“Ferocious floods flush Yorkshire!” Beat that for a headline. It featured on page 1 of The Endeavour, put together by 11 to 14-year-olds at Eskdale school in Whitby, that won the Best Secondary Newspaper award in this year’s TES Newspaper Day Competition.

The Eskdale editors did not limit their coverage of the Yorkshire floods to the front page. “Seven swans a swimming ... up the road” was to be found on page 6. An interview with local breakfast show presenter Greg Scott bore the irresistible headline “Bacon and Greg”.

And a special review section looked at the last century through interviews with local people. The zest and strong community flavour of the newspaper were picked out by the judges, giving The Endeavour the edge over some very professional rivals.

The annual competition, which allows schools a day to produce a newspaper to strict deadlines, attracted a record 794 entries this year. They came from all over the UK and Europe and as far away as Mexico and Singapore.

Perhaps the furthest flung - the Falkland Islands Community School - was once again victorious in the international section, with its Falklands Focus featuring Prince Charles’s visit (the entry was confiscated by army security experts until the Prince had left).

The winner in the primary section was the Kingscourt Times, put together by Class 6 at Kingscourt school in Catherington, Hampshire. Strongly designed, with an eye-catching front page (including a copybook lead story about cycling helmets), the judges praised its blend of local and world news.

“It’s an astounding achievement for children of that age,” said David Budge, assistant editor of The TES and a member of the judging panel. “It’s quite humbling to see how good a paper very young children can produce in such a short time.”

The primary and secondary winners and Manchester Grammar School, which won the award for the best advertisement, will receive an iMac computer. The international winner receives a digital camera. All are provided by the sponsor, Apple Xemplar.

Next year will see some changes in the competition. School teams will be able to produce a news website as well as a newspaper and there will be different entry categories for each key stage. There will also be a new category for the best in-depth article and for the best first-time entry.

Further details from Brian Robinson at the Redcar and Cleveland ICT Centre, which organises the competition, at Redcar Education and Development Centre, Corporation Road, Redcar TS10 1HA, E-mail: Info@newsday.co.uk

SCHOOLS AWARDED DISTINCTIONS

Primary

Greenway school, Horsham, West Sussex ; Stubbins county primary, Bury, Lancs; Yarm county primary, Stockton on Tees; Archdeacon Cambridge’s CE primary school; Barkway first school, Herts; Rush Green junior, Essex; Cauldeen primary, Inverness; Winklebury junior, Basingstoke, Hampshire; Ysgol Frongoch school, Denbigh, north Wales.

Secondary

Benjamin Britten high school, Lowestoft, Suffolk; Calday Grange grammar school; Fortismere school, Haringey, London; Longbenton community college, Newcastle; Rawlett school, Tamworth, Staffs; Sharnbrook upper school; Wath comprehensive, south Yorkshire; Balcarras school, Cheltenham; Bassleton school, Gloucestershire; Gordano school, Portishead, Bristol; Hills Road sixth form college, Cambridge; Manchester grammar school; Northwood preparatory school, Middlesex; Queen Elizabeth Cambria school, Johnstown, Camarthen; Robert Gordon’s College, Aberdeen; Simon Langton grammar, Canterbury; The King’s School, Worcester; Whitby Community College, North Yorkshire; Cowes high school, Isle of Wight; Forest Hill school, Lewisham, London; St Paul’s Girls’ School, London International

Georg Wilhelm Steller Gymnasium and Gymnasium Ulricianum Aurich, Germany