Year 5s come to Bigg School

On Thursday 3^rd October, we welcomed 300 students from 8 different primary and preparatory schools for a special Meet the Author event with our brand new Patron of Reading, Lisa Williamson.

During the talk with our visitors, Lisa shared her lifelong dream of becoming an author, explaining how she’s been writing stories since she was 5 years old but took a detour into acting before eventually returning to her passion for writing. Growing up, Lisa admitted she was very shy. However, reflecting on this, she now sees shyness as a superpower; It allowed her to quietly observe the world around her and stay connected to the feelings and experiences of childhood, which have deeply influenced her writing. This ability to tap into her own school experiences has shaped much of her creative journey, particularly in crafting stories that resonate with young readers.

At the event, the author also introduced her latest children’s series, ‘Bigg School’, which draws inspiration from Lisa’s own experiences in secondary school. The series kicks off with the main character starting secondary school, making it particularly relatable and timely for primary school children preparing for that next big step in their own lives.

Lisa concluded the talk by leading an enthusiastic Q&A session, engaging warmly with her young audience. Her friendly and fun demeanour encouraged plenty of participation and attendees who asked questions were entered into a raffle for a chance to win a signed book of their choice. At the end, a bit of a crowd even gathered eager to get Lisa’s autograph!

Head of English and Drama at St Piran’s School, Luissa Galloso, has brought her students to Meet the Author events at LP over the last couple of years and commented that the event with Lisa Williamson benefitted her pupils as they were “all engaged and enthused” and will “explore more reading material and feel excited about writing” as a result. Meanwhile, Grazeley Parochial Primary School said “Thank you for a fantastic afternoon. Our pupils thoroughly enjoyed the event and were so inspired by Lisa.” And Year 5 student at Farley Hill Primary thought her trip was “fabulous!” as “it was interesting to find about all her books and her life”.

Following the event with our Year 5 visitors, Lisa Williamson then delivered another engaging and inspirational talk this time to our Year 7 students who have obviously recently started at senior school themselves.

Lisa revealed her excitement about taking on the role of Leighton Park School’s Patron of Reading, as she begins to forge connections with the students and foster a deeper love of reading across the school community. She said: “I loved books when I was younger, I loved reading, so I’m keen to spread the joy of reading. For some it doesn’t come that naturally, so I think having an author there saying you can tell your own stories and guiding them towards books that they may like is a really powerful thing. I’d have loved to have had a Patron of Reading at my school.”

Lisa also announced the winners of The Summer Challenge who had been tasked with designing a library and writing a guide or story to go with it. Congratulations to our winners and runner-ups: Cameron, Daisy, Hugh, Isaac, Emma and Mia!

For more photos of the event visit our online gallery.