School Report

Career advice has come along way in recent years. No longer are you told to choose between banking and teaching. These days the sky is the limit, as pupils from The Ridgeway School in Wroughton have been finding out this week as they took part in the BBC School Report Project.

A team briefing to start the day

The main aim of the Project is to get students aged 11-14 interested in news. News of all sorts, and the world around them, by giving them the chance to make their own news. And that's exactly what's been happening in Wroughton this week, as class rooms turned in to news rooms and pencils were swapped for microphones.

On Thursday 26th March it's School Report News Day, when the pupils will broadcast their own live news bulletins at 1215, 1315 and 1415 for BBC Radio Wiltshire. In the run up to Thursday pupils will be practicing hard in preparation for their live radio debut. With BBC journalists visiting the school mentoring the pupils and answering any questions they have

Editing is a time consuming business!

Heather is a Citizenship Teacher at the school she said: "It's a really exciting opportunity for our students to work with experts, learn to meet deadlines and go out and interview people. So we are really excited about this opportunity. The whole school and all the parents will be tuned in to hear how they get on."

So far the pupils have interviewed Jack Smith a defender at Swindon Town Football Club and BBC news reader Hugh Edwards is to be interviewed too. Zoe is part of the BBC School Report team, she said: "The pupils are taking it really seriously, and working really hard. They are very enthusiastic we have some really good journalistic skills coming out in all of them. They're so focused on putting it all together and meeting deadlines."

Ridgeway School pupils editing

A large BBC coach is on site kitted out with computers, microphones, headphones and broadcast equipment which the pupils are getting to grips with. Jack is a pupil at Ridgeway and interviewed STFC footballer jack Smith he said:

"It was hard coming up with the questions, because you don't know what he's going to think about them, whether he'll think they are rubbish or too personal. I did my research online and was really excited about meeting him.

During the School Report Project pupils will cover all aspects of journalism including radio, print and video. The School News Day bulletin will also be broadcast on the Big Screen in Wharf Green, Swindon.