Oundle School
All images on this page are the work of Whai Tak Tang (C), an Arts Exhibitioner, recognised for his outstanding work as a School Photographer.
Media
In addition to the publications managed and produced largely by professionals and staff members (such as About Oundle and the The Oundelian), the School has a wide range of opportunities for pupils to gain experience and develop their own skills and interests in the media. These media ventures include:
Off the Cuff
Versus
The Oundle Chronicle
Oscar Radio and the
School Photographers.
A team of fifteen to twenty pupils of all ages work every week to create this in-House School newspaper, but many more are involved when they wish to contribute. Off the Cuff is distributed throughout the School to pupils and staff. An editorial team of two editors and a desk-top publishing team oversee the work of senior journalists, each of whom have a particular area of specialism, whether it is in fashion, food or current affairs. We aim to produce eight editions of some 30 pages a year, as well as the flagship edition prepared especially for Speech Day; this contains the best of the year's output.
The success of Off the Cuff led to the development of the sport-orientated newspaper, Versus. With a similar production schedule to Off the Cuff, and driven by its own healthy sense of competition, it reports on the School and national sporting stories of the time.
A group of thirty pupils gather together each week under their own editorial team, helped by a sports teacher.
Mrs C Redding
The Oundle Chronicle is produced by a group of approximately 20 pupils drawn from the Fifth Form and above, working on Wednesday afternoons as part of the Community Action programme. A community tabloid of approximately 28 newsprint pages, it has operated since 1991 as a self-funding publication, allowing pupils to gain an insight into running a business while donating profits to charity. Contributors from outside the School are welcome. Several previous editors have gone on after Oundle to work in the professional media, including financial, film and motoring journalism.
The Chronicle publishes news and features based on people and events
in Oundle town and the surrounding villages, aiming to appear twice a year.
With a print-run of 2,000 copies it retails in local shops for 35p to 50p.
The online version appears at www.oundlechronicle.com
and shares much of its content with the newspaper.
The leading school radio station in Britain, OSCAR radio has been broadcasting to the School and the local community since 1998. Over two hundred pupils are involved at all levels in the management, production and creativity that a fully operational radio station demands.
The evolution over the years of OSCAR from a staff-led structure to one in which pupils take full responsibility for each broadcast period truly sets OSCAR apart, and puts it on a par with those of a University standard. It is this independence and youthful creativity that has made the station so important to the School and local community.
The investment in OSCAR originated from generous support from the Oundle School Foundation, and in particular from OOs such as Sir Howard Stringer and Carl Heinlein. The station now broadcasts over six weeks during two periods throughout the School year.
School Photographers
Mr R S Ambrose
In a more recent development, a team of between ten and twelve talented pupils are selected each year from the Lower Sixth to provide a service to the School as photographers. Their responsibilities include capturing both major and minor events in the School Calendar, but also to develop their artistic and aesthetic skills in the art of photography. The school offers the photographers training during their year of involvement.
The team not only develops a photo archive of all aspect of School life, but actively support School publications such as the website, The Oundelian, press releases, Public Relations, About Oundle, Off the Cuff and Versus.