Mostly, it'll depend on your Uni. Everyone has different requirements and a statement like "work experience" can be vaguer than it seems. I did some time on a Journalism course and the work experience wasn't until 2nd year I believe. Before that, the experience they wanted you to have was actually quote broad in a sense. Some students had active blogs, some wrote for WhatCulture in their spare time, another had even created a newsletter back in high school. Don't get me wrong, putting in time with a local paper will really help you on the course and give you an 'in' when it comes to actual work experience. The main thing will just be to show a genuine interest and ability in the field. As a journalist you'll always need stories, and you'll need to be in the habit of constantly finding, writing and publishing them without missing a day. If you can just demonstrate you do this through blogging or something a bit more official I'd say your chances can't be too bad.
Also your A-levels don't largely matter for Journalism. English is a big plus though, and will often be the weight that tips their decision, but I imagine History may help demonstrate your ability to write just as well. Why does it matter a bit less than usual? Every field on Earth has Journalists telling people of their latest endeavors.
Little tip, try practicing the inverted Pyramid Structure of writing with any story you can find (even ones in books). It's such an easy writing style a brain-dead monkey could do it, yet it's a very valuable writing style for any Journalist to know.
EDIT: For extra brownie points check out saylor.org for a list of free online courses. You could take English or maybe even Journalism in your spare time.