Year 7 experienced chills, spills and plenty of laughs with bestselling author Jennifer Killick. They dove into her thrilling new book and the inspiration behind her comedy thriller stories with quizzes, games and creative insights. This was the perfect spooky workshop on the runup to Halloween and Killick made sure to include some Halloweeny activities including summoning pretend spirits to inspire ghostly tales.

Year 8 and 9 met with award-winning author Nathanael Lessore who lead a lively session on comedy writing, creativity and turning real life into stories. They explored themes like peer pressure, online culture and mental health. They left with tips on how to structure stories and turn their own experiences into compelling stories. ​

Year 10 and 11 explored the craft of verse novels in a hands-on masterclass with writer and performer Dean Atta. Through writing exercises and discussions, students learnt how to mix storytelling with poetry using rhythm, imagery and voice to craft powerful narratives. One of our very own year 11s took to the stage to share with an audience of over 100 her poem about her own identity! We study Atta’s poetry in our English curriculum so many students (and staff) were quite star-struck to work with him directly. Atta made sure to take the time to meet every student in the Waterstones tent and asked them questions about their own work, inspiring some of our budding poets.