Pupils at Hatfield Academy primary school in Sheffield take part in ‘magical’ creative writing programme

Year 4 pupils at Hatfield Academy in Sheffield, part of Astrea Academy Trust, participated in a writing programme called ‘Chapter & Verse’, devised and led by Rotherham-based literacy charity Grimm & Co.

The programme offers a rare chance for pupils to develop their confidence, wellbeing and creative writing skills through drama, music, poetry and storytelling.

The pupils were taken on a fantastical adventure throughout the day, bringing the magic of the ‘Bridge Between’ – a theatre space initially conjured up in 1148 by Graham Grimm - which is used as a bridge between our world and the world of the story being studied in literacy lessons.

Grimm & Co built the travelling theatre inside the Sheffield school, styled in the theme of Narnia, where pupils took part in their creative writing workshops and lessons.

Katy Richards, headteacher of Hatfield Academy, said it ‘has been an absolute joy’ to see the pupils participate in the programme over the last several weeks.

She added: “Every single one of them buzzed with excitement at being able to be inside the apothecary, and they seized the opportunity to be creative and come up with new stories.

"Here at Hatfield we seek to inspire creativity as much as possible, and there is no better initiative to help our pupils find their artistic voice than this partnership with Grimm & Co."

‘We got to rewrite our own characters’

Year 4 pupils at Hatfield Academy also expressed how much they enjoyed the day.

Jannat said: "It was interesting because we found a ginormous arm in the hall and we went into the 'bridge between' and we got to find new stuff behind the doors." - Jannat

Tamer added: "We got journals that we could write about The Iron Man, we wrote all about him and then got to rewrite with our own characters." - Tamer

Owen said: "With all the investigating we did it helped to write our own version of the Iron man Story."

Rowena Hackwood, CEO of Astrea Academy Trust, said the innovative programme will hugely benefit the pupils at Hatfield Academy as these experiences are usually only offered by independent schools.

Gemma Thornton, creative learning manager at Grimm & Co, said: “We had the most wonderful time at Hatfield Academy. The pupils were engaged, thoughtful and incredibly creative, and it was a joy to see and hear the work that they produced throughout residency. The artists and teachers formed a real trusting and creative partnership, and we cannot wait to see what these brilliant classes will achieve next!"

‘Chapter & Verse’ was brought to Astrea schools across South Yorkshire from January 2021, through a collaboration between Astrea Academy Trust and Grimm & Co. Astrea and Grimm worked together to successfully secure a £150,000 grant from the Paul Hamlyn Foundation’s Teacher Development Fund, beating off stiff competition from a number of other bids from across the UK, to develop the two-year programme.

The project is completely free to schools and families and will extend across eight Astrea primary schools over the next two years.