HANDLING the pressure of an interview is something which will now come naturally to pupils at All Saints' Academy, thanks to a new pilot scheme.

A team of actors and professional trainers visited the school in Blaisdon Way on Friday to act out various interview scenarios, as part of a programme organised by GFirst, the county's economic development company.

Headteacher Peter Kingham said it was a chance for students to learn how to sell themselves. He said: "We know pupils' backgrounds and how good they are, but often in an interview situation they lack the confidence to present themselves as we know them."

Year 11 pupil Aaron Mason, 15, had to go through an interview process to secure his place on the school's sports diploma course. He said: "I was very nervous at the time because I was only 14. If I had done this course before that interview I would have been a lot more confident."