What came from the work
- Three interviews with the Prime Minister, including the wider project’s Downing Street opportunity.
- Years of local coverage, including television.
- National exposure in The Daily Telegraph and international exposure with CBS News in New York.
An ambitious brief with local roots
When The Purple Sheep began working with Neville Coles in 2008, the starting point was Priory School and the achievements of its community. As the work developed to support the emerging Priory Learning Trust, the ambition grew with it.
The aim was to give those achievements an audience: families and local communities, but also journalists and decision-makers beyond the area. It called for a steady flow of stories and the willingness to pursue opportunities that might initially seem unlikely.
Keep the stories coming. Think beyond the obvious.
Shane combined sustained local media work with ideas capable of attracting wider interest. Relationships with journalists mattered, as did creativity and persistent follow-up. Local newspaper and television coverage provided a continuing platform for the schools’ work.
The results also reached national and international audiences, including a feature in The Daily Telegraph and exposure with CBS News in New York. The campaign’s most memorable moments included three interviews with the Prime Minister and a visit to 10 Downing Street.
Young reporters were part of this wider story. Priory’s own account describes pupils interviewing the Prime Minister at Downing Street, while The Good News Post records a trio of interviews. These were opportunities for students to take part in the news themselves.
A local story with a wider audience
Burnham-On-Sea.com documented Boris Johnson’s visit to King Alfred School Academy in June 2019, when he was a candidate for Conservative leader. Alongside broadcast interviews, he spoke to the school’s Jill Dando News reporters. The local report includes photographs and video of the visit.
The later Downing Street opportunity became part of a longer learning experience. In an October 2026 Good News Post account, former pupil Dawson describes how the reporting project helped him develop confidence and video production skills. The story connects an exceptional interview with the everyday experience of learning to communicate.
A bigger platform for people and ideas
The combination of regular local coverage and exceptional opportunities gave the school community a profile far beyond a single news cycle. For Neville, the value lay in the combination of ambition, relationships and the determination to make an idea happen.
His recollection of ending up in Downing Street sums up the spirit of the partnership. The opportunity began with people and their stories; the work was to find a way for those stories to travel.
The related youth journalism initiative grew into a story of its own. This case focuses on the school and trust’s public profile; the Good News movement case study explores what the reporting opportunities meant for young people.
