2011: Sennockian State Circus comes to town

On 25 June, The Sennockian State Circus pitched up in Sevenoaks School. Top-hatted ringmasters from the English Department welcomed a record number of 66 Year 5 children from 14 local schools to participate in the annual creative writing extravaganza.

For the morning, the English department was transformed into the circus big top. The young writers were divided into four groups: elephants, seals, lions and performing dogs.

In the first session, the young writers explored the meaning of their names and as a group created some hilarious circus performers. After breaking for biscuits and squash, the writing continued in earnest with each Year 5 pupil writing a poem about their own imaginary circus performer and act.

The sequined fruits of their labour appeared in the circus programme (right) published afterwards.

Young Writers Workshop 2010

One Saturday in June the English Department put on a Young Writers Workshop for 25 Year 5 and 6 pupils drawn from Anthony Roper, Cage Green, Chiddingstone, Ightham, St Lawrence, Sevenoaks Primary, St Thomas’ and The Slade Primary schools. The morning focussed on encouraging the children to imagine that a member of their family was an animal. Through a series of exercises they built up their portraits and finished the morning by writing some witty and engaging poems. The morning was not only a chance to meet pupils from other schools but an opportunity to meet some of our pupils and teachers and to see what a busy secondary school was like. Their poems have been collated into an anthology which will be distributed to the pupils and schools.

Download the Young Writers Anthology