Ellis Guilford students have spent the year learning from author Jon McGregor as part of the First Story programme. How would the Post's Erik Petersen do filling in for Jon?

I TURNED up at Ellis Guilford School, in Basford, one recent afternoon, a little early and more than a little nervous.

I was there at the behest of Jon McGregor, an author who's been working at the school through First Story.

The First Story programme began in London and Oxford with a straightforward goal – get authors into schools where students traditionally under-perform.

It expanded this academic year into a handful of Nottingham schools after a gala opening with its patron, Camilla Parker-Bowles.

Since then, pupils at Nottingham University Samworth Academy, in Bilborough, Ellis Guilford, in Basford and the Sneinton and Bakersfield sites of Nottingham Academy have met once a week after school with authors.

Jon thought it would be good if, towards the end of his time with the students, he got some other writers in to talk about different disciplines in writing.

As a newspaper hack, I'm always flattered when a proper writer emails with a request for a "fellow writer". So I agreed straightaway.

My visit coincided with GCSE season, which meant that rather than the full-house of students Jon got for most of the year, I got three who reckoned they didn't need a bit of last-minute after-school prep. (A fourth, 15-year-old Jamie Clarke-Hogg, dropped in for the beginning and then apologised that she couldn't stay. I believe it was a science GCSE; as someone who needed all the science help he could get at school, I understood.)

And so it was that I stared across a table at Humaira Ghani, Rebecca Short and Shannon Singleton, all 15. I'd brought copies of that day's Post and a well-meaning, vaguely thought-out lesson plan which completely escaped me as I tried to recall it.

I handed out the newspapers and told them to find a story they liked, or maybe one they didn't like.

The second of those was not an assignment with which they struggled.

They had a few grumbles, but possibly noticing me turning a bit pale, they also mentioned a few things that struck them as OK.

A story about Victoria Centre remodeling was to-the-point and relevant for people across Nottingham.

I made a note to thank our business editor for writing it.

We talked about the differences – besides the obvious one – between journalism and fiction.

Journalism, I was told, was boring. It was facts written down in order. It was serious and dull.

I decided we should do some interviews.

Rebecca and Humaira went off to grill teacher Tom Barber while Shannon and I interviewed each other.

Rebecca and Humaira uncovered several shocking truths about Tom – his support for Liverpool FC and the fact that, actually, he's got a medical degree.

They wrote them up in a way that would keep me reading.

Shannon even managed to dig some interesting material out of my dull life.

We were hitting wrapping-up time – all First Story lessons happen after school, on the students' time, and we were getting on for 4:30pm.

I told them something I meant – that their observational skills meant they'd be good journalists; that they could write in an interesting way something they'd seen just as well as something they'd thought up. They nodded.

I had modest goals for my afternoon. I'm no Jon McGregor, and I only had about an hour and a half.

First Story works because great writers get the time to bring out new talents in young people.

I won't say I did that.

But I like to think I pointed out that the talents they already have are more versatile than they might think.