High Bickington School Visit

Published on Tuesday, March 11th, 2025

The above picture shows Dick’s son Giles with some of the students at High Bickington School, near Barnstaple.

Giles writes:
I was delighted to be invited to visit High Bickington School last September. I had come across their Year 6 students earlier in 2024, when they attended a performance of “Desperate Journeys” at St. Peter’s Church in Ilfracombe. This was a piece of immersive theatre (in which I was taking part) devised by the charity “Empathy Action”, in conjunction with the Pickwell Foundation, to enable children and adults to experience something of the often frightening and de-stabilising reality of migration from countries such as Syria, Afghanistan and Ukraine. The children from High Bickington were extremely impressive, entering fully into the experience and giving excellent feedback in the de-brief afterwards. And out of it came an invitation to visit the School and talk about Dick’s books…

I found (as I expected) a really impressive village school, under Head Teacher Rob Norton, with kids who knew a good deal about DKS and had some excellent questions. Two things really stood out: the calm and kindly atmosphere in the school – and the dedication to reading as a key element in the children’s growth and learning. Rob apologised for the small dimensions of the school library, and then led me into a really welcoming space absolutely lined with all kinds of books. Very encouraging, and a great foundation for a life of reading with enjoyment.
So, thank you, High Bickington – and keep reading!

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