Magic of creative writing to be brought to life for pupils at Sheffield school
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Year 4 pupils at Byron Wood Primary Academy, in Burngreave, will be given the opportunity to take part in an ‘immersive and magical’ creative writing programme from January 2021 which will help develop their confidence, wellbeing and creative writing skills through drama, music, poetry, and storytelling.
The programme, named ‘Chapter & Verse’, has been made available to 10 schools across South Yorkshire through a collaboration between the Astrea Academy Trust (AAT), which runs Byron Wood, and Grimm & Co, a children’s literacy charity based in Rotherham.
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Hide AdTogether, they managed to secure a £150,000 grant from Paul Hamlyn Foundation to develop the two-year programme and reshape the way creative writing is experienced by children across the region – with those heading into Year 4 at Byron Wood next year among the first to experience it.
Principal Bee Wood said: "We are thrilled that Byron Wood teachers will be some of the first within Astrea to work on this exciting project. I can't wait to see our pupils' faces when they begin working with Grimm & Co."
The programme will see Year 4 teachers at Byron Wood, and at the other AAT schools, work with Grimm & Co practitioners to embed an innovative pupil-led creative writing strategy in their schools for years to come.
The charity will bring the magic of its Apothecary – a place which transports its visitors to fantastical places of imagination and dreams – into each school, building a travelling theatre, styled in the theme of a chosen novel, where pupils will take part in their unforgettable creative writing workshops and lessons.
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Hide AdDeborah Bullivant, founding CEO of Grimm & Co, said: “Securing the Paul Hamlyn Foundation Teacher Development Programme was a wonderful triumph for us, funding resources to cascade this arts programme across ten schools.
"Astrea Academy Trust has already welcomed Grimm & Co’s creative approach to teaching with open arms so were a natural partner for our writing charity on this project.”