Magic of creative writing brought to life for Sheffield pupils

Immersive creative writing programme - ‘Chapter & Verse’ - comes to Greengate Lane Academy

£150K grant funds the programme across 8 South Yorkshire schools.

Pupils aged 8 and 9 at Greengate Lane Academy in Sheffield, part of Astrea Academy Trust, celebrated an event this July to mark a 6-week magical creative writing programme that their pupils will never forget.

Year 4 pupils have participated in a ground-breaking writing programme called ‘Chapter & Verse’, devised, and led by literacy charity Grimm & Co, which offers a rare chance for pupils to develop their confidence, wellbeing and creative writing skills through drama, music, poetry, and storytelling.

Grimm & Co, based in Rotherham, took pupils 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 The Iron Man, where pupils took part in their creative writing workshops and lessons.

‘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 aim is to embed creative courage in the classroom and in doing so, instilling a love of writing amongst pupils. The project is completely free to schools and families and has been offered across eight Astrea primary schools over the last two years.

The programme has seen Year 4 teachers at Greengate Lane Academy, and teachers at another seven Astrea schools in South Yorkshire across the last two academic years, work with Grimm & Co practitioners to embed an innovative creative writing strategy in their schools for years to come – unleashing the imaginations of their children, sparking their motivation and confidence to find their untapped creativity.

A parent of a Year 4 pupils at Greengate Lane Academy said:

It has been really amazing to see the increased confidence in my child. She has been so engaged throughout the project, even doing extra writing at home.

Year 4 pupils at Greengate Lane Academy said:

Working with Grimm & Co has been great!

This project with Grimm & Co has been so good. It was fun and amazing seeing all the imaginative things you can do.

Kara Robinson, Headteacher of Greengate Lane Academy, part of Astrea Academy Trust, said:

Our Year 4 children are filled with awe and wonder, and eagerly await every Tuesday, when 'Inspector Door-Table' arrives. All pupils are engaged and contributing during lessons, and I have a steady stream of Year 4 pupils wanting to share their work with me throughout the day. Parents and carers have told us their children are excited about this learning from conversations they are having at home. On top of the amazing impact on children's engagement and learning, their class teacher is also receiving excellent ongoing professional development from Grimm and Co, which will benefit so many of our pupils for years.

Rowena Hackwood, CEO of Astrea Academy Trust, said:

This innovative programme will hugely benefit our pupils at Greengate Lane Academy. These memorable experiences are those which are usually only afforded by independent schools. We are delighted to have had the opportunity to roll the programme out to our pupils at Greengate Lane and to our other primary schools in South Yorkshire.

Today is just the beginning - as we continue to work with Grimm & Co and others to provide broad opportunities, we will build the knowledge and develop the creative skills of our children in the years to come.

Gemma Thornton, Creative Learning Manager at Grimm & Co, said:

This is our penultimate residency, and it has been filled with inspiration, creativity and wonder. Year Four pupils at Greengate Lane have contributed their own individual spark and personality to this creative journey and I have loved working with them and their class teacher. From three course meals designed for The Iron Man (at the McIron Restaurant), to the creation of their own original characters, as well as empathetic choreographed performances to show the main character's feelings - these pupils have flourished, and their confidence and pride has skyrocketed.