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Young writers are teaming up with publishers and authors – and their teachers - to develop their skills and experience.

Students at Forest Hall School are being challenged to take part in National Writing Day, an initiative delivered by arts and literacy organisations across the UK.

The national event, on June 24, gives keen writers access to nine feature-length creative writing video tutorials as they continue to learn from home due to the Coronavirus crisis.

As part of the work, teachers at Forest Hall have put together a video of themselves speaking about how and why they write.

Sarah Wedgbrow, English teacher, said: “We have so many talented writers that it just makes sense for us to get involved with the rest of the country for National Writing Day. So many brilliant organisations and authors have come together with quality resources to inspire our young people, which is so important because everyone has a story to tell.

“We’ve had quite a few successes in the past with published mini-sagas and would like to now join a collaborative community of publishers, authors and educators with this initiative. The website is absolutely brimming with writing resources to get students writing all sorts of things, from journals and letters, to poetry, lyrics and, of course, stories.”

The project includes –

• students challenged to write to a friend or family member who may be feeling alone during the Coronavirus crisis
• students sent a collection of story writing prompts and tips to help them with inspiration, setting and dialogue
• the school sharing an opportunity for students to learn from spoken word artist, novelist, playwright and screenwriter Steven Camden on how to find their voice

Sarah Power, enrichment lead, said: “We, as a school, want our students to continue engaging with the curriculum and this is a fantastic opportunity for students to show off their writing skills.”

Pieces of work are being shared on Twitter by students under the hashtag #writefromhome and the school is sending certificates to those taking part.

Weekly tasks are being sent out by the school’s English department to get students writing during lockdown.