Schools programme

The festival has engaged with several local schools helping them to run their own festival events with children’s authors and other speakers provided by and costs fully covered by the festival. The aim is to provide highly engaging and accessible events that will leave pupils excited and inspired.

The festival also provides free tickets for pupils to attend events at the main festival, with a very healthy uptake.

2025 saw a full day of events at Oxford Academy School and a two-week season of events at Greyfriars school. The TV, stage, and movie actor and children’s author Paterson Joseph (Peep Show, Wonka, etc.) appeared at both schools and proved a great draw. Other authors included comic book writer Neill Cameron, children’s fantasy author Josie Jaffrey, and leading investigator of the spooky Deborah Hyde. 

The festival also provided the dynamic vegan chef Marlene-Watson-Tara who gave hands-on cookery lessons and advice, with all the food made by the pupils being rapidly devoured. Stephen Law, philosopher and author of the children’s books including The Complete Philosophy Files, got young people to think about whether a machine could think and feel. At The Swan school, the children’s maths author Rob Eastaway gave a barnstorming and highly enjoyable talk on maths and Shakespeare.

Pupils at Cherwell school were given the opportunity to interview many best-selling authors at the main festival. They heavily researched their subjects beforehand and produced unusually incisive and disarming interviews. Interviewees included the European Ambassador to the UK. Pupils are now producing their own festival magazine featuring student-produced reflections, thinking points, illustrations and interviews. They will also stage their own Cherwell Literary Festival event in the Autumn.

The festival’s school programme is expanding and will include the Cheney School in East Oxford in 2026.

Highlights of the 2024 schools programme included the visit of Yeva Skaliestska, a12 year old Ukrainian refugee and Amazon’s no1 nest-selling author of You Don’t Know What War Is. Yeva was interviewed by Cherwell pupils and also spoke at the school about her experiences.