Tuesday July 1st 2025

Dear Diary,

I was nervous arriving at Clifford Primary for my visit today. This was the first of four school visits (over two days) secured by a bookshop that sadly closed down abruptly recently, leaving me totally in the dark about whether any arrangements had been put in place… or whether the schools themselves were even expecting me! I always like to fully plan and prepare for each of my school visits to ensure they go smoothly (and to minimise any nasty surprises) because despite the format of each visit being somewhat similar, the logistics always vary drastically. So, discovering (just days before I was due to visit) that nothing had been set in stone… and that some of the schools didn’t even know which day I was expected… was daunting, to say the least. The sensible thing would have probably been to postpone all four visits, but not wanting to let anyone down (and with little time to do much more than send a few round-robin emails), I decided to bite the bullet, organised things as best I could with the limited time I had, and hoped for the best. And I’m so pleased I did!!!

Admittedly, learning upon arrival that the hour-long workshop I had planned would have to be split into two workshops – then being informed, just moments before my assembly started, that the Reception pupils would be joining the first session – sent me into a blind panic. I wasn’t sure whether I’d even packed my Reception worksheets! But thankfully, I had. And as soon as things got underway, I finally began to relax and enjoy what turned out to be a truly fantastic morning!

The pupils were full of super ideas, had incredible imaginations, and were a delight to spend time with. And the teachers couldn’t have been more helpful: speedily handing out worksheets, assisting in deciding who to award certificates to, and eagerly engaging with all of the pupils as they worked. Sarah (the admin assistant) was utterly brilliant, too, popping in and out of the workshops like the paparazzi all morning and capturing some fantastic photos!

There wasn’t time during my first workshop to take any notes of my favourite work. But there were some super story ideas buzzing around the room, and the Reception pupils dreamt up some beautiful book covers:

And during the second session, I couldn’t have been more impressed by the quality and quantity of work produced. There were definitely a number of future authors in amongst this group. And of all the phenomenal work they came up with, I especially loved Belle’s story about her teacher being a dragon:

… Seren’s story written under the title How to Train Your Dragon to Do Your Homework:

… Philippa’s story about another dragon teacher:

… Blossom and Gracie’s story about a grandma-eating dragon:

… and Ione’s letter to her teacher:

After a rather stressful start to the morning, I left Clifford Primary with a huge smile on my face, headed back off into the unknown for my second of four visits in and around Hay-on-Wye…