Staverton Story Festival
At Staverton, we believe stories matter. They help children make sense of the world, encounter people and places beyond their own experience, develop their imagination and, above all, discover the joy that comes from reading.
What is it
Our Staverton Story Festival is our annual celebration of all of this: a day when our school becomes a festival of books, authors, illustrators, storytelling and creativity. Children and families are invited to join us for author talks, live storytelling, creative workshops, illustration, book signings and activities, alongside plenty of opportunities simply to enjoy books together.
Why a Story Festival?
Teaching children how to read is one of the most important things we do as a primary school, but developing successful readers is about more than teaching phonics, fluency and comprehension.
We want children to see themselves as readers.
That means giving them access to brilliant books, surrounding them with stories and helping them understand that books are written and illustrated by real people with ideas, imagination and stories of their own.
Meeting the people behind the books
Meeting an author or illustrator can be incredibly powerful. Children discover how an idea becomes a story, how characters are created, how writers edit and improve their work and how pictures can tell stories just as powerfully as words.
Most importantly, they experience books as something exciting.
Our festival therefore forms part of our wider commitment to developing a strong culture of reading for pleasure across Staverton.
A festival for the whole family
The Story Festival isn't just for children. Reading culture grows when schools and families celebrate books together, so the festival is designed as a community day that parents, carers, grandparents and children can enjoy alongside one another.
Previous festivals have included
- Visits, talks and workshops from published authors and illustrators
- Live readings and storytelling
- Creative writing and illustration workshops
- Family craft and storytelling activities
- Opportunities to meet authors and have books signed
- Our festival bookshop
- A family BBQ
- Activities around the school and grounds
In 2024, our festival also included a community scarecrow trail, with creations remaining on display across the weekend.
Get involved
The Story Festival is a community event and there are lots of ways to be part of it. Families can attend workshops and author sessions, visit our bookshop, enjoy the activities taking place throughout the day and help us spread the word about the festival.
We also welcome volunteers who can help us make the day happen. This might include helping to prepare the school, welcoming visitors, supporting activities, helping with refreshments and the BBQ, assisting authors and workshop leaders, or helping us tidy everything away afterwards.
If you would like to volunteer at our next Story Festival, please contact the school office. We are also delighted to hear from local organisations and businesses interested in supporting or sponsoring the festival.
Authors and illustrators at Staverton
We are enormously grateful to the writers and artists who have shared their creativity with Staverton children and families. Previous guests have included James Mayhew, award-winning children's author and illustrator whose work combines storytelling, art and music; Michael Mann, children's author and primary school teacher; and Clare Harlow, author of the Tidemagic series.
Clare has since included the Staverton Story Festival among the literary festivals, schools and organisations where she has delivered author events and workshops. Every visitor brings something different, but they share an ability to show children that books don't simply appear on a shelf: they begin with imagination, ideas, perseverance and creativity.
