Chewton Mendip Church of England Primary School
English
Alongside our English curriculum, we are keen to offer opportunities that allow our pupils to develop a love of reading, writing and oracy.
May 2026 - Local author trip to Bishop's Palace
Reception, Year 1 and 2 enjoyed a wonderful trip, catching the bus from Chewton Mendip to Wells before walking to The Bishop's Palace. We were delighted to be met by local author Rebecca Gryspeerdt, who wrote the book Helpful Nell. Rebecca kindly read her story to us while we sat in the Palace Undercroft and shared the inspiration behind her ideas and characters. She also modelled her illustrations for the children, who then had the opportunity to create drawings of their own. After enjoying lunch, we took a quick walk to see the famous swans, who feature in the story, before catching the bus back to school. It was a memorable day that inspired creativity and enriched the children’s love of reading and storytelling.
May 2026 – Buddy Readers
Each week our oldest and youngest children come together, as buddies, to spend time reading to each other. With the warmer weather and brighter days, the children took their books into the outside area.
March 2026 - Visit from a local author
We had an inspired day as part of our world book week, listening to the author and illustrator, Pete Bailey.
Pete read part of his book during assembly, with the whole school. He explained where his inspiration comes from and how he wrote and illustrated the book.
Owl, Woodpecker and Buzzard classes then took part in workshops, creating and illustrating their own characters.
March 2026 - World Book Day
We dressed as our favourite book characters for the day, sharing book recommendations and promoting a love of reading. Buzzard and Robin classes came together to read with their buddies and share their favourite stories.
December 2025
Our whole school enjoyed a visit to The Playhouse Theatre in Weston-super-Mare to watch the pantomime Cinderella. We joined in enthusiastically, cheering and booing in all the right places. Everyone had a fantastic time!
Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 performed Whoops-a-Daisy Angel, which tells the story of the birth of baby Jesus. The children were amazing, confidently using their acting skills and musical talent to put on a wonderful performance. This work links to the Early Years Foundation Stage and National Curriculum through Expressive Arts and Design and Music, as well as English, by developing speaking, listening and performance skills. It also supports Religious Education, helping pupils to understand and retell a key Christian story, while building confidence, creativity and teamwork.
Each week, our oldest and youngest pupils come together to share stories and listen to one another read. This buddy reading approach supports the aims of the National Curriculum for English by developing pupils’ reading fluency, comprehension and spoken language skills. It also promotes confidence, enjoyment of reading and positive attitudes towards learning, while encouraging collaboration and strong relationships that extend beyond the reading sessions.
Wells Festival of Literature 2025
On Thursday 23rd October, Buzzard Class went on an inspiring trip to the Wells Festival of Literature, where we listened to author Sam Sedgman share how he creates his books. Many of us enjoyed the opportunity to purchase signed copies of his stories, deepening our love of reading and appreciation of authorship — supporting our progress in English reading and literary appreciation.
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Robin class have invited parents into their classroom on a Wednesday afternoon to read them stories. Rowan's Mummy was the first to come in and she read their favourite story books from home, Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present, Where the Wild Things Are and Mr Gumpy's Outing. It was wonderful to have a new voice reading to the children and seeing them react to the stories.
Robin class each chose their favourite book to read and display as a recommendation to others. We created a colourful display in our school hall to inspire others to share our love of reading.
