London MEP, Jean Lambert, was in Hillingdon this week for an interview with Year 7 pupils at Mellow Lane School (photo attached). The students are taking part in the Newsday 2008 competition from the Guardian as part of a project to teach young people about working in the media.
The contest intends to give students the opportunity to write for, or broadcast to, a real audience, work to real deadlines and to develop newsgathering skills.
Jean Lambert MEP, who was a teacher in Walthamstow before she became involved in politics, said:
"We have had a very interesting discussion today about my job in the European Parliament and I am delighted to have been able to help the students with their project. They have a tight deadline to meet so have to work hard now to get their assignment completed in time. This competition provides a useful lesson about life in the media!
"Developing the skills to gather and sift news is very important, especially now that there is so much information available online. You have to be able to assess which sources are reliable and which are not."
"The project also gives the children the chance to develop their writing skills and experiment with new ways of communicating news, for example through creating podcasts and blogging. I wish them the best of luck for the competition."
Headteacher, Marion Lewis, also expressed her delight at the valuable opportunity being given to students at Mellow Lane School. She said:
"I am very proud of the way the students conducted themselves during the interview. I now look forward to seeing their work in print."
For more information about the Newsday 2008 competition, go to www.newsday.co.uk