OYSTER PARK JUNIOR SCHOOL

In October I visited Oyster Park Junior School for the first time. I was there for a week in total, broken up over two weeks. It's been busy busy busy since then, but not too busy for me to write about how it was there.

And it was great! The children were SOOOOOO enthusiastic, and from the first few seconds of my storytelling there I knew that they were going to be brill. They LOVED the tortoise story and loved being told a story. And they were so friendly - every lunchtime I had a clamour of pupils wanting me to sit with them, and every time I did, they were extremely good company. Best moment of the week in terms of lunchtime was the jokes that I was told. Best joke?

Why was Cinderella rubbish at football?
Because her coach was a pumpkin!

Oh, actually, there was another best moment at lunch. It was the moment I was asked to write a poem about sprouts. That gave rise to a new poem called 'I'm a Sprout Supporter' which I LOVE and which would never have written without having come to Oyster Park. So thanks guys!

I had a blast in the classrooms. Another first was being told that one of the teacher's names was 'Gorgeous'. Slightly dubious until I realised that ALL the kids were calling her the same. It didn't take long for me to join them in this (slightly unusual) term of address, and from then on the lesson went from strength to strength!

I also had a fab time in the nursery. The staff there really looked after me, and what a lot of fun I had with the children! Highlight of the nursery visit was rescuing an (imaginary) cat from a tree in the role play area. It was brill.

The Oyster Park staffroom was one of the bubbliest, most fun staffrooms I've been in. Despite the dubious plumming advice (you know who you are - and no, my toilet at home is NOT fixed), I really felt part of the laughter and enthusiasm that abounded in the staffroom.

Oyster Park was great. Hope I get to go back there.