Our work in schools

We are currently working with Excelsior Academy in Newcastle, Academy 360 in Sunderland and Joseph Swan Academy and Kingsmeadow Community School in Gateshead through our Young Writers’ City project.

We send in a project producer along with a team of professional writers, who work with students in english, drama and music lessons exploring different kinds of creative writing.

For us, Young Writers’ City is all about working long term and in-depth with secondary schools, allowing us to become embedded not only in the institution but in the wider community.

In addition to Young Writers’ City, we run shorter-term engagement projects with schools. In the last few years we have worked with Walker Technology College, Newcastle Sixth Form College, Heaton Manor, Benfield School, Dene Community School and North Gosforth Academy, as well as delivering smaller-scale projects with community groups and primary schools across the North.

We try to focus our work in areas that need it most, and hope that through our extensive schools work, young people will build confidence with their writing and seek out other cultural experiences with New Writing North Young Writers’ and beyond.

Each October, we present an inspiring author programme at Durham Book Festival. The schools events are well-attended by primary and secondary schools across the county. Previous authors include David Almond, Juno Dawson, Imtiaz Dharker and Daljit Nagra.

We also have our Durham Book Festival Festival Laureate programme. The festival hosts a poet who visits local schools to deliver workshops, supported by Durham University’s English department, before taking part in the festival.

Past laureates have included leading poets Helen Mort, Sinead Morrissey and Paul Farley.

The school visits are free of charge and are open to secondary schools and sixth form colleges.