Storytelling is a foundation to a child’s learning, an effective tool for unleashing their imagination and developing their creativity.
At Pilgrims, we use the power of storytelling to engage the children with language, kickstart their writing skills and build their confidence in speaking, using an innovative teaching framework called ‘Talk for Writing’.
Here, we explore how this system can develop a child’s language, vocabulary and writing skills and help instill a love of storytelling and reading.
How it works
At Pilgrims, we deliver a ‘Talk for Writing’ unit over the course of around four weeks, for children in the school from Pre School through to Year 2.
The framework was developed by English educational trainer, writer, author and poet Pie Corbett, who has penned more than 200 books himself.
It is based on the principles of how people learn – from imitation and innovation to independent application.
Children first learn a story based on the topic of the school term, often presented in pictures, and then retell the tale using its basic structure or ‘story map’. They do this using words and actions which really helps to cement the text in their minds.
Mrs Kelly, who teaches our Year 2 children, said: “Every story will have a structure, a beginning, a build up, a problem, a resolution and an ending.
“By seeing the structure in these stories, the children will transfer this skill to then be able to see the structure in other stories, leading to them being able to write coherent pieces that flow from beginning to end. ”
Imitation and Innovation
After learning the structure of the stories, children learn how to spot and use the grammatical features within a text. They practice this skill in isolation, before then moving on to use it within their own writing.
“Once they know the story really well, they will go on to the innovation stage,” Mrs Kelly added. “Using the text as a starting point, but developing their skills further by using them to portray their own ideas.
“For example, our younger children may have learnt to retell The Three Little Pigs, they may then innovate on this to create their own version named ‘The Three Little Ducklings.”
Older children will take this a step further, moving further away from the model text to create different styles and genres of writing, using the same key grammatical skills.
The added benefits of ‘Talk for Writing’
The ‘Talk for Writing’ approach helps children understand and develop the core skills of storytelling and story mapping, which enables them to have a great understanding of structure.
Learning this way takes away the fear in our youngest children of not knowing what to write – they know the story so well that writing their own version with simple substitutions becomes achievable.
As part of the process, children are also asked to read their stories aloud to the class, developing their presenting skills and building their confidence.
“It’s great for encouraging children to become storytellers. They are able to see themselves as authors in a relatively short period of time,” said Mrs Kelly.
This approach also helps children with the basics of grammar and writing in an interesting and engaging way.
“When they learn the text, they will also learn the grammar and structure of a story,” added Mrs Kelly.
“They start to learn not only how to use adjectives to paint a picture of a scene within the structure of a story, but why it is important to do so. They can look at a story from the author’s point of view, discussing word choice and the reasoning behind it.”
Encouraging a thirst for learning
Children have really taken to ‘Talk for Writing’ at Pilgrims, opening up exciting opportunities for them to become authors.
It engages their imagination and gives them the chance to express themselves through storytelling.
They start by looking at stories many already know well, then later progress to more complex texts, including a wide range of non-fiction.
The idea is to encourage a life-long love of stories, reading and writing – developing their creativity and communication skills in a fun and engaging way.
At Pilgrims, we want our children to flourish and develop a thirst for learning and a love of stories and reading – the ‘Talk for Writing’ approach does just that.
Outdoor learning and physical activity are crucial for a child’s educational development and their overall wellbeing.
Fresh air and exercise help children stay healthy and well, while outdoor learning can inspire them in ways the classroom cannot, instilling a life-long love for the environment and the natural world.
At Pilgrims, we understand how important it is for our little people to be outdoors, to connect with nature and to stay active. Not only that, the children absolutely love learning outside.
Here, we look at the opportunities we provide for children to be outdoors and the host of engaging activities they can take part in at Pilgrims.
Gardening Club
We are very proud of our hugely successful gardening club at Pilgrims, set up just three years ago by Mrs Ellis, which has flourished ever since.
The club is absolutely blooming, having achieved an RHS Level 1 School Gardening Award this year, and is now working towards Level 2.
Mrs Ellis said: “It literally started with a couple of flowers and as things progressed we set up a little allotment.
