​What a fantastic evening we had at our FS2 and KS1 Easter Party Night!
The children had an absolutely wonderful time taking part in a range of fun, creative activities. From decorating delicious bunny biscuits to making their very own Easter baskets and bunny ears, there was excitement and smiles all around. The Easter games were a big hit, and the highlight of the evening was our special character egg scavenger hunt, which had everyone eagerly searching and exploring!
A very special mention must go to our incredible Year 6 children. They were an absolute credit to the school, showing fantastic responsibility, kindness, and leadership throughout the evening. They worked so hard to plan and organise the entire event and were so supportive and helpful with their groups.
Thank you to all the children who joined us and for your continued support to our school and fundraising.

Today, Year 6 were extremely lucky to take part in a live Zoom event with author Phil Earle, who joined us to share his brand-new book, Finn's Epic Fails.
Phil began by telling us about his own experiences at school and how he actually found reading very difficult when he was younger. He explained that some of his teachers — who he jokingly described as “dinosaurs” — believed that reading only counted if it was a very long book, with no pictures, written before the 1900s. Because of this, he said that books often looked like “walls of words”, which made them feel quite intimidating.
However, everything changed when Phil discovered comics, especially Roy of the Rovers. Comics and graphic novels helped him find a love of reading because, as he described it, reading allowed him to be “living a life that wasn’t his own.”
Phil then shared the story of how he began his journey into writing. In his twenties he worked in a bookshop in London, where he was eventually moved to the children’s department. His manager told him that if he wanted to recommend books to young readers, he would need to read them himself first.
One book in particular completely changed how he felt about reading: Holes — a firm favourite here at school too! Phil explained that Holes had drama, comedy, western adventure, love and crime all in one story, and he described it as the book that “lit a fire” in him and made him want to read more.
For the next two years, Phil read as much as he possibly could. Eventually he began to wonder whether he could write a story himself. He talked about how writers find inspiration and reminded us that we are surrounded by stories everywhere. Phil encouraged the children to think of writing as playtime, where you can be anyone, go anywhere and imagine anything — which makes the process far more enjoyable.
We were then very lucky to hear Phil read an extract from Finn’s Epic Fails, and we are very much looking forward to the book arriving in school so that we can all enjoy reading it together.
The children also loved hearing some very funny stories about Phil’s extremely naughty dog, Lenny!
It was a fantastic, informative and thoroughly enjoyable session, and we feel very honoured to have met — albeit virtually — a real author.

Today was world book day at Kexborough - and what a fantastic effort our Year 6 children went to with their costumes! Take a look at some of the characters below!

World Book Day was a fantastic celebration of reading and creativity across our school this year, with every class exploring the wonderful works of Julia Donaldson. From rhyming tales to memorable characters, her stories inspired learning in every year group.
In Year 6, our focus text was Zog — the story of a determined dragon who never gives up, no matter how many challenges he faces. We used this inspiring story as inspiration for our own writing. The children began by planning their own dragon stories, carefully thinking about characters, settings and simple yet engaging plots suitable for a KS1 audience. They considered what younger readers would enjoy and how to make their ideas clear and exciting. 
During the writing stage, pupils focused on adapting their language and vocabulary for a younger audience. They experimented with key techniques used by Julia Donaldson, including:

• Simple, clear sentence structures
  
• Repetition for effect
  
• Rhythmic and engaging storytelling
  

It was wonderful to see how thoughtfully they crafted their work, ensuring it would be both accessible and enjoyable for KS1 readers.

Finally, the children published their stories, presenting them as beautifully finished books. The effort, creativity and pride in their work was evident in every piece.
The stories were absolutely amazing to read — full of imagination, humour and heart. We are incredibly proud of the way Year 6 rose to the challenge, producing writing that was both purposeful and inspiring.
They are amazing! 🌟

To make our writing even more meaningful, we had the opportunity to share our finished stories with the children in Year 2. It was a wonderful experience to see our audience come to life, as the younger pupils listened so carefully and enthusiastically. Year 2 thoroughly enjoyed the stories, with lots of smiles, laughter and engagement throughout. Our Year 6 pupils read with great expression and confidence, bringing their dragon tales to life.
It was a brilliant way to celebrate World Book Day and truly showed the power of storytelling.