Bradford could be the first city in the UK to embed a film literacy strand in its schools, following a City of Film research project.

The City of Film team is undertaking a programme of research into the effectiveness of film literacy in raising attainment levels in the district’s schools.

Funded by the University of Bradford’s School of Informatics, Computing and Media, the PHD placement will work with schools over the next three years, with assistance from the National Media Museum and the British Film Institute (BFI).

The research will follow the progress of children who will use film and be taught about film as part of the primary curriculum.

City of Film director David Wilson said: “Following a successful pilot scheme in 2010, Bradford now aims to embed a film literacy strand throughout the education strategy for all Bradford schools. The pilot will be extended to encourage all primary schools initially, with a number of secondary schools coming on-board throughout 2013 and 2014.”

Mr Wilson said working with film in the classroom offered children access to a medium they were familiar with, and one that engages, excites and interests them.

“The project uses a BFI CPD (continuing professional development) model and teachers are trained to use short films and film clips to enhance the delivery of their literacy curriculum and to help pupils create short pieces of film of their own.

“The project encourages film literacy in the classroom and the use of film is an exciting and enticing tool for developing literacy and enhancing learning.

“The standard of boys’ writing notably improved as a result of integrating film into literacy learning in the 2010-2011 pilot and we hope to have the same effect on a much wider scale in the coming three years.”

Dr Ian Palmer, Dean of the University’s School of Informatics, Computing and Media, said; “The University of Bradford has been a key partner in City of Film since the designation was awarded. While there is a lot of anecdotal evidence to suggest the effectiveness of using film and the moving image in an educational setting, we believe that this will be the first longitudinal study at PHD level in this area in the UK.”

The research post will be advertised over the summer with a view to the placement starting in September.