Questionnaire

School Magazine Questionnaire

 

 

      Which gender are you?

 Female __            Male __

What age group do you belong to?

 13-14 __      15-16 __        17-18 __ 

What would you like to see in a school magazine?

School Achievements __    Student Profiles __    Upcoming Events __    School News __

Revision Tips __    School Trips/Exchanges__    Career Guidance__

What kind of people would you like to see on the front cover?

Teachers __    Students __    Sports Teams __    Drama/Music Students __    Top Achievers __

When would you like the magazine to be published?

Weekly __    Monthly __    Termly __    Annually __

What colour scheme would you prefer? Tick multiple

School Colours __    Red __    Yellow __    Blue __    Green __   Pink __

What vouchers would you prefer to see in the magazine?

New Look __    Topshop __    iTunes __    GAA Shop __

What kind of competitions would you like to see in the magazine?

Quizzes __    Spot the Difference __    Crosswords __    Questionnaires __

How much would you be willing to pay for the school magazine?

Nothing (free) __    £1.00 __    £1.50 __    £2.00 __    More __

What size would you rather the school magazine to be?

A4 __    A5 __

Would you like the magazine to be written as formal or inform?

Formal __     Informal __

Would you like a student comment section where students can write columns about things relevant to the school?

Yes __     No __ 

School magazine front cover analysis 2

The first thing we are drawn to is the masthead of this magazine. The masthead reads, “Prep School” in large attracting font. The masthead is printed in a formal font to present the school appropriately. The word ‘Prep’ indicates to us that this school may be a primary school or a preparation school for college.  The magazine is appealing to both pupils and parents alike. The white and blue colour scheme of the masthead is compared to the other features of the magazine; the overall colour scheme for the magazine is blue and white. The bold white writing stands out for the blue background which has been purposely done to grab our attention. 

The colour scheme has been chosen to most likely symbolize the schools uniform, which can be seen in the main image. The colour scheme is bold and bright to highlight the positive features of this magazine. The colour for this magazine ties together well as the main image further carries on the white and blue colours. The blue banner is clear-cut and formal looking.  The house style of this school magazine is formal due to the blue banner and font of the headings and coverlines around the main image. The spelling and punctuation is correct implying that this magazine is formal. Dues to the formality of this magazine the circulation would probably be more popular among the older age, for example the teachers and parents. The way the magazine is present may not attract younger readers.

There is no indication of a price of this magazine which indicates that this school magazine is free; encouraging more sales. However on the skyline it states the year printed and the issue number. This highlights the fact that the magazine is an on-going magazine most likely printed annually or termly. Due to the presents of the issue number we can indicate that the contents of the magazine will highlight the positive things that happened since the last magazine. 

The slogan of this magazine is printed under the masthead, it summarises the statement that the school carries proudly, “reflecting the best”, this highlights to us that the school must receive good results either with academic results or the students are very bright young people. The slogan emphasizes to us that the school is a prep and junior school i.e. for younger children, before high school. 

The main image is spread across the front cover; the image is displayed behind the coverlines and the advertisement shown at the bottom of the front cover. The main image illustrates young children with iPads; this highlights an issue which may be written inside in the magazine. We can guess that the subject in this issue of the magazine is to do with IT and how it will positively impact pupils; we can indicate this as the students are smiling with iPads in their hands. We can further perceive the subject matter of the magazine on the coverline which is displayed on top of the image. It reads, “A focus on IT”, this suggests to us that IT is the main story in the magazine.

Analysising a Contents Page.

 The heading of this contents page is in a bold front to attract us; the heading also informs that this issue is from the 2012 summer term. The contents page contains the main features of a contents page; page numbers, main stories, and photos of certain pages.

The list of main stories covers half of the contents page; this list is very important as it guides us to what is in the magazine. The contents page gives us the option of what we want to read in the magazine.

The use of numbers beside the articles highlights to the reader the main or exciting stories which may entice them to read on. This layout of numbered articles adds formality to the magazine as it comes across organised and professional. Due to the fact the numbers do not go up in order implies that there are many more articles within the magazine; while the contents page only displays the 'editors pick'.

The advertisement on this contents page 'satips' implies to us, the readers, that the Prep magazine is most likely sponsored which means there may be extras added to the magazine in aid by 'satips'. The advertisement gives the reader the idea that Prep magazine is very popular and most likely run b y the school as they may be in partnerships. Due to the display of this advertisement we can assume this magazine is published often; this idea is reaffirmed with the issue number printed on the skyline of the page.

The images printed on the contents page give the reader a teaser of what's to come further on in the magazine. An image on the contents is used to attract the reader as too much text may not appeal to the reader. One image shows a young boy wearing the school uniform; in class reading a book. This illustrates that Prep School is an academic school where students seem happy to complete school work such as reading. This image will also be very appealing to parents of potential students as they can see that productive work is done in Prep School.

The first bullet point reads; "from the editor" this gives us the implication that this page is dedicated to the editor of the Prep Magazine. Further on, the list of pages also has the author printed beside each article. The bylines of the pages is interesting as we assume the authors may be students within the school as each article is written by someone different and on a completely different subject.

School magazine front cover analysis

School Magazine

The masthead on this magazine is printed in fluorescent blue which is very striking for the reader. The text  ‘success’ was most likely chosen to present to pupils and parents that Whitley Bay High obtains only success. This positive feedback for the school will benefit their appearance to the new parents of potential new students at the school.  The colour scheme for this magazine is blue and white; these colour match Whitey Bay’s uniform colours, as see in the main image. The choice of colour scheme for the masthead suggests that the magazine wants to appeal to the young readers. The font of the masthead is fun, informal writing therefore it shows that the magazine appeals their young readers.

