Literature Festival

Every year, we celebrate a love of reading and writing through our Literature Festival. The festival brings authors and poets into school to perform, create with, and inspire our pupils. Workshops, talks and performances give students the chance to explore stories in new ways, discover the power of words, and even try their hand at writing themselves.

As part of the festival, visiting writers also help to judge competitions that run across school, encouraging creativity and celebrating the talents of our pupils. Importantly, the festival links closely with our Form Time Reading programme, giving students the exciting opportunity to meet some of the authors whose books they have studied and enjoyed.

In the past five years, we have welcomed a wide range of acclaimed authors and poets, including:

• Stephen Kelman (Pigeon English)

• Ruth Cockburn (published poet)

• Anthony McGowan (The Knife That Killed Me, The Truth of Things)

• Julian Sedgwick (Tsunami Girl)

• Melvin Burgess (Billy Elliot)

• Bali Rae (Now or Never)

• Phil Earle (When the Sky Falls)

• Sarah Crossan (Moonrise)

• M.A. Griffin (Poison Boy)

The Literature Festival is a highlight of our school year, giving pupils the chance to engage directly with professional writers, broaden their cultural horizons, and deepen their enjoyment of reading.