Schools use writers-in-residence

Students are encouraged to write about their own experiences

Eight secondary schools in London have introduced writers-in-residence to help pupils develop creative writing skills.

Writers have been holding weekly classes at the "challenging" schools in an effort to improve literacy.

The charity behind the scheme, First Story, said the extra-curricular classes encouraged students to write about their own experiences.

The pupils' works are read out at group events, published as small books and included in journals.

The first school to become involved in the project was Cranford Community College in Hounslow, west London, in September 2007.

The director of First Story, William Fiennes, said: "We do a lot of exercises just encouraging people to value their own experiences and their own memories, to see how interesting they are.

Schools with writers Harris Academy, Bermondsey Islington Arts and Media School, Islington Burlington Danes Academy, White City Highbury Grove, Islington Cranford Community College, Hounslow Quintin Kynaston School, St John's Wood Highgate Wood School, Haringey Holland Park School, Holland Park

"When I first went in the students tended to have an idea of stories, they had to be Da Vinci Code or Harry Potter, there wasn't really a sense that their own lives or experiences could be story-worthy."

Esther Nicholls, a sixth-form pupil from Cranford Community College, was one of the 14 students who attended Mr Fiennes's classes.

Esther wrote a story, I Remember, based on her childhood memories of her younger brother.

Describing the classes, she said: "At the beginning it was just English lessons... I'd never actually thought to write about things such as my own experiences or just everyday life.

"This really brought out the importance of finding your own memories, finding a story in your own voice."

Head teacher Kevin Prunty said: "Everyone at Cranford Community College who heard these students read their creative, surprising, funny, heart-warming, sensitive, tender and emotionally-charged stories was moved by them and filled with admiration for the young writers nurtured by this truly excellent initiative."

The charity hopes at least 20 schools across the UK will be involved in the project by next year.