On Wednesday 5 June, after an entire year of planning and preparation, Kent Catholic Schools’ Partnership (KCSP) held our first ever children’s conference for 793 Year 5 pupils and we are so proud to say that it was one of our biggest and most successful events to date!

Working with Ellie and Zoe at Speaking of Books, who specialise in bringing together children with leading writers, illustrators and storytellers, we were lucky enough to have some incredibly special guests join us: author and former Children’s Laureate Michael Rosen, spoken word poet (and expert digeridoo player!) Zohab Zee Khan, bestselling and award-winning Kent-based author Lucy Strange, and award-winning illustrator Chanté Timothy.

Our guests ran a series of fun and engaging workshops for our pupils, inspiring them, teaching them some new brilliant skills and ways of writing, telling stories, and how to express themselves through spoken and written word.

Our grateful thanks go to our host schools, St John’s Catholic Primary School, and St John’s Catholic Comprehensive School, in Gravesend; they were warm and welcoming, cheerfully accommodating two giant marquees, four very special guests, 18 coaches, 118 staff, and, not to mention, 793 pupils!

Our pupils had a wonderful day that we know they will remember for a very, very long time to come, and we cannot wait to hold our next conference, so please watch this space!

Charlotte Robinson

Executive Director of Governance and Company Secretary

Kent Catholic Schools' Partnership