Yarm Students Recognised Across the Board at National School Media Awards

Three pupils from Yarm School attended the Shine School Media Awards bringing five prizes home to the North East.

Taking place in London, the national awards ceremony recognises schools who produce an outstanding newspaper, magazine, or multimedia project.

The students from Yarm School are part of a team who write and contribute to the school’s annual ‘Dovecote’ magazine. The students amazed the judges with their creative writing and photography skills as well as an international interview described as a ‘piece that wouldn’t look out of place in the Sunday Times Magazine’.

Annabel Cochrane, aged 15, received the non-Fiction writer of the year award for her interview with Abigail Hernandez, a journalist fighting for her country’s voice on the front line of the humanitarian crisis in Nicaragua. This piece received a further prize after being ‘Highly Commended’ in the category for Best Themed Piece: Freedom of Speech.

The award for Best Photograph went to Poppy Bell, aged 15, after Judges recognised her natural eye for composition and her ability to create a series of thoughtful images that were relevant to the articles in the school’s magazine.

Anna Page, aged 15, was Highly Commended for her poem ‘Inked’ and Annabel and Poppy received a Highly Commended award for their Business and Marketing Strategy.

The annual student magazine at Yarm, ‘Dovecote’, was instigated by Third Year (Year 9) pupils during the pandemic and this third edition included inputs from 40 pupils across the school. The production of the magazine was supported by the Yarm School Association, and all funds from sales went to The Junction Foundation charity.

Headmaster Huw Williams said: “Huge congratulations to Annabel, Poppy and Anna on achieving these fantastic accolades at the Shine School Media Awards.

“Pupil initiative, creativity and enthusiasm underpin the success of the magazine, and this exemplifies the proactive attitude Yarm pupils have, and the opportunities available to them to pursue their interests and develop their skills.

Well done to the team of pupils involved – it is a professional product and a compelling read and deserves the national recognition. We look forward to next year’s edition!”

Annabel Cochrane, winner of the Non-Fiction Writer of the Year, said: “It feels like a huge achievement to have been awarded so many accolades for the magazine, especially across different categories and with such illustrious competition.

“I am honoured to have been selected as Non-Fiction Writer of the Year and am very excited for what the future holds and to work on more pieces in the coming months.”