Pupils' close-up on the media

SIX pupils from a Warrington high school got a close-up view of the media in action at a specialist skills convention in Manchester.
Year nine and 10 pupils from Penketh High School took part in Inspiration Day – an event supported by Channel 4 and Aimhigher – and designed to give young people an introduction to the industry.
Creative and media leader Jonathon Kay said: “As a specialist media and visual arts college it’s important for us to let our pupils experience the scenarios that occur every day in the media workplace.
“With Inspiration Day I’d like to think we have been able to lay the foundations needed for our pupils to go on to become successful presenters, producers, scriptwriters and directors.”
Pupils were shown examples of what a good television news report looks like and then asked to record their own one minute broadcast focusing on the day’s happenings, the weather and sport.
They were given the opportunity to have their questions answered by experienced journalists and technicians.
Media technician Roy Abbott said: “The industry experts were really good and, as the name of the event suggests, were inspiring to listen to.
“They got the pupils to think about media production in a different way, as in you don’t need high-tech equipment to boost your media skills and that you can learn a lot from recording news reports on a mobile phone.”
Year 10 pupil Jordan Simpson, 15, said: “I found Inspiration Day to be informative, skill building, and above all, enjoyable.”