SIX pupils from North Berwick High School made their television debut after being interviewed for the BBC’s Newsround programme.

Murron Sinclair, Martha Blacklock, Charlie Bowdler, Evie Drysdale, Rab Ellis and Fergus Kinnaird, all 12 years old, were chosen by their teachers to take part.

The aim of the interview, which took place last Thursday, was to ask the S1 pupils their thoughts on Scotland and a potential second independence referendum.

However, a story that broke that morning about the Scottish Football Association banning children under 12 from heading a ball in training sessions meant the pupils were asked an additional question and appeared on the show in two separate bulletins.

The Newsround team decided to return to the town having visited North Berwick before when working on a plastic pollution story and have also previously visited Law Primary School.

The team were speaking to three other schools during their trip to Scotland and wanted to make sure they got opinions from a variety of backgrounds and areas.

In preparation for the big day, the pupils met with Georgina Brownlee, principal teacher of the school’s humanities department, two days before to find out what was going to happen and rehearse some answers.

Before filming began, all of the children were nervous and scared in case they made any mistakes.

Martha said: “I was thinking I didn’t want to say the wrong thing or mess up what I was going to say.

“I know they can cut it but you still get a bit nervous but you’re also excited as you’re going on TV.”

Evie agreed and added: “I didn’t want to sound like I didn’t know what I was doing.”

Murron said: “The thing I was most nervous about was looking straight down into a camera.”

Charlie added: “I felt more excited than nervous. I felt relief that [the other pupils] were doing it as well because if it was just me I’d feel really scared.”

Fergus had butterflies in his stomach and thought that being the last one to speak made them worse!

The pupils were split into three pairs and asked five questions each.

The first asked what they loved about Scotland, with the country’s rich history, great inventors and gorgeous countryside mentioned.

The pupils were then asked if they thought Scotland should be able to make its own decisions, what they thought the benefits of staying and leaving the UK were, should Scotland take back control of its own priorities and their thoughts on Boris Johnson not allowing another independence referendum.

A wide range of answers were given to all of the questions, ranging from “it’s our country and our future, we should get a say in what happens” and “Scottish people have the right to vote as Scotland gets overpowered by England” to “our future could be very uncertain”.

Filming finished earlier than anticipated, with everyone notably a lot more relaxed afterwards.

Murron and Evie were both excited to see themselves on national TV, with Murron adding: “I’m also nervous because I don’t want people to come at me for my own opinion – I don’t want people to say I was wrong.”

Martha said: “I feel quite proud that I’ve done something like this because I’ve never been on TV before. I’m almost kind of relieved that it’s done but also very happy with what we’ve done.”

The boys were equally as relieved and happy with their work, saying it was a great experience.

However, the occasion was different than they thought it would be.

The boys thought they would be greeted by five reporters, three cameras and a green screen, but only having two people, a reporter and cameraman, was a lot less daunting.

All of the pupils said their parents were very excited to see them on TV and that their experience had inspired them to consider a possible career in the industry.

Mrs Brownlee was very proud of the pupils and the answers they produced.

She added: “It was a great opportunity and a great chance to have the kids’ voices heard. The Newsround team really made them feel at ease.

“I quite like watching how they do it all, it’s really interesting.”

The football segment was aired last Friday and can be viewed at bbc.co.uk/newsround/51132004

The independence piece will air next Thursday (January 30) on the 7.40am, 8.20am and 4pm bulletins.

Newsround is shown on the CBBC channel and is a news show aimed at children between the ages of six and 12.