Rachael Watts (9H) has won the prestigious national Court Reporter Competition for 2005/06.

 

In the Court Reporter Competition, which is organised by the Citizenship Foundation, Rachael faced stiff competition from students from over 70 leading schools. The judge commented on the very high standard of the entries and the difficulty of reaching a final decision. However, after much deliberation, Rachael's entry was chosen as the overall winner. 

Her article was selected as the winner of the competition by Rod McKenzie, the well-known BBC Radio 1 news editor. Mr McKenzie commented: 'I was impressed with her narrative; she told the story well with great clarity and I was impressed with the layout of the piece, too. She struck the right balance between accurately reporting what happened in court and doing so in a lively but not 'tabloid' manner. Congratulations!'

Rachael will be attending the National Final of the Magistrates' Court Mock Trial Competition on 24th June at Trafford Magistrates' Court, Greater Manchester, where she will be presented with a prize and a shield.

As an exciting part of her prize, Rachael has also been invited to spend a day in July at the Radio 1 office in London. She will have the opportunity to visit the Newsbeat desk, take a tour of the BBC and meet Rod McKenzie.

Rachael's article will be published on the Citizenship Foundation website and will be used to publicise the Citizenship Foundation and the Court Reporter Competition.

Adam Dent (9A), who entered both the Court Reporter Competition and the Court Artist Competition, was delighted to learn that his entry for the latter was one of the final ten that were short listed. This competition was judged by Priscilla Coleman, ITN's court artist, who commented that it had been difficult to select a winner as the standard of entries was so high. As a result of his achievement he will receive a 'Highly Commended' certificate. Thomas Tokley (9A) will also receive a certificate for his successful entry in the Court Artist Competition