Visit by Daily Mail Journalist
The academy was delighted to begin a busy summer term by welcoming Ruth Sunderland, an experienced journalist working for the Daily Mail, as well as a content provider for Sky News, the BBC, and radio documentaries.
With a comprehensive Employability Programme built into the curriculum, David Nieper Academy were thrilled with the Group Business Editor’s interest in their employability work.
Year 8 Enterprise pupils, Jayden, Roxanne, Martha, and Macey-Lu had been working on a project with the NHS, aptly named Step into the NHS. As part of the project, pupils researched the 350 different jobs within the NHS and used their findings to create a fun, lively advert for an NHS job of their choice.
The pupils prepared excellent presentations which they delivered confidently, along with displaying their video advertisements. The videos were creative and fun, with details on which working hours would be required within the roles, the different related duties, and even what can be found on a children’s ward.
Afterwards, Year 10 English and Media pupils were pleased to join Ruth in the academy library to hear about her background, growing up in a similarly small community to Alfreton, and the career pathway she followed to become a journalist. It was an inspirational message about looking for all opportunities and aspiring to achieve. Ruth spoke passionately about the importance of studying English and how the language can enrich everyone’s lives by enabling us to communicate effectively.
The Daily Mail columnist then invited pupils’ questions, with one Year 10 asking, “What is the most rewarding part of your job?” and Ruth answered, “Things like this”, it is “incredibly fascinating” being able to meet people from all over the world. This was a fantastic experience for the group, it being the first time most had met with a journalist, and with many of them looking towards future careers in the media.
The session gave pupils a captivating insight into understanding the role of a journalist and working in the media industry, whilst Ruth was also a great advocate for studying English. The academy is very grateful to her for her time and efforts.
Read more about this event here: The Spirt of Alfreton
