HABS Press Club
Pupils at Harris Academy Battersea took part in the WTW Journalism Project during the autumn term 2025. 22 students took part in HABS Press Club, reporting on a wide range of events and interviewing industry professionals. Take a look at their reporting skills below!
Careers in the Media - Deeper Learning Day at Harris Academy Battersea
Reporting by David, Nathan, Carlos and Sajay
On Monday 24th November Year 8 students from HABS Press Club helped to deliver an assembly about media careers to the whole of Year 8. Amelia introduced the assembly with a clapperboard, and Sajay spoke about what the Press Club has been up to lately including; interviewing Mr. Hinz and writing articles about culture in Battersea and Wandsworth. Carlos and Kenzo asked guest radio present Mary Mandefield about her career. Year 8 then took part in a range of workshops.
In the Press Conference workshop members of the Year 8 HABS also had a fantastic opportunity to interview Presenter, Journalist and Creative Mary Mandefield. Mary visited Harris Battersea straight after presenting on Hits Radio which she had woken up at 2 in the morning to do! Mary Mandefield was interviewed by different students in Year 8; here is an example of two of the questions that were asked by Maya and Thaisa from Year 8:
Q: How long does it take you to get ready in the morning?
A: I am the type of person that people call a Plan B – I don’t get ready when I am meant to, I get ready 5 minutes before I am meant to leave.
Q: Who is the most famous person you have ever met?
A: I have met a lot of people like the Queen all the way down to the kids at school that are like you lot.
Students also had the chance to have a workshop called ‘Let’s Go Live’ delivered by Sarah Burbedge who is a Presenter and Creative Producer and we asked her some questions like:
Q: If you could describe your job as a different food, what would it be?
A: I would say my job is like tapas, as it is a lot of different things and it will never be the same each day.
Sarah described how to present a story by using the example of a pencil. Thaisa did her own example of the story:
The story of a pencil: Hello everyone this is a story about a pencil, I got this pencil from a tree – yes, a tree. You can see it is made out of wood and when it runs out, I cut off the pencil lead and then sharpened it.
There were also workshops on filmmaking and storytelling with Alan Wigley and Anushree Shukla.
HABS Press Club Interviews Mary Mandefield
written by Adele and Candela
The HABS Press Club had the opportunity to have a discussion with Mary Mandefield on a Podcast. We had some questions prepared about childhood experiences and the contradiction of adult experiences now:
- Were you aware of the media industry at this age and if so, what was your impression of it?
- What did you study at GCSE and how was this process for you?
- What were your next steps after GCSEs and how did you make those decisions?
- What is next for you in your career?
- What advice would you give to people looking at getting into the sector and perhaps looking at this type of role specifically?
Mary Mandefield is a journalist, a presenter and a creative living in London. She breaks down some of the biggest topics and current affairs for a young and news-hungry audience. She also hosts Hits Radio Sunday Breakfast. She also covers 1Xtra Talks and Life Hacks on BBC Radio 1. She was born and raised in Welwyn Garden City in Hertfordshire but later moved to London for her career, where she works as a freelance presenter, journalist, and creative producer. Her work with various media organizations like Hits Radio and the BBC is based in or around the London area.
We enjoyed taking the chance to go on a podcast with Mary Mandefield and will forever remember it.
HABS Press Club visit million-pound TV studio
Report by Naiomi, Chaimaa and Zandrae
Harris Academy Battersea Press Club visited the CNN studio on 25th November. We had the chance to view and experience being in a TV newsroom with millions pounds worth of equipment and outstanding gadgets. During our tour we were extremely impressed and blown away by the amazing work the team produce.
CNN, which is an American company reporting from London, hosts four shows a day including those hosted by Max Foster and Christine Amanpour. As many young people do not watch news on television, they make sure that their shows are also available on social media such as TikTok and Instagram.
