A North Belfast primary school teacher has been nominated for an award after increasing her school's literacy levels through film.
Michele McAlonan has been full-time at Cliftonville Integrated Primary School since 2009 and as well as teaching her P6 class, has also become the school's Literacy Co-Ordinator.
She has promoted use of the Into Film resource to aid learning for all age groups from nursery to P7, and said it has been a great way to "level the playing field" for pupils who struggle with writing.
Read more: Walking buses at three Belfast schools 'a roaring success'
Her efforts have increased the school's literacy levels and now Michele has been nominated for the prestigious Teacher of the Year Award at the Into Film awards in London.
Speaking to Belfast Live about the nomination, Michele said she's "delighted" and is thrilled with the impact film is having in the school.
"I started to use Into Film in 2010 as part of a film club I started in the school," she said.
"It became so apparent what the children could get out of it for their literacy skills. That talking and listening, especially for children who maybe aren't our high attainers, children who wouldn't necessarily flourish in literacy.
"Any evidence we would normally be looking for would be in written form, whereas using film for their literacy, there was a lot more talking and listening and you're able to gauge their actual understanding. It wasn't they didn't have the understanding before, they maybe just couldn't get it out on paper. It just totally levels the playing field."
Over time, the school began to increase their use of film to accompany learning and now all teachers use the resource for a variety of subjects.
It's allowing pupils to become more confident in expressing themselves, and is closing the educational gap in one of Northern Ireland's most socially deprived areas.
Michele added: "The reluctant learners are just so confident to share their ideas and opinions and to show their understanding, but even to talk to the children and they'd say 'I'm really confident now to say something in class in front of everyone else, because I know my answers are as good.'
"When you have another teacher come to you, and they're as enthused as you are by a lesson they just had - that's probably one of the proudest things for me. I think Into Film has had a massive impact on our school and our literacy levels.
"We're in a challenging area, this is an area with high levels of social deprivation and there can be quite a gap in pupils knowledge and this really helps to even everything out.
"I'm absolutely delighted to see the impact its had. You could have one short clip and the pupils get so much from it."
Each year, the school will take pupils along to the free Into Film festival, which aims to provide young children with memorable cinema experiences.
Michele said they don't take it for granted that many young pupils may not have been to the cinema before and are grateful to be able to provide the opportunity.
She said: "In our school we wouldn't just assume that pupils go to the cinema often or that they've been in their short lives. For a lot of them, that isn't the case.
"For many of the younger ones, the Into Film festival is their first time at the cinema. Asking parents now and especially at the minute for money to let them attend doesn't feel right, so it's such a brilliant thing that it's free."
Two other schools in Northern Ireland have been nominated at this year's Into Film Awards, which will take place at ODEON Luxe Leicester Square in London on 28 June.
Beechlawn Special School have been nominated for for Into Film Club of the Year, while Cranmore Integrated Primary are up for Best Film.
Read more: Public to have say on future of Belfast church
Read more: Belfast football club in desperate need of own training facilities
To get the latest breaking news straight to your inbox, sign up to our free newsletter.
