A Young Reporter award win has opened the door to a professional media opportunity for a student at Parmiter School.
Student Arran Sihota was invited to record Instagram reels for the Open University at a professional sound studio, gaining first-hand experience of the media industry.
Arran secured the opportunity after winning the Sports category in his age group at this year's Young Reporter Awards.
He provided voiceovers for a series of videos and worked alongside industry content producers during the recording session.
Arran said: "Taking part in this opportunity was an amazing experience."
The experience allowed him to get "a real gauge for how this part of the industry works internally, while gaining valuable experience in the world of media", he added.
The Young Reporter Awards are held annually in June and celebrate the achievements of students who take part in the journalism scheme.
This year’s ceremony was held at Roehampton University and in total, 33 students were recognised across a range of categories and were selected from hundreds of entries.
Arwa Kinana from Croydon High School and Neve Ess from Franklin Sixth Form were named the overall winners for 2026.
Winners also took part in a university newsroom day, where they helped produce an online newspaper and worked to tight deadlines.
The Young Reporter Scheme, which has been running for 18 years, helps thousands of students develop journalism, communication and deadline-writing skills to support their future education and careers.
For more information or to join the programme in September, visit the Young Reporter website.
Emma Burch of Artful Being, who organised Arran’s recording session, praised his professionalism.
Ms Burch said: "Arran was brilliant.
"It was a lot to get through and I've seen seasoned pros struggle more than he did.
"This was an amazing experience for a Young Reporter student and highlights the exciting possibilities that can arise as a result of taking part in this scheme."