The amazing newsroom consists of the studio and a green room/make up station, auto cue prompter, lights and cameras. The lights and cameras cost over £1million. They have a variety of cameras which are remotely controlled and film the show from various angles to get a variety of shots. We all got to experience of hosting the news to camera and reading the auto cue.
There is a small make-up station also known as the ‘green room’ where guests and hosts get their make-up touched up as the studio use high-definition cameras. Near the studio is the control room where a director controls the lights and cameras. In the past, a person would manually control the cameras. Today, they use AI and advanced technology instead.
Cameramen David and Tom told the students of Harris Academy about their work and their variety of experiences over the years from filming the royal family and of the difficulties of filming in dangerous situations such as riots and wars.
They showed us body vests protected with Kevlar plates which had first aid kits in the lining and metal helmets which they had worn when filming in battle zones. Tom and David taught the students how to hold the cameras and film with ones from the 1980s which cost £50,000 to more recent ones which are the size of a pen.
What we love about Battersea Park
Written by Ashir and Khalid
Battersea Park is important to students at HABS as it is less than a 5-minute walk from the school. It provides lots of different types of activities that we take part in from playing in the park through to attending a range of events.
The park was built and expanded between 1854-1870. It is 200 acres in space which runs along the river Thames to the north and Prince of Wales Drive to the south.
HABS sports day, each summer, takes place in the park. Local primary schools use the park for nature trails. There is a firework show for Bonfire night and on other occasions and the park hosts lots of other events. It has lots of cafes including one of our favourites which sells ice cream. Thousands of people use the park every day for running, walking and exercising their dogs. It also has a children’s zoo.
The park has a normal playground for younger children as well as an adventure playground. It also has sports fields and football nets. Bob Marley the famous reggae singer played football with members of his band in the park when he was on tour. A green plaque was unveiled on 25 October 2025 to commemorate this as part of the London’s Mayors Borough of Culture events with Wandsworth Council. The singer Adele used to live close to the park.
John Archer - Battersea's First Black Mayor
Written by Marwa and Kaleece
Battersea was the first borough in London to have a person of colour as a mayor. John Archer became mayor of the borough on 10th of November 1913, winning the election by just one vote.
John Archer was born in Liverpool in 1863 and he grew up having lots of different jobs including being a sailor, singer and a student of medicine. He moved to London in the 1880s and settled in Battersea. He got interested in politics when he attended the Pan African conference in 1900. He first became a councillor in Battersea in 1906.
He lived at 55 Brynmaer Road and set up a photographic studio. A blue plaque has been put up to remember his role as the first person of colour to be a mayor in a London borough.
In his acceptance speech he said: “Battersea has done many things in the past, but the greatest thing it has done has been to show it has no racial prejudice and that it recognises a man for the work he has done”.
John Archer held the role of mayor for one term but he continued to work to help the citizens of Battersea particularly those who were poor.
He died on 14th July 1932 after a brief illness.
Battersea Power Station
Written by Adele and Candela
Battersea Power Station has only been open for three years, but it already plays a crucial part in the life of the local Borough. It is a home to over 150 shops and restaurants which attract many tourists across the country.
The Battersea Power Station was designed by Giles Gilbert Scott, the same architect behind Britain’s red telephone box, and built between 1929-1935 as a factory to provide a centralised source of electricity to much of the city, including landmarks like Buckingham Palace and the Houses of Parliament.
It was officially reopened to the public by Simon Murphy, the CEO of the BPSDC, in 2022. Located on the South Bank of the River Thames in Nine Elms, the building is significant for its iconic architecture and its transformation into a modern shopping and leisure destination. Today, its wide range of shops, restaurants, and entertainment spaces has helped bring people together and revitalised the surrounding area.
The building has often been described as a “temple of power,” reflecting its monumental presence and historic importance. In 2014, icon Elton John also claimed “I never thought I’d be playing in Battersea Power Station. It is going to be an amazing development.” conveying the power station’s cultural rebirth— from industrial relic to live-event venue.