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From thousands of entries submitted to the prestigious annual Young Writers’ competition for stories inspired by all things that “Go bump in the night”, over 150 students from the Creative Education Trust school, on the edge of Cannock Chase, were amongst the winning cohort. Their prize is to appear alongside other winners, hailing from across the UK, in a spooky anthology of stories, which is set to be published and available to buy later this year. But that’s not all where The Hart School pupils are concerned… “Grim Tales” collection showcases pupils’ outstanding creative writing success There were so many winners from the Rugeley school that it has also been able to compile and publish its own book featuring all winning pupils' ghoulish tales of ghosts, monsters, vampires, and creepy places entitled “Grim Tales”. English teacher Mrs Tilly Payton, the school’s literary lead, said: “This is such an amazing achievement that so many students have been selected for inclusion in a national publication as part of this prestigious competition. “To know they’ll also be published nationally is something they will remember for the rest of their lives. In the meantime, it’s such a joy to see their work in print in our own anthology, which further showcases their literary success.” National win is another feather in its cap on the back of a record-breaking year The young authors were equally excited, with one student stating: “It’s amazing to see my story in a real book. I feel so proud.” The latest literary success is another feather in the cap of what’s been a record-breaking 2025 for the school, including this summer’s exam results for GCSE, A Level, and Vocational subjects. It’s also the second time pupils have been published nationally. In 2023, some of its students were featured in another publication following a previous Young Writers’ Competition, called "The Power of Poetry 2023 - Whispers of the Soul”. Latest success “reflects the school’s commitment to nurturing young talent” Principal Ms Rachael Sandham said: “I’m absolutely thrilled that our students’ creativity has been recognised nationally. “This fantastic milestone also reflects the school’s commitment to nurturing young talent in every area of learning, including literacy and creative writing.” For parents interested in sending their child to The Hart School, its application deadline is October 31. For more, please visit hartschool.org.uk, email enquiries@hartschool.org.uk, or call 01889 802440.
