Sidcot School pupils become young reporters with new Good News Room sponsored by local business
(Live at the scene by Sidcot School reporters, sponsored by Formula First, Weston-super-Mare)
Reporters include Albie, 6, Edward, 10, Evie, 8, and Florence,8. Photo by Florence.
Weston-super-Mare business Formula First backs the school’s new initiative to put children at the heart of positive news.
Pupils at Sidcot School in Somerset have become young reporters after launching their very own Good News Room – giving them the opportunity to discover, investigate and share positive stories from their school and wider community.
The school has joined the growing Good News Rooms project, created by the Good News Post, which gives young people the opportunity to learn real journalism skills while developing their literacy, interviewing, writing, communication and confidence.
The young reporters will learn how to find a story, ask questions, interview people and turn their ideas into engaging news reports – all while celebrating the achievements of the people around them.
The new Good News Room has been made possible thanks to the support of Formula First, an independent motoring business based in Weston-super-Mare, which provides a range of services including car repairs, MOT testing, servicing and tyres.
Owner Paul Dancer recently visited Sidcot School to meet the young reporters, hear about their plans and discover how their new newsroom will help children develop valuable skills for life.
Paul’s support is helping bring local business and education together, giving pupils the opportunity to learn about the world of work while discovering the power of positive journalism.
Paul Dancer said: “I wanted to start the company of Formula First because I wanted to do things for my self.”
If he could be anything else Paul said he would be a pilot on a aeroplane. He said: “ I would fly to Thailand.”
The sponsorship from Formula First is helping give Sidcot pupils the opportunity to become young reporters, discover their voices and experience the power of positive journalism.
The Good News Rooms project began in Weston-super-Mare in 2011 and was formally launched with Jill Dando as its inspiration in 2016 at Jill’s former school, Worle School. The project reflects Jill’s positive, kind and humble approach to journalism.
Since then, Good News Rooms have grown from Somerset to schools across the UK and beyond.
The project has also attracted support from high-profile figures over the years, including Mr Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Alan Titchmarsh, Fiona Bruce, Sir Cliff Richard and the late author and former politician Lord Jeffrey Archer, who was a patron and a long-standing supporter of the Jill Dando News project.
