BUDDING young writers are celebrating their successful storytelling skills. 

The West Dorset Schools Collaboration has just held its first Able Writers' Day at Powerstock school.

Some of the most promising writers from each of the collaboration primary schools - Broadwindor, Salway Ash, Parrett and Axe, Symondsbury, Thorner's, Sticklands, Greenford and Powertsock - enjoyed working with storyteller Martin Maudesley. 

The children each had the chance to show their excellent writing skills and really stretch their ability in this core subject. 

They began their day warming up their imaginations creating riddles. Mr Maudesley then shared some traditional stories and the children were then each given an old key on which to practice their imagination to come up with answers to the questions who? What? Where? When? Why? 

Mr Maudesley then set the scene of a Grimm brothers' fairy tale and the children had to write the next chapter using literary techniques to describe texture, sight, smells and sounds of a forest clearing. 

Working together, the children formed a book of high quality writing based on Grimm's Iron John, showing off their considerable writing skills to mark this enrichment event. 

The children really enjoyed the chance to come together as a group of schools.

The collaboration was set up to increase opportunities for pupils’ learning, to promote high quality training for all staff and governors and for schools to support each other. Louise Greenham, of host school Powerstock School, was pleased with the day, saying: "We were delighted to welcome such talented writers, it was wonderful to see the fantastic language they used and really see our writers of the future coming together. It is important to give children the chance to work with others outside their normal school environment and have the input from professionals like Martin. 

"It was a great day and we are looking forward to the next one at another collaboration school."