Budding Taylors' Journalists Named National Winners in the Young Reporter Scheme

Writes Minoo Thobhani, Work Experience Co-Ordinator

We are delighted to celebrate the聽success of our Lower Sixth students, Jai M. and Peter B., who have been named National Winners in the Young Reporter Scheme, a national journalism programme run by Newsquest.

The scheme, open to students in the Divisions and Lower Sixth, offers a unique opportunity for young people to research, write and publish real news stories. This year, over 1,000聽students across the country聽took part, with only thirty-three students recognised as National Winners. We are incredibly proud that two of these winners are from our school. The two overall top reporter for each category and age is yet to be announced.

Throughout the programme, students were challenged to adopt a completely new style of writing, very different from the academic essays they are used to. They learned how to identify and research newsworthy stories, conduct interviews, and write clearly and concisely while meeting the professional standards expected in journalism.

Reflecting on the experience, Jai commented: 鈥淚t helped me push my boundaries and step out of my comfort zone, especially when it came to speaking to people I didn鈥檛 know.鈥�

Peter added: 鈥淚 got to write not only about things I enjoy, but also things I wouldn鈥檛 have normally written about. One example was the King鈥檚 visit to our school!鈥�

To enter the national competition, students were required to submit three of their strongest articles across a range of categories, including Breaking News, Events, Sports, Interview, and Photograph. They聽were then judged independently by external industry professionals.

As part of their success,聽Jai and Peter have been awarded an exclusive insight day at the University of Roehampton to gain experience working in a live newsroom environment. This is a valuable opportunity to gain first-hand insight into the fast-paced world of journalism.

We look forward to seeing how they continue to build on this fantastic experience.聽 Their winning articles are available to read via the links below.

Peter’s articles:

– https://www.london-now.co.uk/young-reporter/35740/
– https://www.london-now.co.uk/young-reporter/35340/
– https://www.tiktok.com/@themepark_pulse/video/7633454959966686482

Jai’s articles:

https://www.london-now.co.uk/young-reporter/33679/
https://www.london-now.co.uk/young-reporter/35709/
https://www.london-now.co.uk/young-reporter/36132/