Leeds students get awards at Buckingham Palace for their work on national news club

Secondary school students Lucy Hibbert-Lau and Rachel Joshua were recognised for their outstanding contributions to the Burnet News Club, a national network of schools news clubs.

They are two of just ten students, selected from more than 1,000, to attend the Burnet News Club’s annual awards ceremony. The event was hosted by the Royal Collection at the Queen’s Gallery in Buckingham Palace on June 18.

Lucy said: “I’m very happy, very elated. It was very exciting to be awarded because it means you’ve been doing some really good work. And it’s an honour to be here. I’ve enjoyed everything about the Burnet News Club. The work you get to do and how you get to interact with others and see what their opinions are compared to what you think.

“It’s fun to learn all of this stuff from the world because if we just had normal lessons in the curriculum you don’t get to learn all of this. If you’re part of the Burnet News Club, you get to know about Brexit, the financial crisis and climate change.”

The Burnet News Club is run by The Economist Educational Foundation - a charity that leads the way in news literacy for young people - and is run by teachers around the UK.

It aims to develop young people’s critical thinking and literacy skills through open discussions about current affairs, both in the classroom and online. This academic year students have explored topics ranging from the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar and climate change, to violent crime and Trump’s wall.

Both students presented an example of their work to guests at the ceremony. Lucy presented her thoughts on Trump’s wall and whether all people should be free to live where they want, and Rachel presented a simile likening Brexit to a polaroid photo.

The students’ teacher Harriet Baker was also nominated as Burnet News Club teacher of the year for her exceptional commitment to running the club, enabling the students to have high quality, inspiring discussions about the news.