The good things that schools do often go unreported in the media, leaving space for bad stories. This is partly because teachers are reluctant to tell the world about the many positive events in school life and partly because they do not always understand how the mass media actually work.

Local newspapers sometimes receive a phone call a few hours before something takes place that has been arranged for weeks, asking for a reporter and photographer to cover it. Since newspapers, radio and television have tight schedules and deadlines, it is often impossible to meet the request.

The TESUNICEF Children Helping Children campaign should have lots of ingredients of local interest. The very idea that our children are using their ingenuity and making the effort to help those less fortunate elsewhere has intrinsic appeal.

Every generation is worried whether the next generation will be smart enough to survive, so this sort of endeavour is reassuring.

Journalists look for what is newsworthy about the many events competing for their attention, so you may need to make suggestions. Will members of the public be involved, always more interesting to newspapers looking for more readers? Is the event routine and therefore less exciting, or is it unusual in some way, a first maybe? Are any well-known personalities involved? Foxhayes First School in Exeter has written to Laura Bush, wife of the American president, who once visited the school when she was an unknown new teacher.

Find out when newspapers go to press, or radiotelevision news stories are decided, by talking personally to a reporter. Explain that most of the four million children in Afghanistan, especially the girls, have had no education at all and that your pupils want to help change that. Mention that the sums collected will be handled by UNICEF, so not a penny will be wasted. Give detail about what the money will buy, for example that pound;120 will provide materials and stationery for 50 children for a year.

Events with action involved are usually of more interest to the visual media, like photographers and television reporters. Children may be meeting someone famous to endorse their campaign or provide a signed artefact. Perhaps they are cajoling parents and the community to bake cakes, sell goods they no longer need, collect money, take part in a mass sponsored walk or hike.

Their earnest efforts to be global citizens of the 21st century deserve wider public attention.

For more teaching ideas and suggestions for fundraising activities for the appeal, visit www.tes.co.ukafghanistan. If you don’t have access to the web, ask for copies of the ideas from UNICEF on 0870 606 3377We want to publicise that schools are helping. Let us know what you are doing. Email: afghanappeal@tes.co.ukFax: Ted Wragg on 020 7782 3205

Ted Wragg is professor of education at the University of Exeter