Young Reporter Scheme 2022-2023
We are thrilled to announce that the Young Reporter Scheme has been awarded the Education Programme Specialist of the Year Award for 2022. It is an activity that we offer for all students to sign up to and take part in if they would like to. The Young Reporter scheme is a schools programme giving students aged 14-18 an opportunity to write for a real live online newspaper. The programme runs for eight months during the school term, with various opportunities offered along the way.
At the end of the scheme students are judged on the articles they have submitted throughout the year and an awards ceremony is held for the winners. Students receive mentoring from a journalist currently working in the field. The young reporters are made aware about the legalities of journalism including confidentiality and plagiarism. It is a great opportunity for our students to be involved in and we look forward to more students signing up next year.
You can read the article - https://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/news/19929567.young-reporter-scheme-wins-award/
Isobel Dearlove was one of the winners of the Young Reporter Scheme 2021/2022:
'I was commended for my photography and in the article, I wrote about when the school council went on a trip to the town hall to the meet the Mayor of Reigate and Banstead. The Young Reporter Scheme was a fantastic opportunity, it was interesting to write about the local area, and develop my writing skills. I had previously never even thought about pursuing a career in journalism, but this has definitely opened up ideas around it. I would definitely encourage students to take part in the scheme. At first, I was anxious about handing my articles in on time for the deadlines, however this is part of reporter experience! It gave me practise for what it would be like in the real world, and each time I handed in my articles I had a great sense of relief and pride. The scheme has really helped me improve my writing. With each article I developed proficiency in this style. My arguments became sharper, and my writing gained more polish. I had to undertake mentor sessions with a reporter to develop our understanding of plagiarism and liable. We gained first-hand knowledge and experience from someone who has been successful in the field, and this was also inspirational. Another benefit of taking part in the scheme is it counts towards your skills section in the Bronze and Silver levels of the Duke of Edinburgh. All students from Year 10 upwards can join the scheme and I would thoroughly recommend it.'
For further details, please see Mr Radford in the English Department.
