Gainsborough Academy students produce own newspaper

The day began with a chat with Danielle about how the newspaper is produced, where stories come from, and what makes a good story.

The enthusiastic students then developed their own story ideas, before planning their pages and thinking about who they could interview.

They then headed out into the school, notebooks in hand to speak to teachers, staff and fellow pupils to develop their stories, which included music reviews, event previews, features and even a canteen food review.

Alfie Martin, aged 14, decided to produce a page about music classes, and an upcoming school trip to London.

He said: "Talking to new people took me out of my comfort zone, but it was more fun than I realised, and it's exiting to find out people's opinions."

Tori Purchase, aged 14, interviewed teachers and fellow students about an upcoming end-of-year picnic at the school.

She said: "I learned that working on a newspaper is mostly talking to people, and writing a balanced article.

"I liked hearing what people had to say, and finding out about the picnic at school."

Jessica Nicholas, aged 14, decided to write a feature about the school's library, interviewing students about how often they use the library, and why students should take advantage of the facility.

Jessica said: "It was exciting going out and interviewing different people, although it was nerve-wracking to begin with.

"I'm looking forward to writing my first article."

Anita Geldhill, who organised the day said: "This isn't something we have done before, I just thought it would be a good idea for students to learn about a real-life situation.

"Seeing how enthusiastic the students are was great - they've really stepped up to the mark."