A NORTH-EAST school is broadcasting across the globe after launching its own radio station.

The station broadcasts from Wolsingham School, in Weardale, and has been named ALP Radio because the school is part of the Advance Learning Partnership education trust.

And it has been such a hit that there are plans to expand ALP Radio across the trust, which manages a family of 18 schools.

Station manager Brett Sterling, who is also Wolsingham School’s IT manager, said: “When I joined the school eight months ago, I wanted to come up with a way to connect with students in a new way, and do it over a platform that they want to use. ALP thought the radio idea was a good one, and really got behind it.

“We’ve only been running a few weeks, but the response has been fantastic – we’ve even got listeners in Spain! The station’s not just for students, but for the whole community.

“A big part of our remit is youth mental health, so we’re offering free advertising to local mental health charities. We want to show the children that they’re not alone, that they can always turn on the radio and feel connected.”

Brett presents the morning show, Brett at Breakfast, from a broadcasting studio that was previously his office, but he wants to get students more involved so he can eventually take a backseat.

“We want ALP Radio to become a student-led North-East brand, with satellite stations in schools throughout the trust. I’d like to be able to hang up my headphones in a year or so, and let the students handle the on-air work!” he added.

Staff plan to incorporate the station into lessons and coursework – for example, Business Studies teacher, Laura Chambers, has produced a series of GCSE revision podcasts.

Others are using it as a new way to engage with their students, such as English teacher Ben Turnbull, who presents a 90s music show.

Listeners can tune into ALP Radio by visiting www.alpradio.org.uk or downloading the ALP Radio app via Apple App Store or Google Play.