Outwood's young writers hone skills in journalism experience

More than 200 students from Outwood family secondary schools have participated in a 'News Day'. The event celebrated the most gifted writers in Year 7, across 18 secondary schools, and offered them the opportunity to work as journalists for the day, including interviewing a guest.

The day began with a briefing from Outwood Grange Academies Trust (OGAT) CEO, Lee Wilson, before working collaboratively in teams to research their interviewee and plan questions. Students interviewed Carolyn Blundell, community executive principal at OGAT, who spoke about her daughter's legacy. Carolyn's daughter, Lulu, passed away aged 19 due to Ewing's Sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. Despite her illness, Lulu raised more than £200,000 for Teenage Cancer Trust through various charity events and sports challenges. Once the students had all the information they needed, they drafted and edited various articles for an academy newspaper, which was printed and published at the end of the day.

Heather Holmes, senior director of English at OGAT, said:

"News day was an extraordinary day for our Year 7 students, who showed great maturity, sensitivity, and leadership as they created their newspapers. They worked together to write a range of articles that celebrated their schools and their communities.

"A huge thank you to Mrs Blundell, our interviewee, and to all our teaching and support colleagues who were involved in the day as well; their enthusiasm and dedication really helped to make the day a huge success."