“As the club got bigger, we bought a polytunnel and started doing plant sales and crop sales, with all donations going back into the gardening club.
“The club is a big hit with the children, giving them a host of transferable skills and new learning opportunities.
“We have incorporated it into our curriculum as it has been a massive hit and we’ve received so much positive feedback.
“The children absolutely love it too.”
Forest School
Pilgrims’ Forest School is also hugely popular with the children, giving them an opportunity to learn in the fresh air and inspire their imagination.
We are lucky enough to have a lovely wooded area on the school grounds, giving us the perfect setting for an outdoor classroom among the leaves.
Mrs Bartram, our Forest School lead, said: “Outdoor learning is a huge thing for children’s education. Nature is so important.
“It’s something I’m really passionate about – my dear old dad was a beekeeper for more than 50 years.
“There is so much to it. It’s not just about taking the lesson outside.
“We plant seeds on the meadow, build hedgehog habitats and minibeast hotels, teach them about map skills, the lifecycle of frogs… the opportunities for learning really are endless.
“We even get parents involved with our Mothers Day and Fathers Day Forest School sessions.
“I’ve been working in education for 27 years now, and the opportunities for outdoor learning here at Pilgrims are huge. In one year alone we were able to plant 250 trees for the Woodland Trust.
“You can see every day how much the children love it. Rain or shine, so long as it’s safe, we’re outside learning.”
Healthy Heart Week
Pilgrims’ Healthy Heart Week, held each summer, sees children across the school take part in a range of fun, outdoor sporty activities, spending the majority of the week in their PE kit.
Mrs Lock, who organises the week’s activities, said: “We do as many outdoor sporty and healthy activities as we can, from movement and nutrition to heart health and tooth health.
“We start on Monday with the whole school, from pre-school up, doing an aerobics session on the school field.
“Then across the week, each year takes part in a host of sporty fun, including house tennis, house football and house dodgeball.
“We have tennis sessions for the little ones, bikeability, scootability and swimming.”
Mrs Lock said the week is one of the highlights of the year for the children.
“They absolutely love it,” she said.
“Learning about health and staying active is very important, and the younger you can teach them the better and more likely they will continue with a healthy lifestyle.”
Outdoor experiences
Providing opportunities for our children to learn outdoors and experience nature is an important part of Pilgrims’ ethos.
We understand the huge benefits of outdoor learning in nurturing a child’s creativity, imagination and curiosity while instilling a love for the natural world – and there’s enormous amount of research that shows this is the case.
But most importantly, we see the beaming smiles the children have when sitting in our Forest School or taking part in the Gardening Club – they love every moment!
Discover more about our outdoor learning facilities and resources by emailing us at admissions@pilgrims-school.org.uk. Or book a place at our November Open Morning and experience our beautiful outdoor spaces firsthand.
The Pilgrims team were proud to mark a major milestone this year, celebrating our 25th anniversary with two special birthday parties for our current pupils and returning alumni.
We’ve come a long way since our school was built by the Harpur Trust in January 2000 – with thousands of children passing through our doors since then.
We opened with the mission to provide high quality education for children aged 5 to 7, before expansions saw us welcome children under 4 and then babies from three months old following the opening of Little Pilgrims in 2002.
Jo Webster, our Headteacher, said it was ‘wonderful’ to host the parties on our school grounds.
“I have worked at Pilgrims for 23 years and have loved every moment,” she said. “It has been such a joy to celebrate with the children and catch up with former pupils to find out what they are up to now.
“The school was built by the Harpur Trust in recognition of the importance Early Years education plays in a child’s development.
“The majority of our children move on to one of the other Trust schools, with many of them joining their older siblings or following in their parents’ footsteps.
“It was really lovely to see the connection that still exists between us and our former pupils, even though they are all now grown up!”
Entertainment at the events included musicians from across the Harpur Trust schools – many of whom were former pupils – alongside speeches from alumni about their favourite Pilgrims’ memories.
