Heron Way Primary School
Case Study

Tara Harmer, Deputy Headteacher

“There is always something to grab the reader’s interest, and the language used makes it highly accessible to a wide range of reading abilities”

The articles in First News newspaper are diverse and appeal to a wide audience. Set out like any other newspaper, there is always something to grab the reader’s interest, and the language used makes it highly accessible to a wide range of reading abilities.

The variety of topics covered means that you can safely discuss issues that you might feel sometimes unsure about tackling. Children can be nervous and scared by the news, but First News writes about events in such a way that they can get the information they need without feeling overwhelmed.

The Engage Printable activity sheets mean that all children can develop key comprehension skills and have a sense of achievement. I love the debates – they are always lively.

I think it is very important to develop our voices and express opinions. It is important for children to learn to listen, to agree to disagree, but also to have and justify their viewpoint.

“Children can be nervous and scared by the news, but First News writes about events in such a way that they can get the information they need without feeling overwhelmed”

Additionally, the support from the First News Education team is excellent – they are very prompt in responding to enquiries and I have found our Engage Pro trial helpful in expanding my understanding of how we can fully embed First News Education’s news-based learning tools within our school.

I would recommend First News Education to any school who is working to promote an enquiring mind, getting children to ask ‘big’ questions and be curious about the world around them.

While we teach the children about creativity and imagination through stories, poetry etc, when they enter the world of work most of their experience will be with non-fiction; reading the paper also allows the children to see how non-fiction can work in a real world context.

I use the paper as a model when writing articles to help the children understand the tone and features. It helps them to understand the purpose of audience and apply this to their own writing.

“I would recommend First News Education to any school who is working to promote an enquiring mind, getting children to ask ‘big’ questions and be curious about the world around them”