IF true this story would have been the most newsworthy ever to have happened – and for a few hours it was.

Year 5 and 6 pupils from Yeo Moor Junior School in Clevedon arrived at school one morning to discover part of the school field had been cordoned off after an aircraft crash sometime the evening before.

They had no idea that this was actually an elaborate, but effective and fun, hoax organised as part of their journalism topic, to learn more about being a reporter and how to write news stories.

To ensure it was as realistic as possible, I was drafted in to help, along with Sgt Gareth Starr and PCSOs Linda Richards and Kate Turner from Clevedon police station.

On my arrival at my former primary school, I was given a piece of paper explaining my part.

It said: "Reporter Trudi Bird received a phone call early on Thursday morning regarding the sighting of an alien-type spacecraft that had landed at Yeo Moor Junior School.

"Notebook in hand, she set off immediately to investigate these sightings and to interview the key witness and the PCSO that had been called to the investigation."

I then had to work with the pupils to show them how to gather information and how to write a news story.

Residents Mrs Symes and Mrs Clark, who both live minutes from the school, offered to act as witnesses to the event, with Mrs Symes recounting her 'extraordinary' experience to the pupils.

PCSO Richards and Sgt Starr then told the pupils about their investigation.

Once they had been fully briefed about the situation, they were asked to assist us in our jobs to help find out more about the mystery.

There were a handful who were suspicious and didn't believe the crash was real, but the majority did and were fascinated by what it could be.

One Year 6 pupil, a budding reporter, even took a notepad and pen out to the scene to ensure she got all the information she needed for her article.

Some, however, had explanations, claiming they had not only heard the crash but also witnessed it from their bedroom windows.

One Year 5 pupil said: "A green alien with black eyes got out of the spaceship, but then got back in and the spaceship flew off really fast."

Two other PCSOs were also drafted in to assume the position of crime scene investigators and took time out to show pupils what they had found.

Despite crime tape cordoning off part of the field, some parents thought vandals had got into the school grounds overnight and asked the teachers if they had seen what had happened.

If only they knew, that it was the teachers themselves who had been out the evening before, shovels in tow, preparing for the following morning's lessons.

I wish lessons had been that exciting when I was at school

Once enough information had been gathered, it was back to the classroom to write the story.

Some of the pupils have sent their stories in for Mercury readers and I have also written mine – not only to show them how I would have written it but also to be able to claim, if only for a few moments, that I had the biggest story ever.