Author Phil Earle inspires pupils at partnership event

Pupils from the Junior School, joined by children from local partnership schools, filled Big School this morning for an inspiring and entertaining talk by award-winning author Phil Earle.

Phil spoke about his acclaimed historical fiction novels When the Sky Falls and The Dawn of Adonis, as well as his latest graphic novel adaptation of When the Sky Falls. He began by sharing how his journey as a writer began only after realising that his childhood dream of playing for Hull City FC was unlikely to ever come true.

Despite reading comics and graphic novels in his early years, Phil described how he had not considered himself a “reader” as a boy. It was only later in life, while working in the children’s section of a bookshop in London, that he discovered his passion for reading, particularly after reading Holes by Louis Sachar, which influenced him to start writing himself.

During the session, Phil invited pupils to take part in a creative exercise, asking them to imagine what might be happening behind a front door on their street and to craft a story based on just a few intriguing details. The activity sparked laughter, curiosity, and plenty of imaginative ideas.

A huge thank you to Phil for a lively and memorable morning which has inspired our pupils to reconsider whether they might be actually be “readers” after all, and to explore the power of creativity in their writing.