Published: Wednesday, 24th June, 2009 2:00pm

Takeover at the BBC as Alva"s Soundtown team go live

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John Beattie and Fred MacAulay are joined by Alva pupils during the show.
Pic by: David Robertson

PUPILS from Alva Academy took over the air waves when they collaborated with BBC Radio Scotland broadcasting live from the BBC"s headquarters in Glasgow and hosting the MacAulay and Co. morning show from the school.

On Thursday six of Alva Academy"s fifth and sixth year pupils were handed the reins of the BBC Radio Scotland show Get it On which broadcasts live every evening from 6pm until 8pm.

The Clackmannanshire pupils wrote, produced and presented the show live on Thursday night from BBC HQ in Glasgow and then on Friday the morning show MacAulay and Co. was hosted entirely from the school with senior pupils writing, producing and co-presenting the live show.

Presenter Fred MacAulay and rugby legend John Beattie joined pupils in Alva to present features chosen by the students which included a comedy radio play written by students studying English, a guitar duel between John Beattie and sixth year music student Jake Woodward, and students also interviewed the cast of cult show The Inbetweeners.

Alva Academy was chosen as the BBC Radio Scotland"s Soundtown school in October last year and since then the school has been working closely with the BBC.

Pupils have been contributing to BBC projects both radio and online, as well as taking part in workshops with technicians and experts from the BBC and recently shot to the top of the Scottish charts with their hit Comic Relief song, The Haggis, which saw the whole school record the song along with Alva Academy"s primary feeder schools.

The new school building includes a state-of-the-art radio broadcast facility and professional recording studio, which has also helped enhance the students" experience.

Depute head at Alva Academy, Stuart Clyde, told the Advertiser, 'On Thursday six of the pupils were producing and co-presenting the 'Get it on" show live from the BBC"s headquarters in Glasgow, and they also wrote and directed the show, which was an outstanding experience for them.

'What the pupils learned in the few hours in Glasgow could have never been taught in any school. The new BBC building is an unbelievably fantastic resource.

'The pupils also had to do some old-fashioned ground work as well though, writing show blogs and digitally editing bits of music to put together in a montage.

'They also had to take phone call and write down requests and take them to presenters.

'As a result of the experience the sixth year pupils involved will now head up an Alva Academy radio station in August as senior producers, editors and presenters.'

Stuart went on, 'On Friday morning the pupils involved contributed to every part of the Fred MacAuley and Co show. They had a meeting with production staff for the show on the Monday discussing ideas they had and then whittling them down to the best ones.

'They then had to do everything for the show on the Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday including getting people to contribute to the items they had chosen.

'Only through a project such as Soundtown would the pupils have access to such limitless possibilities and access to the BBC"s fantastic resources.

'They have contributed to radio programmes, produced and presented entire programmes and recorded pieces for use on other programmes, and had a number one single in the Scottish charts.'

Although Alva Academy"s year as a Soundtown school will come to an end when the school closes for the summer holidays this week pupils will be back at the BBC before they finish to be given training by BBC news cameramen.

Portfolio holder for inclusion, Councillor George Matchett, added, 'It"s a great pleasure to see the staff and students at the school taking on the ambitious Soundtown project with such skill and enthusiasm.

'I"m proud to see Clackmannan-

shire"s schools producing confident, talented youngsters, well equipped to go on to excel in further study or employment. Coming hot on the heels of their Comic Relief hit, I"m sure the academy-run session of Get it On was a huge success.

'What"s fantastic about the Soundtown project is that it allows the whole school to get involved.

'From sound engineering to writing a play, everyone can contribute something and show Scotland the technical and creative skills students acquire here in Clackmannanshire.'