Report from Bonus Pastor Catholic College

Year 8 students at Bonus Pastor School in Lewisham featured the topical story in a TV news bulletin they made as part of the BBC News School Report 06/07.

As well as questioning students and teachers at the school, they also interviewed Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Southwark, Right Reverend Patrick Lynch.

The Bishop felt the cross was an article of faith while most of the pupils thought it was more about fashion.

Student presenter James learnt to balance such differences of opinion and to work to deadline in order to publish the news bulletin on Lewisham City Learning Centre's website on 18 January 2007.

He said: "It's important to smile at the camera, not to show your nerves and be confident."

A student interviews Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Southwark

Other students worked alongside BBC journalists David Thompson and Liz Throssell to compile stories for the news, sport and weather sections of the bulletin.

Liz said: "They covered a whole range of topics - from the Big Brother racism row to internet addiction in China to why Apple's profits had soared.

"They also did some good local, original journalism, following up on a pupil's tip-off that her aunt had been without power all night. They called the aunt for a direct quote and the electricity company EDF for a statement."

Subject Leader for English Media and Drama at the school, Colm McGregor, added: "The students looked and acted differently to how they are in the classroom. They were relating to adults and to each other in a much more professional manner.

"They were working independently, were completely engrossed in what they were doing and have gained loads of news skills."

Classroom turned newsroom

Another London School, Brentside High School in Ealing, also turned their classrooms into newsrooms on 18 January.

Students reported on several topical news stories including alleged racism during the Big Brother reality TV show, storm damage across the UK, a boy who died after swallowing a pen lid and a student who was punished for eating an apple on the tennis courts of his school.

BBC journalist Rebecca Williams, who spent the day at the school, said: "The group were very quiet when I entered the IT room where the lesson was taking place but by the close of play, the room was buzzing like a national newsroom."

One team of students researched and wrote the news stories while a second team added the headlines.

Rebecca commented: "'Granny Smuggles Heroin in Underwear' was my personal favourite!"

School Report project

The Year 8 pupils made news as part of BBC News School Report, which encourages students to make TV, radio and online news reports in their schools and publish them on a school website.

Sixty UK schools, including Bonus Pastor and Brentside High, are involved in the 2006/7 pilot stage of the project which the BBC hopes to extend to all secondary schools in the future.