PUBLISHED 08 February 2024
This week, Year 6 pupil Grace, took home the prize for Runner Up in this year’s northern StorySLAM final, hosted by Cravenwood Primary School.
StorySLAM is an annual competition run by United Learning for pupils in Years 5 and 6, which challenges them to write their own 200-300 word stories to then perform in front of their peers. Inspired by a similar event that began in New York, the aim of the competition is to develop children’s creativity, confidence, and literacy skills in a supportive and fun environment.
This year, 36 primary schools across the country took part in the competition. The first stage began in each of the participating schools as the children wrote and later performed their stories in front of their classmates and teachers before a school champion was crowned.
Following this, the winners took up their places in one of three regional finals in the South, Midlands, and North, where they performed their stories to an expert panel of judges, including children’s storyteller Kevin Graal.
In the face of fierce competition, Grace took home the prize for Runner Up, impressing judges with her brilliantly written story, 'School Run'. To celebrate her efforts, Grace received a certificate and a selection of books.
Grace told us:
'I really enjoyed the StorySLAM competition. I love writing and it was a special experience to write and perform one of my own stories in front of audience. I feel extremely proud!'
At the final event, pupils also participated in a storytelling workshop, led by Kevin, who equipped the children with the tools and confidence they needed to take to the stage and enthusiastically perform their stories.
The finalists’ stories will now be collated and published in the United Learning StorySLAM 2024 Anthology. A copy of this will be sent to each participating school.
Year 6 teacher, Robert Dreyer at AKS Lytham said,
'This is a truly remarkable achievement. Grace's story was superbly written, and she performed it with brilliant pace and expression: every sentence resonated perfectly with her captivated audience. Grace is a credit to AKS and we are all extremely proud of her!'