The Beacon welcomes author Julia Jarman

Popular children's author Julia Jarman visited The Beacon School in Amersham recently to inspire and educate the boys about her books.

Julia Jarman, who has written over 100 books for children of all ages, has long been involved with the school due to her classic rites-of-passage novel Hangman which is part of the Year 7 English curriculum at The Beacon.

Nikki Olhausen, Lead Director of Studies, said: "The book Hangman was introduced to the curriculum at The Beacon eight years ago as it is based on a true story addressing key themes such as prejudice, bullying, friendship and peer pressure.

"These are all important topics that we strive to raise awareness of and discuss in lessons with our boys.

"In particular, we are keen to explore the consequences of prejudice, bullying and peer pressure and the role of a bystander in these areas."

Throughout the day, Julia spent time with the Year 7 Beacon boys talking about her real-life inspiration for the novel and the writing process.

The boys, in turn, had some searching questions about the characters and were particularly interested in what might happen in a sequel, 23 years since the novel was first published.

Julia also treated the Nursery, Reception and Pre-Prep boys to excellent workshops on The Big Red Bath, Class Two At The Zoo and Class Three All At Sea.