadors project at St Mungo’s High School impressed the judges of the national awards, winning the Excellence in Creative Arts award.

The school’s win was revealed at a glittering awards ceremony in London on Friday night.

Now in their 16th year, the TES School Awards are dubbed the ‘Oscars of Education’ and celebrate the triumph of teachers who have demonstrated outstanding achievements.

Fraser Johnston, film and media teacher at St Mungo’s, has brought his great talent for teaching film and media and fostering of creativity to make St Mungo’s Film Ambassador initiative award-winning and recognised on a national level.

The initiative has had students as nominees and winners at the Scottish Youth Film Festival.

The excitement the initiative has been able to generate increased interest in the subject and, which has now led to film and media being taught to every year group, and the number of students applying to study the subject has more than doubled. The initiative is also pupil-led and gives students an opportunity to also develop their leadership skills.

Lucy Cutherbertson, judge of the awards and director of education at Shakespeare’s Globe, said: “The numbers for film and media at St Mungo’s High School have gone through the roof and it’s fantastic, transforming a fairly marginalised subject within the school to one the whole school can get behind.

"Although Fraser Johnston is the person who’s put it together, it’s now also about the ambassadors who run it."

Mr Johnston said it was “an honour” just to have been nominated for the award.

He said: “I only facilitate this, it’s the students who deserve the award. It’s their hard work and passion that sets them apart from the rest as they realise that film is universal.

“We believe that film is for everyone as it brings people together in a time of clear division as people have always gathered round to tell stories. No matter your background, everyone deserves to be able to express themselves.

“It’s great to witness the incredible work of the St Mungo’s Film Ambassadors being recognised on a national scale. I could not be more proud of them.”

He also expressed his thanks to the school’s staff and creative faculty.

Mr Johnston added: “The increase in appetite for film and media at our school feels as seismic as the jump from silent films to talkies. Thank you for rewarding the efforts of the teacher that brought this subject to life and the ambassadors who now run it.”