Bryn Radio

Finding Our Voice

Welcome to Bryn Radio – broadcasting from Ysgol Y Bryn.

Bryn Radio is our pupil-led radio, podcasting and broadcasting project, giving children across Ysgol Y Bryn the opportunity to share their ideas, ask questions, tell stories and communicate with a real audience.

From presenting and interviewing to researching, scripting, recording and producing, Bryn Radio provides our pupils with an exciting and purposeful way to develop their confidence, creativity and communication skills.

Most importantly, Bryn Radio gives our children a voice.

Our Latest Episode

Created Through Pupil Voice

Bryn Radio began with our pupils.

As part of our commitment to ensuring that children play a meaningful role in shaping their school, pupils were asked how they would like PTA fundraising to be used to develop an exciting new learning space.

We received 107 pupil responses, with children choosing between ideas including a recording studio, science lab and art studio.

The recording studio received the highest number of votes, narrowly ahead of the art studio.

We listened.

From those initial conversations, the idea developed into something much bigger than simply creating a recording space. We wanted to create an opportunity for pupils to become presenters, interviewers, reporters, researchers, storytellers and producers.

Bryn Radio was born.

What Is Bryn Radio?

Bryn Radio provides our pupils with the opportunity to create their own broadcasts, podcasts, interviews and special features linked to both school life and their learning.

Children can be involved throughout the whole production process, including:

researching topics and developing ideas;
planning programmes and podcast episodes;
writing scripts and questions;
presenting and interviewing;
recording discussions and conversations;
developing their speaking and listening skills;
producing content for a real audience;
reporting on events and activities taking place across Ysgol Y Bryn; and
sharing the voices, achievements and experiences of our school community.

It means that learning does not always finish in an exercise book.

A piece of research might become an interview.

An enquiry might become a podcast.

A school event might become a news report.

And an interesting question might become a conversation shared with our whole community.

Learning With a Real Purpose

Bryn Radio is not simply about learning how to use microphones and recording equipment.

It provides an authentic context in which children can apply their learning.

Before recording a programme, pupils may need to research, read, discuss, question, plan, draft, edit, rehearse and collaborate.

When the microphone is switched on, that learning has a purpose and an audience.

Through Bryn Radio, pupils have opportunities to develop:

Oracy and Communication

Speaking clearly, listening carefully, adapting language for different audiences and developing confidence in expressing ideas.

Literacy

Researching information, writing scripts, creating questions, summarising information and editing work before publication.

Digital Skills

Using technology creatively and responsibly to record, produce and share digital content.

Enquiry

Asking meaningful questions, investigating subjects and deciding how best to communicate what has been discovered.

Creativity

Developing original programmes, stories, interviews and ways of presenting information.

Collaboration

Working together as presenters, researchers, interviewers and production teams.

Confidence

Providing children with opportunities to find their voice and recognise that what they have to say matters.

Bryn Radio and Curriculum for Wales

Bryn Radio supports our approach to Curriculum for Wales, creating meaningful connections between different areas of learning.

In particular, pupils have opportunities to develop skills within Languages, Literacy and Communication, Expressive Arts and Digital Competence, while broadcasts and podcasts can explore learning from across the entire curriculum.

It also supports the development of the Four Purposes, helping our children become:

Ambitious, capable learners through researching, questioning and communicating their learning.

Enterprising, creative contributors through producing original content and working collaboratively.

Ethical, informed citizens through exploring issues, listening to different perspectives and communicating responsibly.

Healthy, confident individuals by developing confidence, independence and a strong sense of pupil voice.

Pupil Voice at the Heart of Bryn Radio

One of the most important purposes of Bryn Radio is to create another platform through which we can listen to our children.

Our pupils are not simply the audience.

They are the broadcasters.

Through interviews, discussions, reports and podcasts, children can explore issues that matter to them, celebrate what is happening within their school and ask questions of the people around them.

It provides another way for pupils to influence school life and helps us ensure that their views are heard, valued and shared.

Interviews and Conversations

Bryn Radio gives our young interviewers the opportunity to speak with pupils, staff, visitors and members of our wider community.

Preparing for an interview requires pupils to research their guest, think carefully about what they want to discover, develop meaningful questions and listen closely enough to respond naturally.

These experiences help children understand that a great interview is not simply about asking questions – it is about being curious, listening and having a conversation.

Bryn Radio Interviews – asking the right questions, discovering new ideas and hearing the voices of our community.

Bryn Radio Podcasts

Our podcasts allow pupils to explore topics in greater depth and share stories, discussions and learning from across Ysgol Y Bryn.

Episodes may focus on curriculum enquiries, school events, pupil interests, interviews, important issues or simply an idea that our children believe deserves to be explored.

Bryn Radio Podcasts – bringing you the latest podcasts, in-depth conversations and great stories from Ysgol Y Bryn.

Listen to Bryn Radio

You can listen to our latest Bryn Radio podcasts, interviews and broadcasts through our Bryn Radio Mixcloud channel.

[LISTEN TO BRYN RADIO]

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Keep checking back as new programmes, interviews and podcasts are added throughout the year.

The Next Generation of Broadcasters

Bryn Radio represents exactly the type of learning we want children at Ysgol Y Bryn to experience: purposeful, creative, challenging and connected to the world beyond the classroom.

Whether a child is presenting behind a microphone, researching a story, writing questions, interviewing a guest or helping to produce a programme, there is a role for everyone.

Some of our pupils may become broadcasters or journalists in the future.

Most will not.

But every child will need to be able to communicate, collaborate, question, listen, think critically and have the confidence to use their voice.

That is what Bryn Radio is really about.

Bryn Radio

Finding Our Voice. Broadcasting from Ysgol Y Bryn.