Newsnuggets is run as a before (or after) school club, for about 45 min per week. During each session, we go behind the headlines of the day, explore, discuss and make sense of what is going on in the world. Each child then chooses to research and write about a news story that is topical, of general interest and particularly intriguing to them.
This teaches children accountability, the value of editorial standards, how to use sources effectively, how to check facts, how to distinguish between “fake news” and those that are trustworthy and genuine. We encourage “thinking outside the box”, and coach them on how to structure an article, how to conduct an interview and debate a point confidently whilst listening to other points of view with empathy.
The most effective reporting takes place via interaction with the real world so we regularly invite guest speakers in to talk about what matters to them (be it a footballer, an MP, wildlife conservationists, astronauts, war reporters). We also do field trips: we teach children how to conduct Vox pops in the street, we visit polling stations during elections, listen to experts lead discussions during museum openings, tour newsrooms or the Houses of Parliament, to mention a few. Any such field trip is of course at the discretion of the individual school’s management.
