Students in Year 7 and 8 shared reading of the novel My Friend the Enemy and took part in a range of activities across the curriculum to explore the novel’s themes and context. The story, set in1941, focuses on the moral dilemma faced by Peter and his friend Kim who discover a young German airman in his crashed plane. They know he is a wanted man but helping him seems like the right thing to do...  

Activities included baking ration book recipes, designing and building model air raid shelters and creating their own moral dilemma stories.  

Speaking to the students on Tuesday 21^st May, Dan Smith shared stories of his own childhood adventures living abroad with his family and how his love of film, and of Star Wars, sparked a love of stories that eventually led him to writing. Dan thrilled students with his stories of fishing in Brazil where piranha was the most common catch and camping adventures with his brother.  

Dan was full of praise for the event and the students: 

“Thanks so much for organising the visit, it was an absolute pleasure to spend time with you all. I enjoyed watching Twitter and seeing the students building up to the day with all their activities around the school during the previous week, so I knew I was in for a good day! The staff were so welcoming, and the students were brilliant. I had such an enjoyable chat with the sixth formers - all of them confident and bright - and then the event with the year 7s and 8s was fantastic. They had so many brilliant questions! What a pleasure it was to visit. You all certainly did an amazing job of showing off your school. 

Thanks again for such a fab day; I hope that the students enjoyed themselves, and that at least a few were inspired to read, read, read!”