Kids’ first steps into journalism
BUDDING sports journalists will be writing and designing their own school newsletter with the first issue planned for summer.
Students at Whitworth Community High School were invited to sign up for a workshop delivered by national sports journalist Gareth Walker who runs Literacykicks.
He delivered a session for 30 students and will be back in school in eight weeks’ time to see how they are getting on.
Josh Dews, 15, said: “We were given a workbook that we had to do and we watched highlights from the 2023 England v Italy World Cup match and we had to write a report about it.
“We also learnt about sub-editing and we were given a report that had been written about Usain Bolt and mistakes were in it. We read through it to find them.
“There is going to be a core group of Year 10s that will lead the project and students from other years will also be involved.”
Poppy Downes, 15, said: “I want to do writing and I don’t mind having to go to the games and report on them. I used to write articles for my school newspaper at Britannia.”
Kayden Garrity, 15, said: “We wrote an article and edited it and put it on the laptop and then designed a page and wrote a headline.
“Writing the headline was the hardest bit and I changed mine two or three times.
“We learnt about formatting and at the end of the session I was asked to design the front cover of what will become the newsletter.
“The workshop was good and it gave us an overview of what we need for the newsletter.”
The school secured Opening Schools Funding to pay for Google Chrome Books which the reporters will use to write and design their newsletter.
Kayden added: “I am interested in a career in sports or motor journalism.”
Gareth commented on the school’s X account, formerly known as Twitter, and said: “It was a brilliant morning with a fantastic group of pupils. We can’t wait to see the newsletter.”