Working with a group of children is a real delight. No two sessions are the same. It can be a lively free-the-imagination ideas-generating encounter, a more sustained session on making and writing stories, or a read-aloud/slide show /Q & A visit (with the focus on Something Else, other picture books, or longer stories). I do – and enjoy – all of these. I'm open to new ideas and suggestions too.

Feedback from visits

"An excellent visit to the classroom with perfectly pitched resources and interaction that had the children (and Staff!) hooked."

Where do I visit?

Anywhere!
There's a list of recent visits below. I live in London (and can work from Cornwall as well).

  "The children have
  been so enthusiastic
  about their writing. I
gave my class some more time
to finish their writing this afternoon, as they requested, and they were working in self-imposed silence - this is almost unheard of for Year 2 in the afternoon!" [KS1 visit]

"I felt compelled to write to you immediately as we had such a wonderful day today! The impact on our children was
literally amazing - I have never seen them so enthusiastic about writing. I was amazed about how you could be such a calming influence and yet so
inspirational at the same time."  [Year 5 visit]

Recent visits

St Michael's, Sandhurst
Qatar Academy, Doha
Belleville Primary, SW11
St Mary's, Hampstead
Abercorn School, NW2
Summerhill School, Bristol World Book Day, Doha, Qatar
Mount Carmel School, W5 Hauxton Primary, Cambridge
Harefield Infants, Uxbridge
Merlin School, Putney
Lyndhurst School, NW3
Seven Mills Primary School
Edward Wilson Primary School
Buckland Primary, Staines
Monken Hadley, Barnet
Galley Hill Primary, Herts
Deepdale Infants, Preston

"The quality of their writing, particularly my hard-to-motivate boys, is excellent.
I would say that for some of those children this is the best piece of writing they have produced all term. I will be doing my very best to build upon it!" [Year 2 visit]

Writing sessions

(with story bag/magic carpet)

With the help of the story
bag (and perhaps a modest
flying carpet) all ages get to work on imagining characters and putting into words what they might see hear, touch and feel in situations they set up. Later they write up their ideas in a follow-up session with me on hand, if that's scheduled, or with their teacher. With older students the focus is on creating characters and settings that feel real and engage the writer and reader without spelling everything out...

"The writing the children produced was so imaginative ...
you have brought ideas and
imagination out in them that I
didn't know they possessed"  [Year 5 visit]

Full list of schools

Q & A sessions / Reading aloud

"The staff and children
really enjoyed your visit and
the writng that the children did after was great. So they were inspired! "

"[My daughter] came home so enthusiastic about her writing. It is not easy to engage teens but Kathryn did and lit up such enthusiasm in her for the written word."

Whatever the focus of the session, there's time for the children to ask questions: about being a writer, about publishing a book, who does the illustrations, and so forth. I'll do a slide show or read from one or two of my books if that seems a good move – but the focus is more on children's work than on mine.