What is the Jill Dando News Centre?
April 2019 marked twenty years since we lost the extraordinary BBC presenter, Jill Dando. Having studied at Worle Community School, Dando is a huge local success story. Students from PCSA - along with those across the other schools in The Priory Learning Trust (TPLT) - have taken inspiration from her positive journalistic work and created a legacy in her home town. Every week, budding journalists across all year groups meet at the Jill Dando News Centre in the heart of the school to interview, write, photograph, film and edit the latest ‘hot off the press’ news. Unlike so much of today’s press, the journalists follow one rule: every story must be a positive and inspiring one.
Journalists are also joined by their furry assistant, Jeffrey (the King Charles Spaniel and TPLT Mascot) who visits the schools across the Trust as part of the Jill Dando News Centre.
https://goodnewspost.co.uk/
Worle to the World
Our theme is taking ‘Worle to the World’, based around the fact that the world needs more good news than ever before. Students themselves find and write inspirational and positive stories. They are trained by professional journalists and editors such as reporters from the Weston Mercury and ex BBC radio reporter and brother of Jill, Nigel Dando. Stories are then ‘posted’ up to our Facebook or Twitter accounts, in the press, and via The Post. Students at schools from The Priory Learning Trust are full of stories of success, achievement and inspiration. That’s what our schools are all about. In fact, there is a good news story in every person. If you know of a brilliant story yourself, let us know at editor@theplt.org.uk.
Jill Dando News Centre at PCSA
JDTV & Special Guest Interviews
Boris Johnson
Nigel Dando
Ed Chamberlin and Tim Williams
Andrew Buncombe
Nolli Waterman
Anthony Marshall
Mike Westlake
Chris Cooke
NASA Astronaut: Doug Wheelock
Mike Buckland
Jodi Parslow
Dr. Ashley Smith
Emma Britton
Neil Criddle
Fiona Bruce
Dan Ayers
Scott Murray
Ross King
Boris Johnson
Sonny Cox
Branwen Jeffreys and Katherine Smith
James Witts
Philip Hoare
Mark, John and Merlin
James Heappey and John Penrose
Belinda Bradley
Scott Laird
Dawn Carey
Rugby Special: Dai Flanagan and Leon Brown
Leonard Masauli
Richard Payne
Jaime Thurston
Sophie Long
Fiona Bruce
Sasha Pallari
Dean Edwards
Ross King
Ross King
Darren Harris
Dr. Milad Shadrooh
Testimonial from Tim Williams: TV Producer & Programme Editor for ITV Racing – the BAFTA winning home of free-to-air horse racing in the UK.
The Jill Dando News Centre is an amazing opportunity for them all to get that experience at such a young age, something I would have loved at school myself. The questions were brilliant - well researched, concise and well delivered - more so than some of my answers!
I hope those with ambitions of making a career in journalism stick at it. They'd be most welcome to contact me with any further questions if they do. They're already well ahead of the majority of people for their age and I can definitely see some future broadcasters amongst the group.
Testimonial from Andrew Buncombe: Chief US Correspondent for The Independent.
The interview was a genuine pleasure. It was uplifting and exciting to see such enthusiasm among the students. I would very much like to take up the invitation to pay a visit next time I am in the area.
Thanks again,
Andrew