Past Bookings
Julia has visited over 130 schools since the first book in The Scar Gatherer series was published, and taught hundreds of workshops to thousands of children. There is a full list below, but to give you a flavour of her spring visiting season, between mid February and Easter of 2022, she ...
~ visited 20 schools
~ taught 76 workshops
~ sold (and signed!) 941 books
~ drove 2700 miles
~ and spoke to over 2500 children aged from 4 to 18!
Here is a list of the main school visits and events Julia has done:
2023
St. Mary's Junior Academy, Long Stratton
Newton Flotman Primary School
Hillside Avenue Primary School, Thorpe - repeat visit
Edward Worlledge Ormiston Academy, Great Yarmouth - repeat visit
Toftwood Junior School - two full days - the fourth year Julia has visited this school
2022
St. Luke's Primary School, Kingston - repeat *virtual visit*
Queen Ethelburga's Collegiate, York
Corpus Christi Catholic Primary School, Leeds
Adel St. John the Baptist's Primary School, Leeds
Bubwith Community Primary School, East Riding
Ninelands Primary School, Leeds
Nelson Academy, Downham Market - repeat visit
Toftwood Junior School, Dereham - repeat visit
North Denes Primary School, Great Yarmouth - repeat visit
Caister Junior School - repeat visit
Belfry Primary School, Overstrand
Norwich Road Academy, Thetford
Ranby Primary School
Magdalene Gates Primary School, Norwich
Reepham Primary School
Northgate High School, Dereham - secondary and sixth form
Sprowston Junior School, Norwich
Iceni Academy, Hockwold
Croydon High School
Pocklington Junior School, East Riding
Clifford All Saints Primary School, Sheffield
North Newton Community Primary School
2021
St. Luke's Primary School, Kingston *virtual visit to children at home during school closure*
Cherry Burton Primary School, Beverley *virtual visit*
Avondale Primary School, Darwen *virtual visit*
Luck Lane Primary School, Huddersfield *virtual visit*
Caerleon Lodge Hill Primary School, Newport *virtual visit*
Pimperne Primary School - in person visit, yippee!
Fairfield Junior School, Buxton *virtual visit*
2020
St. John's Primary School, Warminster – Patron of Reading visit 2
Garvestone Primary School
Loddon Junior School - repeat visit
Toftwood Junior School, Dereham - repeat visit
Alpington & Bergh Apton Primary School
Hillside Avenue Primary School, Norwich
Little Plumstead Primary School
Castle Primary School, Stoke sub Hamdon
Buckland St. Mary Primary School
St. John's Catholic Primary School, Tiverton
Webber's Primary School
Burlescombe Primary School
Hamp Academy
St. John's Primary School, Warminster - World Book Week
Monkton Combe School - World Book Week
Wilton Primary School - World Book Week
Minerva Primary School - World Book Week
Heacham Junior School
St. Martin at Shouldham Primary Academy
All Saints Academy, Kings Lynn
Valley Primary Academy, Norwich
Holly Meadows School, Norfolk
Wensum Junior School
Peterhouse Primary Academy
Nelson Academy
Byers Green Primary School *virtual visit*
2019
St. John's Primary School, Warminster – Patron of Reading visit 1
Bemerton St. John Primary School, Salisbury – Patron of Reading visit 4 & 5
Broad Chalke Primary School – Patron of Reading visit 4 & 5
The English School, Gothenburg, Sweden – 3 days of workshops
Sarum Academy, Salisbury - repeat visit
Bemerton St. John Primary School, Salisbury – Patron of Reading visit 3
Broad Chalke Primary School – Patron of Reading visit 3
Taverham Junior School
Caister Junior School
Stradbroke Primary Academy, Great Yarmouth
Edward Worlledge Ormiston Academy, Great Yarmouth
Little Melton Primary School
Redcastle Family School, Thetford - repeat visit
Broad Chalke Primary School – Patron of Reading visit 2
Alderbury Primary School
Dulwich College
Bemerton St. John Primary School, Salisbury – Patron of Reading visit 2
2018
Winterslow Primary School - repeat visit
Bemerton St. John Primary School, Salisbury – Patron of Reading visit 1
