Friday November 29th 2024

Dear Diary,

My 18th school visit this November was to Callowell Primary in Stroud. And what a way to end the month!!! I arrived in time to attend their celebration assembly, joining in with the applause whilst certificates were awarded to pupils in front of their parents. Then it was straight on to my assembly… after which we packed 5 workshops into the day! But despite how busy today’s timetable was, there was an overwhelming sense of calm around the school, and I felt myself relaxing and unwinding after a hectic few weeks. My first workshop was for Chestnut Class (combined Years 4 & 5). This room oozed with talent, with aspiring authors and amazing artists all wowing me with their work, and happy to read aloud. But I was particularly impressed by Logan’s lovely story about a child who had a pet dinosaur — which he relayed to us all off the top of his head! My session for Birch Class (combined Years 3 & 4) followed, and the pupils in this session were just as creative, with so many of them, once again, happy to read their work out in front of their peers. Then it was time for a mini-workshop with Pine Class. I do love it when I get to spend time with Reception pupils. Many of these children found tracing over sentences about Uncle John a little tricky. But despite their protestations, they didn’t give up. And they ended up with so many sheets of super work to take home — including book covers they’d coloured in and pictures of Uncle John they’d drawn. After a quick lunch, it was time to visit Beech Class (combined Years 1 & 2). This lovely bunch had a shorter than usual session, so I had to leave them to complete the second activity without me. But the written work they produced was fantastic, especially considering their ages. They all put so much effort into everything, too, and were beautifully polite. I spent the final hour of the day with Sycamore Class (combined Years 5 & 6). It’s fair to say that all the pupils impressed me today, with their behaviour, the effort they put in, and their incredible imaginations. But the Sycamore pupils REALLY delivered. There are definitely some future authors in amongst this group, and I would have loved to have spent an extra hour or two with this class! Polly arranged my visit, and was a tremendous help throughout the day. The headteacher kindly raced through the celebration assembly this morning to allow my assembly to tag onto the end of it. The wonderful teachers got so involved in every session. And every single Callowell pupil helped make today the grand finale to November’s visits! They really are all amazing and should be so proud of themselves for the way they behaved today and the work they produced. They were all so helpful, too, assisting me between classroom visits by holding doors open and carrying things from one room to the next. I didn’t want to leave Callowell at the end of the day, so I’m thrilled to hear that I’m welcome back next year with WARNING: May Contain Dragons. I just hope the time between now and then flies by, as I can’t wait to see everyone again! But after 18 whole-day visits over the past 20 school days, it’s now time for a bit of a rest!!! (And then I need to bulk buy some more A4 card, to replenish my supply of certificates.)