Tuesday December 10th 2024

Dear Diary,

I had a wonderful time at Willow Primary Academy today, and an excellent end to my 2024 school visits . With only one class per Year Group, the day felt a lot more relaxed than some of my recent visits. And during my workshops, I got to spend a good chunk of one-on-one time with each KS2 pupil, which was lovely. After a whole-school assembly, my first session was with Year 3. I was really impressed with the quality of the work these pupils produced. In fact, if it weren’t for the naughty elf in the room (who was delightfully written into a couple of the stories), I wouldn’t have known Christmas was just around the corner, as there was no sign of the pupils slacking off at all. We had all number of comical tales about pet dinosaurs in this group. But I especially loved Hana’s story about a crazy old lady. The pupils in Year 4 were just as productive during my second workshop of the day. They came up with raps, acrostic poems, blurbs, and stories in the blink of an eye, and were all eager to share them aloud with their peers. Before I knew it, the morning was over. But if the morning went quickly, then the afternoon disappeared in a flash. The Year 6 pupils were such competent storytellers, and worked at such speed! Lots more certificates were handed out, but the highlight for me, in this class, was Emelia’s story about an invisible auntie. The day concluded with my giant book prop making its way from table to table in Year 5, where everyone fired lots of questions at me. But that didn’t deter them from getting plenty of writing done, too! Phoenix had me in hysterics with her dinosaur tale… she has such a great way with words and is a natural storyteller. I’ll be keeping an eye out for HER books in the future! Lisa (who arranged today’s visit) and all of the staff were so helpful throughout the day. And the polite, courteous, and hardworking pupils of Willow Primary Academy were so welcoming and entertaining, making my final visit of 2024 an exceptional and memorable one!