Analysis and Comparison of School Magazines.

Comparing and Analysing Two 'Secondary Teacher Magazines'
We were asked to analyse and compare two magazines called 'secondary teachers' and also look at the denotations and connotations used to produce them.

Both magazines have the necessary conventions that a typical magazine needs to include. They both have a Masthead, a splash, a main headline, strap lines. images, web links, and plugs. Despite their similar structure, both 'secondary' magazines' are quite different from each other too.

'Secondary Teachers' Magazine One

The 'Secondary Teachers' magazine is targeted at teachers at a secondary school, therefore the layout of the magazine is kept simple and sophisticated. The masthead 'Secondary Teachers' immediately addresses the specific target audience and it is made clear through the use of large bold text. The colour of the masthead is a blue/green colour which is a very mature, sophisticated colour. The reason for using this colour may be to symbolise the change in the pupils at a secondary school, as they become older and more mature. The plain white background of the magazine has been selected so that the masthead clearly stands out. It is very important when making a magazine for text to be clear, so that it can be visible from further away and attract an audience. The plugs positioned along the top of the magazine further interest the reader, making them want to read on into the contents of the magazine. The colour of the plugs are red and pink which stand out successfully against the white background. There is also an image accompanying one of the plugs, showing male actor Henry Winkler. Celebrity endorsement is often used to appeal to audiences because the public are generally interested in the lifestyles of the rich an famous. However, the image of the celebrity is fairly small in comparison to the main picture of the two pupils. This clearly states the ideology behind the magazine, which is education being the main focus instead of celebrities. The main image on the front cover is of two male pupils interacting and learning together but within a football environment. This would generally attract teachers because it is not the usual learning environment that they expect for pupils. The boy's are both sat in a locker room reading workbooks beneath two football shirts named 'Numeracy' and 'Literacy'. The shirts are red which could symbolise that both the subjects are quite challenging and hard. This is because red can be used to signify a stop, and in this case, pupils may feel like they are stuck and having difficulty progressing further. The male pupils are both of different ethnic backgrounds too, which teachers would be able to relate to as schools today are very multi-cultural. The type of uniform they are both wearing too is also very common within state schools and therefore shows a clear representation of typical secondary school children. The pupils in the image are also smiling positively whilst they are learning which may interest the audience of teachers because they will want to know how they are tackling difficult subjects like Maths and English and having fun at the same time. Stereotypically speaking, secondary pupils are much harder to keep under control, so advice on how to keep pupils like the two males on the front cover interested whilst learning would be a great achievement. Therefore this image is successful and effective at attracting its target audience. The headline 'Playing to learn' straight away captures your attention because not only is it a bright yellow colour but the headline uses a pun. Learning and playing are usually considered to be two very separate things, so teachers would automatically be drawn in by this contrast. The strap line underneath the headline is successful in the way that it briefly expands on the headline but leaves the audience wanting to read on. At the bottom of the magazine there is an issue date and a website for teachers to go on. This is a common convention of magazines as it looks professional, further promotes the company and provides extra information for the audience.

'Secondary Teachers' Magazine Two








This different issue of the 'Secondary Teachers' Magazine has a very similar layout to the first one I analysed. The positioning of the mastheads, plugs, logos, dates and websites are exactly the same, which helps the audience to become familiar with layout and therefore recognise this particular magazine easily. The images however change to appropriately suit the theme or issues expressed on the front cover. The main picture in this issue is a close-up of two gingerbread men in a baking tray, which is being held by a student. Even though the close-up does not show the child's face, we can identify from the uniform that they are a school pupil. The ginger bread that has been baked represent both male and female school students. This has been used to show equality between gender and that these cooking lessons are not stereotypically for just female pupils but also male pupils as well. The first 'Secondary Teachers' magazine however does not achieve the same gender neutral effect I feel, as female students are not displayed in the image and generally girls are not as interested in football as boys. The ginger bread faces are smiling which could suggest that cooking lessons are fun and the pupils would too be smiling and enjoying themselves whilst learning. The headline placed on top of the image 'Cook With Me!' gives an immediate order to the audience and is further emphasised with an exclamation mark. The text is bold and white which stands out against the pupil's red blouse and also echoes the white colour of the cooking gloves. The strap line underneath 'How schools can make lessons tasty' leaves the audience wanting to find out how to do this and therefore wanting to read on.




Both magazines I felt would appeal to their target audiences as they included all the necessary conventions of a magazine and was very kept simple and sophisticated. I also felt that the language and images used in both magazines were appropriate and effective, which would again further attract their specific audience.





Analysis of a private school magazine and state school magazine







Private School magazine/ State school magazine

Both magazines in comparison are very contrasting to one another. To begin with both school magazines have different target audiences. The private school magazine will generally be aimed at rich, upper class people mainly due to the high costs of private education, whereas the state school magazine is generally aimed at the middle class. Therefore the different target audiences will vary the outlook of the magazines as both audiences will appeal to different things.

The private school magazine, which targets the upper class, uses a professional, sophisticated layout in order to attract their audience. This is because the families reading the magazine will generally have professional jobs and therefore relate to the professional structure of the magazine. The formal language also used within the magazine would be related to by their audience, as they would be generally more familiar with this. The ideology of the the private school magazine is for students to excel to the best of their ability with a first-class education.Education is of course is the main focus and the standard of location and facilities is important to them too.

The image appropriately follows the theme and conventions of the magazine also. The two students at work in the classroom portrays the hard work and level of concentration within private schools. The mixed gender of males and females also shows the equality between students within the school. The students look very presentable by wearing smart uniform, which is commonly found within private schools, and also the neat, tidy hairstyles they have. This shows that their education is taken very seriously and that they have set rules to follow, like wearing smart uniform, to keep the students under control. The location they are in boasts quality and shows their wide selection of books in the background. This shows the wealth of the school and also range of facilities it has too.

The state school magazine has a very different approach to their audience. It is less formal in comparison to the private school magazine, because its target audience would more likely relate to informal language. The layout is more creative and fun to attract their middle class audience and this also suggests that the school itself may have a similar attitude. This states the ideology to still focus highly on education but equally to create a warm, friendly and fun atmosphere. The bright colours used on the front cover are effective too and also suggest a lively atmosphere within the school. The image used is of a group of children outside beneath a clear blue sky. The clear sky creates positivity and that they have the freedom to achieve high. The group of students together shows the friendly atmosphere, cooperation between one another and also the equality of all students. Lastly, the clothes that the sixth formers are wearing are very casual. This shows again the freedom that the students have and Independence they are given.