PUPILS at a West Oxfordshire school have been given the chance to do something different in their English lessons this week as hundreds of youngsters prepare their entries for the Ox Tales story writing competition.

With the prospect of a £50 book voucher for the winner and hundreds of pounds worth of books for their school, hundreds of young writers across the county are composing their 500-word stories.

At Carterton Community College, they are being given a helping hand by staff from the English department, who are hoping one of their pupils will claim the top prize.

English teacher and literacy coordinator Matthew Snook has created a plan for all the teachers in the department to use when Key Stage 3 students take part in lessons about Ox Tales this week.

He said: “We are going quite big with this.

“It has given us an opportunity for the kids to think about the area they live in and write about it.

“The whole of Key Stage 3 will have a lesson about Ox Tales and they will then have the chance to write their piece and finish it off as homework.

“Everybody is on board with literacy here.”

Mr Snooksaid that the value of the competition went beyond creative writing, adding: “The kids use all the skills in other subjects.”

The competition was launched three weeks ago and is run by the Oxford Mail in partnership with the National Literacy Trust (NLT).

Students at schools which are taking part in the Oxfordshire Gaining Momentum programme, which is run by the NLT, are eligible to take part.

They must submit a story of up to 500 words about a place in Oxfordshire which they feel strongly about.

Mr Snook said reading and writing were very important for all pupils.

He said: “When you are reading you are transported into another world.

“If you write and you enjoy reading it helps across the board.

“I know definitely in my class at least two or three students have got journals and they write their own stories.

“We have one lad in particular who is really into writing.”

Entries will be judged by author Frances Hardinge, who is an ambassador for Oxfordshire Gaining Momentum, along with representatives from the Oxford Mail, NLT and Oxfordshire County Council.

A selection of the students’ stories will be published in the Oxford Mail.

Mr Snook said that story writing was particularly beneficial for pupils with special education needs.

He said: “I think creative writing gives those students a sort of outlet.

“It is like writing a diary, you are able to get all your thoughts on a page and clear your mind.”