PUPILS experienced the buzz of a newsroom when they took part in a journalism workshop.

Year 8 and 9 students at The Vyne Community School spent the day finding out about journalism including how to write headlines, different types of journalism, where to find stories and what to include in a news story.

They also took part in a mock press conference, where they were challenged with finding out all the facts about a murder investigation from the police officer in charge.

The workshop was run by freelance journalist Emily Roberts, who writes for The Gazette and Andover Advertiser, as well as The Sun, The Independent, The Mirror and other publications.

The 35-year-old, who studied for an NVQ in youth work last year, hopes to use her skills in both journalism and working with young people to inspire journalists of the future.

Emily, who lives in Basingstoke, said: “It was brilliant working with the pupils at The Vyne. They were a credit to their school and were incredibly focused throughout the day, showing real potential to be able to make it in this industry. I was so impressed with how quickly they picked up various skills and were eager to learn and find out more.

“I hope that I showed them that you don’t have to be privately educated or know people in high places to make it as a journalist. I grew up in Basingstoke and attended a state school like them, and now I’m writing for the national papers and have a fulfilling career which I love.”

Emily, a mother-of-one, gave the students the skills needed to set up their own school newspaper and she hopes to work with them in the future to support them with this.

The pupils then spent the rest of the week using their new skills to find and write stories as part of their Enrichment week.

Nicola Pearce, headteacher at The Vyne, said: “We always try to give students learning opportunities which reflect the world of work, to inspire and enthuse them about how they can apply their talents. The journalism workshop and then using their newly learnt skills to report of Enrichment week is an excellent example of this.

“I am very thankful to Emily for sharing her expertise with our students and I look forward to watching our budding journalists develop."

Any schools interested in taking part in Emily’s journalism workshop should email es_roberts@outlook.com for more details.