SCHOOL VISITS

Going into schools and delivering author talks and creative writing workshops is something I love and feel very privileged to be able to do.

It allows me to combine my twenty years of primary teaching experience with my passion for writing and the huge lessons I've learnt on my journey to publication.

There really is nothing better than to be standing in a room with up to 400 children, watching them all switch on their imaginations and allow their creativity to take over. 

As well as in person visits, I am set up to deliver Zoom visits which has allowed me to work further afield and offer a cheaper hourly option.

Since the beginning of September 2014 I have been going into schools to talk to children about creative writing and the process of making a story.

Workshops can be adapted to suit the needs of the school and I use my teaching background to link them to different areas of the curriculum.  If there is a specific topic you are interested in then I can tailor my talk and activities to fit.

I am very used to talking to large groups of children and can deliver a whole Key Stage interactive workshop of around an hour. I'm equally happy working with smaller groups or classes and I have carried out the odd whole school talk too! 

Using a variety of activities and triggers, we work together to talk about the structure of a story and how to build their own using exciting characters, unexpected plots and vivid settings.

This can be done as a one off session, over the course of a day or as a series of 3-4 sessions, each one building on the one before and working towards a final goal.

TESTIMONIALS AND COSTS BELOW.


Testimonials
Thank you so much for coming in to speak to us on Monday.  The children had a brilliant time and have been working on some stories of their own which they are keen to show you.  I don't know how you keep up the enthusiasm and energy, you must have been exhausted by the end of the day!  In the staff room we noticed that nobody saw you without a smile all day.

Helena - Year 1 teacher


Wow! The juniors, other teachers and I can't thank you enough for your time and enthusiasm. The school has been buzzing since your visit and the kids are all excited to be cracking on with their own stories now. 
Chris - Year 5 teacher

We all had a fantastic time when Kate came to visit us in years 3-6.  She was enthusiastic, clearly passionate and dedicated to encouraging all children to be writers.  It was refreshing to see some of our more reluctant writers ready to have a go and to hear their ideas being praised and recognised.  Her energy was catching and she kept all the children involved and motivated.  I wish we could have her in our school every week!
Many thanks.
Justyna - Year 6 teacher

Just thought I’d send you a quick email to say thank you so much for Tuesday, it really was brilliant to have you in school to help us open the library, and the children thought it was wonderful too.  It was a fantastic day and has really inspired the children to read and write more. It would be great if we can keep in touch and work together again in future!

Charlotte - school librarian


Thank you again for taking the time to come and visit us and talk to the children. We all thoroughly enjoyed listening to your talk and the children were really inspired by what you had to say. Hopefully this will now create some excitement into creating their own stories.

Alice - school librarian


Thank you for such a fantastic morning. The children have all come back in and all now want to be authors. I think you have really inspired them and given them the opportunity to unpick the writing process.

Abigail - Year 4 teacher



We very much enjoyed your visit yesterday - many of the children were inspired to get writing which was lovely to see.  Lots of ideas flying around our school now and I am looking forward to seeing the stories the children come up with.

Miss Parker - Year 5 teacher



If you are interested in booking a creative writing workshop then I would love to hear from you.
Please e-mail me for more details or to discuss dates. kate@katepoels.co.uk 

COSTS

IN PERSON VISITS 

ZOOM VISITS 

£175 PER MORNING 

£250 FULL DAY 

Travel expenses will be added to schools out of the Reading area.

£60 per hour

 

Please note that any planning required over the usual expected (ie for topic specific work) will be charged at £50 per hour.