Children at Otterbourne Church of England Primary School were delighted to invite Steve Brine to be interviewed by them as a guest on their school radio broadcast on Friday 23rd October.
The school has its own radio equipment enabling children to create regular programmes that are broadcast within the school and can be enjoyed by listeners beyond the school who use the link on the school's website. It has proved very popular with children and the wider community, with listeners tuning in from as far afield as Scotland!
Ella, Isla, Ben, Isobel and Rowan were able to ask Steve about his current work as a Member of Parliament for Winchester and surrounding areas and to gain a greater understanding of his responsibilities, his involvement in local issues and how he manages family life in the midst of all of this.
The children had met Steve recently during their visit to the Houses of Parliament and were keen to find out even more about the work of a local MP. They had researched their special guest, in preparation for his visit, and were fascinated to find that he had previously been a successful radio broadcaster! Steve spoke to the children about this work and was able to offer some helpful tips to make the school broadcasts even more professional.
In the best tradition of radio interviews, Steve was invited to nominate his favourite musical choices, including Bears Den and Bruce Springsteen, which were included in the programme.
Alison Langrish, Head Teacher, commented: "The Year 5 children, who conducted the interview of Steve Brine, were incredibly excited at the prospect of interviewing their local Member of Parliament, especially since their recent visit to the Houses of Parliament.
"They showed great maturity and commitment in their preparation for his visit – undertaking research, planning appropriately polite but probing questions and managing their obvious excitement!
"Steve's visit helped the children in many ways - in valuing the school's radio programmes and the appreciation of the different skills which need to be employed when interviewing VIPs and which are incredibly important in many other contexts."
Steve Brine added: "I had a wonderful time at this fantastic school, and being a former broadcaster I was doubly excited to be taking part in the interview.
"I thought the questions were well-researched and the style and professionalism of the children was superb. I would recommend that my constituents tune in via the school website!"
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