A lot of these memories focused on our approach to learning, and how Pilgrims built their confidence with our enhanced curriculum, including Forest School sessions in our dedicated outdoor spaces, alongside our pond and gardening area.
That focus on outdoor learning and sustainability has seen us earn numerous awards, including an RHS Level 1 School Gardening Award and the Eco Schools Green Flag Award for 11 years running.
Those awards wouldn’t have been possible without our wonderful team of Eco Warriors, aged 4 to 6, whose amazing efforts include planting wildflowers for bees, fundraising for an animal sanctuary, hosting a Clean Air Day Assembly and litter picking across the school site.
Jo added: “Our school is all about building self-esteem, confidence and encouraging the children to take on challenges alongside their learning.
“Our 25th year has been a wonderful opportunity for us to look back at what we have achieved and celebrate with the whole school community; both current and former.
“The school was really filled with joy for a very happy occasion.”
To learn more about our varied curriculum and how your child could thrive at Pilgrims, visit our curriculum page. Or email admissions@pilgrims-school.org.uk to arrange a visit and tour of the school.
Joining a new school or moving through the year groups can be a daunting experience for both children and their families.
At Pilgrims, we believe a child flourishes socially, emotionally and academically when they are comfortable, confident and happy in their learning environment. That’s why we place a great deal of importance on school transitions, whether it’s children entering our Early Years (Little Pilgrims to Pre School) or as they progress through the Main School and beyond. It’s about working together, getting to know our children as individuals, supporting them as they develop and communicating closely with parents from the very beginning.
This means that when a child starts and continues their journey through Pilgrims’ year groups, they always feel right at home.
What are school transitions and why are they important?
A transition phase could be the moment a child starts attending Pilgrims. This could include meeting other children and educators, or experiencing new routines and activities. For example, our babies and toddlers may need to adapt to napping at school for the first time, while our Kindergarten children go swimming without their parents for the first time. It could also be times when they move up through the school year groups, transitioning from one class to another or to different parts of the school environment which are new to them. We support them through these stages, helping them to become more independent.
Transitions can be an unsettling time. That’s why it is crucial that plans are put in place to make the process as smooth as possible, so children feel content and relaxed with the changes they are experiencing.
A happy and comfortable child is a child ready to learn – so removing uncertainty and worries from their school experience is crucial.
“Little people like to know what is coming next and what is expected of them,” said our Early Years Operations Manager, Ms Kuzio.
“It’s the unknowns that are the scary thing. They much prefer to know what will happen every day and be around trusted adults who know them well.
“Their personal, social, and emotional development depends on us getting it right.”
How we plan for transitions
At Pilgrims, transitions and preparations for a child’s next steps in education are embedded within our ethos to inspire a love of learning.
We take great care to ensure our little ones and their parents are familiar with their educators and other school staff, and they have explored their new learning environments so their journey through the school is seamless.
We invite children and parents to Transition events to familiarise them with new teachers, staff, classrooms and to meet other children across the school.
Mrs Collins, Head of Year 1 and our Main School Transitions Lead, said: “Transitions happen throughout the whole school year. For us at Pilgrims, it’s an ongoing process.
“Older children take Reception or younger children under their wing and show them some of their favourite places to play and their favourite games.
“They get to mix and do all these things with each other. Their social and emotional skills are at the forefront of everything we do.”
An early start
Life at Pilgrims doesn’t begin at the school gates on the first day of term, we start the transition process six months in advance, getting to know the children throughout the summer term via our “Get to Know Me” sessions, so they are already familiar with the school and staff when they start.
Ms Kuzio said: “We take great care in getting to know each child, what they like doing and what they are interested in, so when the child enters the school, we already know so much about them and their family.
“We then link parents and children with a school educator, matching the child with the perfect person to support them through their learning.”
Families are an integral part of the transition process, with Pilgrims encouraging parents to get immersed in the school community.
“It’s important to remember it is not just the children who need support in settling in,” added Ms Kuzio, “it’s also for the parents”.
“We make sure the parents go through the process together, making friends within our school community so they feel part of school just as much as their child.”
