FEATURES: THE difficulties of writing in a newspaper style were among the issues raised by pupils at Holy Trinity C of E Primary School in Great Cheverell when the Gazette and Herald visited.

Youngsters at the school are taking part in the Newspapers in Education Scheme.

The scheme involves children using the Gazette and Herald as a contemporary text book.

Pupils are given reading passports containing assignments that encourage them to read the newspaper.

Gazette reporter Jill Crooks and newly-appointed photographer Hege Johnsen visited the school and talked to the pupils about how news is gathered and how the Gazette is produced.

Jill explained how news is obtained from different sources, from village correspondents to council meetings as well as members of the public tipping us off about potential stories.

She also explained how important it was to take notes in shorthand to ensure the accuracy of reporting.

The pupils in years five and six have produced their own school newspaper and it features a range of news including motoring, sport and an article about the bombing of the World Trade Centre in New York.

Teacher Mercedes Henning said the pupils had found it tricky to write in a newspaper style.

She said: "It was a challenge for them to write in a formal style because they are used to writing more colloquially.

"However, they have really enjoyed reading the Gazette together with their passports and putting their own work together.

"They have learned that it is possible to scan through a newspaper and select the items that interest them.

"Instead of feeling that they have to start at the beginning of the newspaper they can find what is of interest to them.

"Even the more reluctant readers have discovered that the lead paragraph in a story is important in informing them what the rest of the story is about and if that paragraph interests them they can carry on reading."

Adam Bramwell, ten, wrote a review on a car he had designed on his computer for the school newspaper and said he enjoyed reading the motoring section of the Gazette.

Jillian Tovey, ten, spotted someone she knew in a story in the Gazette.

It was about a girl who rescued her pet dog in a house fire in Devizes.

And Sarah Wiltshire, ten, avidly read the Gazette's coverage on the controversy about the felling of the trees in the Market Place, Devizes.

She said: "I enjoyed reading about the protesters, it was really powerful. I was angry with the council.

"They shouldn't have chopped down the trees, they made the Market Place look very nice."

The pupils asked questions concerning how many hours journalists work, how long it takes to write a story and whether photographers ever run out of film while taking pictures.

They were intrigued to learn that the month of August is typically known by journalists as the 'silly season' as schools are closed and not many council meetings are held, as people are on holiday.