So far, almost 1,000 students from all over the UK have signed up for this year’s Young Reporter Scheme, which is an extra-curricular activity open to students from Year 10 and above.

 

Signing up for this year has been open since the start of the Autumn term and the final deadline for registering students for 2022/23, is Friday 4 November.

 

The scheme, which starts up every academic year, gives students a voice to write about what is important to them and every article they write is published on our online newspapers. This gives them an opportunity to build up a portfolio for their CVs and UCAS applications. Students studying for Duke of Edinburgh can also do this as part of their skillset.

 

Sarah Stewart, Head of Sixth Form, City of London Freemen’s School, said: “The Young Reporter Scheme is a fantastic way for young people to get real experience of the world of journalism. It is a very popular co-curricular activity at Freemen’s and really encourages our students to work independently and show initiative in tracking down a good story. They are given excellent support and an amazing number of exciting opportunities are available to attend newsworthy events. I highly recommend it.”

 

The pandemic forced the closure of many extra-curricular activities but the Young Reporter Scheme, being an online programme, has continued to welcome hundreds of students anxious to experience life in the media, a career which holds an interest for many young people.

 

It is difficult to get experience in this type of field and those that do the scheme often go onto to pursue completely different careers, but all of those students who have finished the scheme have agreed that it helped hone their writing skills, build their confidence and prepare them for university.

 

Schools fear there will be a lot of extra work and pressure put on teachers already stretched to the limits. This is not the case as the Young Reporter team work directly with the students. All the schools have to do is put forward the names of enthusiastic pupils who they feel will benefit from this amazing scheme.

 

Tim Lissimore, Senior Deputy Head at Wilson’s School, said: “We were delighted that pupils could once again take part in Young Reporter during 2021-22. The scheme complements our efforts to encourage pupils’ writing in school, with minimal input required.”

 

This year, the Young Reporter Scheme, in conjunction with Newsquest Media Group, expanded the scheme by announcing plans to offer apprenticeship programmes for students from aged 16 plus.

 

Students doing the Young Reporter Scheme can be fast-tracked onto this programme and those who are successful will benefit from free tuition fees for their course as the costs will be funded by Newsquest and the UK Government’s apprenticeship levy.

 

For more information on this apprenticeship programme or to be included in this year’s scheme,  please visit the Young Reporter website www.youngreporter.co.uk or email djarvis@newsquest.co.uk to register your interest.