National accolade for student team behind prospectus

But they did not expect their work to win industry recognition and a professional prize.

Boston Spa School produced the prospectus with Yorkshire communications agency Words and Pictures which involved students at every stage.

The firm's head of education Leah Newby said: "People often talk about involving students but we didn't just ask them what they wanted the prospectus to include, we worked in partnership with them throughout everything, content, design and photography, and I think this really comes across in the finished product which is edgy and designed in a way which will appeal to sixth-form students."

The West Yorkshire school's prospectus has now won a Communicators in Business Agency Team of the Year Award. It is the third time Words and Pictures has received the award but the first time it has been won for work on a product from the education sector.

Boston Spa' School's headteacher Christopher Walsh said: "I am delighted that our sixth-form prospectus has been celebrated in this way. It recognises the great work that our young people played in its development, ensuring that the prospectus reflects the quality and community at the heart of our sixth-form provision."

Words and Pictures, based in Otley, has worked with 400 schools to help produce magazines, newsletters and prospectuses which the firm believes have reached around four million pupils and parents across Yorkshire and beyond.

Miss Newby said: "We want to be able to communicate the messages that head teachers want to put across in an exciting way which really engages young people. Students have more of a say in deciding where they want to study at sixth form and the prospectus reflects this.

"The Boston Spa students were professional, enthusiastic and were genuinely excited to be involved in this process. By listening to their students, Boston Spa now has a prospectus which has received universal praise from other schools and colleges and now a major industry award."

Sixth-form student Pascale Metcalf said: "It was great to have a say in how our prospectus was put together. The team at Words and Pictures listened to our opinions and developed the prospectus with our ideas included."