James is very excited to back on the road again, visiting schools. During lockdown though, James still managed to deliver dozens of virtual visits via Zoom.
With an actual, in person visit, James usually does four sessions over the course of a day. Reception on their own for 45 minutes; Y1&2 for 50 minutes; Y3&4 for an hour; Y5&6 for an hour. If you’re a small school, he can, of course visit for just half a day and do two sessions.
The younger children get a mixture of storytelling, poems and talk about what being a writer actually involves. There is lots of laughter and joining in. He usually tells his story of The Umbrella Tree so your little ones will want to spend the rest of the day drawing pictures and telling each other stories.
The older children get an hilarious blend of stories (which are very much like stand-up comedy) and talk about being more creative. James has lots of true stories from his life which will inspire your children to want to write their own books.
James is also able to provide teacher training sessions around creativity and writing workshops for smaller groups of young people. A lot of this cross-pollinates with his book Write Your Own Funny Stories and his online writing classes for children who really like writing.
Generally speaking, James day rate is between £400 and £500.
Since 1996 James has visited nearly three thousand schools around the world.
These days he usually spends two days a week in schools, mainly in Suffolk, Essex, Cambridgeshire and Norfolk. He can however, be tempted further afield if you ask nicely. (And pay him some money for mileage). James drives an electric car these days so booking James won’t add to your carbon footprint! It’s also really helpful if he can plug his car to a socket somewhere while he’s visiting.
Most of the schools he visits are primary schools but he is also very experienced at working with the bottom half of secondary schools.
“I’m told that I am not like other author visits. I do talk about my books, of course, but only in such a way that I can inspire the children in their own writing. For me, the most important thing is to show the children that they can do it too. I was brought up in a council house in Cambridgeshire. I went to a normal school and no one else in my family was a writer. If I can become a successful, published author then any of your children can. In fact, any of your children can do anything. I mix this kind of motivational speaking with discussion of techniques that they can actually apply to their school work. This combination and making sure that everyone is laughing while they learn is what, I think, makes my work so well received.” James Campbell
