YOUNGSTERS from a high-achieving York primary school got a sneak peak behind the news.

Two groups of ten-year-olds from Year Five at Tang Hall Primary School, which ranked as joint 38th most improved primary school in the country in last week's school league tables for Key Stage Two SATS results, went on a guided tour of the York & County Press publishing centre in Walmgate, York.

They spoke to the people responsible for putting the Evening Press together, including journalists, photographers and advertising staff.

The tour came about through head teacher Ken Taylor and Liz Page, the managing director of York & County Press, both being involved in the North Yorkshire Business and Enterprise Partnership.

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After returning to the classroom the youngsters in wrote their own accounts of the visit.

Christina Marshall said: "We saw the photographic department where there were hundreds of photographs ready for the newspaper on the computer screen."

For tennis enthusiast Tom Wood there was a surprise in store. "When we got to the photo department, the most fun thing was that I was on the computer as I had won the school tennis final and the photographer from the press had taken lots of pictures of me."

Other youngsters were captivated by the printing press. "We watched how the papers were produced. Firstly we watched how they changed colour," wrote Chevaugne Fawdington and Laura Gray.

"I liked watching the print run; all of the class had to go in with ear plugs," wrote Dylan Bell.

Gabrielle Mountain said: "The best bit was when it all got put together."

Updated: 08:31 Wednesday, December 08, 2004