The skyline clarifies that this school magazine is ‘free’, this is potentially encouraging the number of copy's read. The skyline is very attractive for the readers as they will be more encouraged to read this magazine because it is free otherwise they might not have  been that interested in it. The words ‘free’ is also in block capitals to further grab the attention of the readers in case they didn't look at the skyline. Furthermore, also printed on the skyline is the issue number of this magazine. By printing the issue number of this magazine suggests that this school magazine is printed quite often for students to read the highlights of the previous week in school or what's to come. This will help readers understand the order of the magazine and this will also allow the magazine to refer back to certain issues.

The main image on this article suggests that this girl is part of the school body. The girl is composed proudly on the front cover to present herself in her uniform professionally. The school magazine have clearly printed a fellow pupil on the front cover to illustrate that pupils, parents and teachers alike can read this magazine. It shows that this magazine are proud to present their pupils on a front cover. The smaller images are also showing  the same girl in different settings. One is showing the girl doing woodwork; suggesting that the school is recognising all aspects of the school, and presenting to new parents what the school has to offer.

Analysing a Contents Page

The bright font used in this contents page is what firstly grabs our attention. The bright yellow colour against the clear blue background strikes us as these colours complement each other to successfully present this page to us. The masthead is printed in a formal ‘boring’ font; this implies to us that the magazine may have formatted their design to be plain and not as eye-catching as the colours they have used. The contrast of a light blue background and a dark blue font for the masthead makes this page very appealing to us. Furthermore, the use of the grey outline of the masthead makes the letters stand out more. These features certainly give us, the readers, the idea that the target audience for this magazine is for both parents and pupils.

The list of articles is displayed over more than half the page which implies to us that the text is the main focus on this page. The author wants to grab our attention by revealing what we will find inside the magazine. The layout of this page is very common for contents pages; the list of articles, the page numbers and images. The connotations of this page are for both genders which gives the idea that this school has students of both genders. The blue colour does however have a male connotation but the use of yellow neutralises this. We can see the house-style of the magazine on this page; the use of capital letters in every word and the two shades of blue style. This gives the reader an insight of what the rest of the magazine will look like and also gives the reader the clarification that this page belongs to that certain school magazine.

Moreover, the yellow text is the main thing that stands out in this page. The text is grabbing and therefore we are almost forced to read it. The first line reads, ‘Year 11 Prom Photographs’, which is undoubtedly very appealing to a very large audience as everyone would like to see photographs from a prom. At first the reader would like to go to page one due to the fact it contains pictures; no reading is very appealing for us. Further on. The word ‘new’ is repeated often on this page which suggests to us that the magazine was published at the start of a term. This will attract us to read on because we would like to see the improvements in which the school has made. We are also given the idea that all pages have pictures due to the images displayed beside the list of articles.

The images displayed also draw in the reader as we can decide what page to read just by the pictures. The images are effective on this page because they give us the teaser of what’s to come in the following pages. The largest image on this page is of a female student who is smiling directly at the camera. The use of eye contact in this image is directly addressing the reader to read on. This image is a positive reflection of the school as the girl is smiling so clearly is happy with her school or her achievements which undoubtedly the school has supported her through. Also, because the girl is most likely attending the school this will help sales because those who know her, family and friends, will want to see her in the magazine. Another image which stands out to the reader is the image which shows students holding a banner reading ‘outstanding’. This image suggests to us that the school has achieved something outstanding, whether it is through academic reasons or contributions. This image has been placed specifically near the text which reads ‘GCSE and A Level Results’, by doing this the author is presenting the school in a positive light; that every student will achieve ‘outstanding’ results. This will be very appealing to parents of potential students.

The use of numbers of this page is interesting for us as well. We can immediately see that the numbers are in order so we can assume that the magazine only has seven pages. Therefore, we assume this is less of a highlight page of the best articles in the magazine; however a guide to what page will interest you most. The numbers are displayed in a bold large font will makes it easy for us to read.

From this contents page we assume the mode of address will be quite formal due to the lack of excitement this page gives the reader. Also the fact that there have been no spelling abbreviations makes to believe this as well. The author has evidently chosen a formal mode of address to show the school in a professional way to attract older readers such as potential new parents.

A little about me!

Hiya, my names Bethany Quigley; I am 17 years old and studying A Levels in St Catherine's College. I have chosen Media Studies and Double Health and Social for A Level; I chose these subjects as I want to go into a caring profession however I still haven't decided what I really want to do. I have always been interested in Media and I think studying Media will really benefit me in the future. Outside of school I enjoy doing stuff with my friends such as going in town, shopping and going out. I also have a dog and cat at home so I enjoy long walks with my dog. In my spare time I volunteer at my local Nursing Home which I really enjoy doing; I get to meet new people and hear stories from the residents, I volunteer at the Nursing Home as part of the Gaisce Programme which I have already completed my Bronze award. As part of Gaisce I get to go up the Mourne Mountains as part of a group. I really enjoy doing Gaisce as I do it with my friends so we make great memories. I also volunteer at the Belfast Colour Run every year; I like to volunteer at these charity runs as it is good for my CV and it is a fun day out. 

Love this picture of Meabh and I at Tennents Vital this year.

 It was such a brilliant day! 

This is my favourite song at the moment; 'Stolen Dance' by 

Milky Chance. Although it was released last year I've just discovered Milky 

Chance as a singer and this is definitely my favourite songs of his!

Bethany:)