Students and lecturers help school pupils put MP Jayne Kirkham under pressure in Falmouth University newsroom
26 September 2025
Falmouth University’s journalism newsroom was buzzing last month as local school students grilled Truro and Falmouth MP Jayne Kirkham in a lively mock press conference, part of a special Politics Summer School hosted on campus.
The one-day event brought together 23 students aged 15–18 from schools across Cornwall and was run by Falmouth staff, Journalism & Creative Writing BA(Hons) students and featured national and international journalists. Designed to help young people explore how politics works both locally and nationally, the day included workshops on government, debate training, with the highlight an immersive journalism session run by Falmouth staff and students.
Inside the University’s state-of-the-art newsroom, the students learned about the vital role of journalism in democracy, how to carry out research, and how to frame sharp, purposeful questions. Armed with their new skills, they surprised Jayne Kirkham with a tough press conference on the hot topic of lowering the voting age to 16.
“The students were brilliant and asked such great questions—polite, succinct, but challenging too. I think we may have some future journalists in that room,” said Associate Professor of Audio Journalism, Dr Abigail Wincott. “This is exactly why we open our newsroom to schools and communities. When young people step into a professional space like ours, supported by industry experts and our own undergraduates, they discover their own voice and gain the confidence to use it. At Falmouth, we believe creativity and difference can transform lives, and this workshop showed that in action.”
Dr Wincott was joined by Lucy McDaid, Political Correspondent for ITV South West, and Dr Sana Batool, a journalist and recent Falmouth PhD graduate. Together they coached the students in how to plan effective questions and handle the pressure of live political encounters.
Falmouth undergraduates also played a hands-on role, filming vox pops with the pupils to capture their reactions to the possibility of a younger voting age. This peer-to-peer experience gave school students a taste of what it’s like to work in a real newsroom environment, using professional equipment and techniques.
For many, the experience was transformative. “I really enjoyed the debate and the press conference,” said one participant. “It felt like we were taken seriously—we weren’t just students, we were reporters holding an MP to account.”
The event reflects Falmouth University’s commitment to opening up its facilities and expertise to the wider community. With over 120 years of art school heritage, Falmouth continues to fuse creativity with real-world application, empowering students of all ages to imagine, innovate and transform themselves—and the world around them.
Jayne Kirkham praised the day, describing it as “a brilliant opportunity for young people to develop practical skills in debate, journalism and political engagement.” She added: “I certainly discovered some talented journalists, barristers and politicians of the future.”
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