Media Studies aims to get students to critically engage with contemporary ideas and debates. Students are encouraged to adopt a practical and academic understanding of the media, focusing on the way in which media texts, such as television and radio broadcasts are constructed and the way in which they serve to represent a range of ideas, attitudes and beliefs. Media studies is a popular A Level option that can be studied in conjunction with a variety of other subjects, from ICT to Business, English to Art. Students develop a broad range of practical and academic skills that will help them across a range of career options or further study. The subject specifically develops the following skills: creatively using ICT software and hardware, research, reflection, planning, organisation, communication and presentation.