Thursday November 28th 2024
Dear Diary,
Visibility was poor on my drive to today’s school visit (thanks to thick fog). And it hadn’t improved much by the time I arrived at St Andrew’s in Evesham (but that was simply because I was so tired this morning that my eyelids needed matchsticks to prop them open). However, the moment I launched into my assembly, the enthusiastic reaction from the pupils totally re-energised me! They giggled and guffawed at all the right places whilst I read the opening chapters of WARNING: Magic Can Be Dangerous!, and they got involved wholeheartedly with questions and answers throughout. My first workshop of the day was in the hall with the whole of Year 3, and they were a super bunch. It was another one of those sessions that seemed to be over in a flash, with some fabulous work produced in no time, and a multitude of certificates being handed out. Next, it was a classroom visit for one of the Year 5 classes. It’s rather nice to mix the day up with some whole Year Group sessions and some individual class sessions. During this workshop, I was able to spend a lot more one-on-one time with each pupil. And as a rare treat, I got to hear what a couple of the children (who’d read the whole of my book) thought about it, as well as what their favourite parts and favourite characters were. One of them had even read it all the way through twice! Once again, there were some super stories and characters dreamt up, many children happy to read their stories aloud, and big dents made in my certificate stash. (But no mouldy sandwiches handed out, thankfully… much to the disappointment of one of the children). After lunch, it was time for me to visit the other Year 5 class. What stood out during this session was how quickly some of the pupils came up with pages and pages of written work, after being given a teeny tiny suggestion or two to get them started. There were some super artists in this group, too. My final workshop was for the whole of Year 4. They were a lively lot, but that didn’t stop them creating some wonderful work. It’s far too difficult for me to choose my favourite creations of the day because there were so many stories, poems, and raps that I loved. But I’m always very proud of the shier pupils who bravely stand up to read their work aloud — when they perhaps wouldn’t normally — and we had quite a few of those today. So, a big well done to EVERYONE for their aptitudes and attitudes today! They did themselves, their parents, and their school proud, and it was a pleasure to spend time with them all!!! Victoria kindly arranged the day, and built up such a buzz around my visit. The deputy headteacher and all the teachers helped out tremendously throughout the day… and to my delight, had bought a book for each class. And the pupils of St Andrew’s were utterly brilliant from the start to the end of my visit. I was very sad to leave at home time. Ah… home time! I wouldn’t have survived it without my superstar, Molly, and the two other helpers roped in from Year 5. I’m so glad they stuck around to help out! With free bookmarks and stickers flying out of their container into the hands of eager pupils, and a queue of parents and children wanting to purchase a copy of the book, it was certainly a rather crazy half hour. But it was the perfect end to a fantastical day!
