West Walton pupils re-imagine fairy tales to win literacy ‘Oscars’

Pupils at a Fenland primary school have been putting their imaginations and writing skills to the test for a special literacy festival.

The children of West Walton School enjoyed the event held this week.

Caraline Lock, the school's headteacher, said: “Writing is an area of the curriculum that we particularly try to raise the profile and quality of across the school and our wider federation, and we know that children write best when they are engaged and enthused.

“We decided to kick off 2025 with our second annual Literacy Festival, culminating in an ‘Oscars’ Awards Ceremony to celebrate the very best work in each year group.

“Each class chose a traditional tale to study, from the well-loved Cinderella, Goldilocks, and Hansel and Gretel, to the lesser-known stories of Rapunzel, Rumpelstiltskin, and Firebird.

“The children read versions of their chosen story in class and then practiced re-telling the original. This enabled them to develop their reading fluency, their vocabulary, and also their confidence in speaking aloud and performing as a storyteller.

“Once the children were familiar with their story, they were allowed to change one or two elements, and then write their own version, with some classes using drama and art to aid creativity.

“At the end of the three-week festival, the teachers found they had their work cut out in trying to select the winners for each category: Best Character Description, Best Setting Description, Best Storyteller, and Best Overall Story.

“The children were all incredibly proud of their finished pieces and some really tough decisions had to be made by staff.

“When the winners were announced, we had some very surprised, albeit highly delighted faces coming up to collect their medals and Oscar statuettes, which was really lovely to see.

“All of the children really seemed to enjoy the project and the teachers have already been asked by their classes if they’re going to be doing it again soon.”