Broad Chalke Primary School – Patron of Reading visit 1
St. Andrew's Primary School, Salisbury – Patron of Reading visit 5 & 6
Old Sarum Primary School, Salisbury - repeat visit
Wyvern College, Salisbury
Clarendon Junior School – 2 days of workshops for Y5 and Y6
Whiteparish All Saints Primary School
Sarum Academy, Salisbury – The Big Write competition judging and award presentation speech
Winterbourne Earls Primary School - repeat visit
Bemerton St. John Primary School, Salisbury
Sarum Academy, Salisbury - repeat visit
Downton Primary School
Clarendon Junior School – 2 days of workshops for Y3 and Y4
St. Andrew's Primary School, Salisbury – Patron of Reading visit 3 & 4
Loddon Primary School
Redcastle Family School, Thetford
Toftwood Primary School, Dereham
Rockland St. Mary's Primary School
Surlingham Primary School
North Denes Primary School, Great Yarmouth
St. Mary's Primary School, Beetley
St. Andrew's Primary School, Salisbury – Patron of Reading visit 2
2017
Bartley Junior School - repeat visit
St. Andrew's Primary School, Salisbury – Patron of Reading visit 1
Sarum Academy, Salisbury – The Big Write competition judging and award presentation speech
Wilton and Barford Primary School – Patron of Reading visits 3, 4 & 5
Sarum Academy, Salisbury
Wilton and Barford Primary School – Patron of Reading visits 1 & 2
2016
St. Martin's Cranbrook Primary School
Lydeard St. Lawrence Primary School
St. Andrew's Primary School, Salisbury - repeat visit
Waterstones book launch for The Demon in the Embers
Winterbourne Earls Primary School – Patron of Reading visits 4, 5, & 6
Sarum Academy, Salisbury – The Big Write competition judging and award presentation speech
Exeter House School, Salisbury
Winterbourne Earls Primary School – Patron of Reading visits 2 & 3
2015
Winterbourne Earls Primary School – Patron of Reading visit 1
Winterslow Primary School
Winterbourne Earls Primary School
St. Andrew's Primary School, Salisbury - repeat visit
Opening of Winterslow Primary School fete, and competition judging
2014
Christ Church Primary School, Bradford on Avon – book festival
St Andrew's Primary School, Salisbury
Old Sarum Primary School, Salisbury – under the scrutiny of Ofsted!
Bartley Junior School
St. Nicholas' School, Idmiston
Christ Church Primary School, Bradford on Avon
Corsham Regis Primary Academy
Patron of Reading
Between 2015 and the advent of Covid, Julia worked in six different schools as their Patron of Reading.
The Patron of Reading scheme is an extended partnership between an author and a school, usually a school year, during which time the author visits the school several times, so that the children feel that he or she is 'their' author.
The goal of the scheme is to inspire the children in their reading, and along the way also teach them how to write better. Julia offers workshops on all aspects of writing, from how characters create their own stories, through to inference and editing.
As part of the scheme, Julia also offers the children the opportunity to follow the progress of whichever book she is currently writing, in real time, including research notes and early scribblings, drafting and editing, and the head-scratching task of coming up with a title.
Children at Julia's previous Patron of Reading schools enjoyed regular updates on the writing of the last four of the Scar Gatherer books, and they also had the chance to read and give feedback on the later drafts before publication. Almost all of their comments were incorporated in the final edit of the book, so they were a very real part of the process.
World Book Day 2019: Julia as Helena Calvina from The Leopard in the Golden Cage, (complete with very Roman mobile phone!)
To find out more about the Patron of Reading scheme in general, please click here. If you think you might like Julia to work with your school as Patron of Reading in the future, please do get in touch.