Support through the years
Transition phases happen throughout children’s time in education, moving through the years as they progress with their learning.
Mrs Collins said: “It’s about anticipating their worries and concerns and to try and put as many things in place to help put them at ease.
“We try to preempt worries and, if needed, we offer support so the children feel more comfortable. From this, there’s a sense of ‘natural progression’. If children feel happy, safe and comfortable, everything else comes naturally.”
To help the children develop their communication skills and open up opportunities for new friendships, each year Pilgrims allocate the children into their new classes which best suit their personality and learning style.
Mrs Collins added: “We know the children really well and what works for them in class, which friendship dynamics work, which don’t and which teachers they respond well to. We can then determine class groups which will benefit them as individuals.”
Support for children with additional needs
If a child is neurodiverse or has additional educational needs, transition phases carry extra importance, as the change in learning environment could have a greater impact on them.
Pilgrims provides additional support and resources so that every child is able to fully access and participate in all areas of school life. For example, we extend the transition process significantly for the child and their parents, starting it earlier and introducing individualised strategies to support them.
We involve parents in every stage of the process, keeping them informed of how their child is progressing to develop a strong home-school link.
In addition, we regularly monitor our children to review their progress and ensure we are meeting their development needs.
Communication is key
Pilgrims has an ‘open-door’ policy when it comes to parent communication – we love to hear from families to help us provide the very best care for their children. Transition is not just about what happens at school, we also support children and their families when experiencing changes at home.
Transitioning into and through the school years needs regular communication with parents, while also supporting children in building a sense of independence and confidence.
In our Early Years areas, parents and educators communicate on a daily basis about their child’s progress through our FAMILY Portal. In later years, parents are kept up to date through a weekly newsletter, giving them a glimpse of life in the classroom. Emails and meetings are used when more individualised communication is required.
Mrs Collins said: “We invite parents into school for a summer term Transition Evening, when they can come and have a look around, get involved in taster activities and see samples of the children’s work.
“My team and I also deliver a presentation to parents about the curriculum and an overview of the school year, so they know what to expect.”
Firm foundations
Pilgrims’ well-planned transitions provide children the reassurance and confidence to flourish, and give them a firm foundation for their journey into and through the school. This also gives parents peace of mind that their child is in a safe, nurturing and happy school environment.
We prepare children for changes they will experience throughout their childhood years, helping them to develop a sense of independence and confidence that they will carry with them on their educational journey and into adult life.
If you would like to know more about Pilgrims’ transition process contact us at enquiries@pilgrims-school.org.uk
The Pilgrims family have been delighted to welcome back a familiar face after a former pupil returned as a volunteer to support the next generation of children through our wraparound care.
James Wheeler may have flown the nest after graduating from Pilgrims in 2018, but he hasn’t gone far as he is now working towards his GCSES at fellow Harpur Trust school, Bedford Modern School.
The 13-year-old is volunteering with us until July as part of his Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award, and has been a wonderful addition to our Owls wraparound care team, entertaining the children and supporting staff members who he remembers from his own time in Owls and Pilgrims holiday clubs.
James said: “I really like coming to Pilgrims – it reminds me of all the fun times I’ve had here.
“I enjoy playing with the children, especially Top Trumps as that’s my favourite game.”
The walk down memory lane has also reminded James of the ways that Pilgrims has aided his own personal development.
That includes preparing him well for his assessments at the other Harpur Trust schools, particularly in writing.
He said: “The Pilgrims teachers really helped build my confidence, as did the extracurricular activities after school, and the good discipline I learned here really helps me stay focused and not get distracted easily.
“The atmosphere was always lively and fun, and I really liked that the school was colourful and bright.
“My fondest memory is the Hindleap trip in Year 2 – it was my first time away from home. It was a bit scary at first, but I got used to it and then had lots of fun with my friends who I still keep in touch with – and I really enjoyed going through the muddy tunnels on the obstacle course.”
Mrs Pinnock, our Wraparound Care Manager, said it has been brilliant welcoming James back to the school.
She said: “He is an absolute delight and a shining example of the amazing community of Pilgrims’ alumni.
