A Suffolk primary school’s new press gang picked up tips from a journalist who has covered terrorist attacks, murder trials and celebrity scandals.

Ellen Widdup, who has worked for the East Anglian Daily Times, The Evening Standard, The Daily Mail and The Sun, met with 60 pupils at Kyson Primary School in Woodbridge.

The children, aged nine and 10, looked at copies of newspapers and asked questions about what makes a story, including photographs, headlines, quotes and opinions.

Nine-year-old Nina Shelley, who invited Ms Widdup to the school, said: “I like writing and reading and we wanted to find out more about what a real-life reporter does.

“My favourite bit was finding out which famous people Ellen had interviewed like Hugh Grant from Paddington 2 and DanTDM.”

Ms Widdup, who now works as editorial director at Prominent, Ipswich, said: “I was about nine when I decided I was going to be a journalist when I grew up so it was very special to be able to talk to this age group about their project.

“The fact that they had so many questions for me and were so confident asking them shows that many of them have all the qualities you need to make a good journalist – they are inquisitive, interested and assertive.

“I will be fascinated to see what they produce for their school newspaper stories.”