“It’s been a pleasure catching up with him, and I feel so proud to see how grown up and confident he is.
“Both the children, teachers and staff have really enjoyed his company and we all wish him well as he looks to achieve his Duke of Edinburgh Award.”
Parents and carers who would like to learn about our wraparound care services can find more information here.
In March, the government announced targets to ensure 75% of children are ‘School Ready’ by 2028. But what do the Prime Minister’s plans mean – and how are we ensuring children at Pilgrims are equipped with the skills they need to thrive in education?
Here, Miss Goodwin, our Head of Early Years, explains how at Pilgrims we already have our own enhanced set of skills, that we encourage and support our children to develop, ensuring all pupils are School Ready by the time they finish Pre School.
What does it mean to be School Ready?
The new school readiness standard, Starting Reception, is an agreed list of suggested skills and activities for parents to practise with their children ahead of the start of their Reception year.
It comes after teachers said just one in three children were ready to start Reception, despite a survey finding nine in 10 parents believing their child was.
The standard sets out key areas for parents to focus on, helping their children develop both the abilities and confidence to thrive as they start their school journey.
How Pilgrims supports Early Years children to be School Ready
School Readiness is woven into our skill-based curriculum and delivered through the activities the children are already engaged in. By developing skills and learning behaviours, we enable our children to become more independent and ready for the next stage in their educational journey.
This starts from when they join Little Pilgrims in the baby room from 3 months old, right through to Pre School before they make their next steps into Reception.
Skills incorporated into our curriculum to ensure the children are School Ready include:
- Listening to instructions and following them, including remembering two and three-part instructions.
- Sharing and taking turns through play, allowing others to join in with them.
- Removing shoes and socks for PE and undressing and dressing before and after swimming lessons, with help from staff where needed.
- Using the toilet independently with staff being close by to assist if required.
- Transitioning from one activity, environment or staff member to another with ease and minimal intervention from staff.
- Allowing children to develop independence by collecting their own lunch and expressing their choices and preferences while using good manners.
Depending on development levels and requirements, children have a weekly focus to ensure all areas are covered. In Pre School, for example, this could be using manners, learning what manners are or how and when to use them – such as when to say please and thank you. We reinforce behaviours through group time discussions and positive reinforcement.
How Pilgrims supports parents to help encourage their children to be School Ready
All of our parents with children in Pre School have access to our School Ready indicators so they also know what we are working towards. We keep parents regularly informed about their child’s development throughout the week and offer suggestions for home activities to support areas where children might need extra encouragement. We also share the specific actions we take in school to reinforce these skills and encourage parents to mirror our actions at home, creating a consistent and supportive environment for their child’s growth.
In addition, we use our own School Ready indicators during parent evenings to provide a clear and personal update on each child’s development. Where additional support is needed, we will introduce individualised interventions to ensure every child is on track to be School Ready. Parents also receive a summary of their progress at the end of each term.
How do School Ready skills in Early Years help the pupils’ learning?
Preparing our Pre School children to be School Ready lays a foundation for success as they transition into Main School. By the time they reach Reception, they are already equipped with essential skills such as listening, understanding and following instructions, enabling them to learn quickly and confidently.
Through the foundations built in Little Pilgrims and Pre School, our children are able to communicate clearly and ask questions which enhances their learning.
At Pilgrims, we offer a more structured Pre School curriculum than many other settings, using specialist teaching to ensure our children are better prepared for going into Reception. In Pre School, we provide sessions in Literacy (including phonics and handwriting), Maths, IT, PE, Music, Forest School and Swimming – areas often not covered in the same depth elsewhere. Our Pre School children thrive on the stimulation offered through well-planned, fun and interactive lessons, balancing more structured lessons with periods of meaningful and child-initiated play to reinforce their skills.
Being School Ready not only supports a smooth transition into Reception, but also enhances children’s ability to access learning and allows them to embrace new opportunities and experiences as they continue their educational journey.
For further information about our school readiness policy and indicators, please call 01234 329555 or email admissions@pilgrims-school.org.uk.