or call 020 7404 3400
or call 020 7404 3400
As part of last year’s BBC 500 Words competition, St Nicolas Church of England Combined School won a literacy Wall Art project!
We’ve since designed, printed and installed the project in their school hall. Against an enchanting backdrop, we featured an open book in the centre of the design. Various creatures and objects burst from the pages, bringing the magic of reading to life on the walls. This intriguing design is sure to spark curiosity and inspire plenty of ideas for budding authors.
Read on to find out more about the project. And learn how your school could win a Wall Art project too…
Each year, BBC 500 Words inspires young authors to put pen to paper. Children can write a story about anything and don’t need to worry about spelling or punctuation. Instead, stories are judged on how entertaining they are.
“Write a story you would like to read“. This is the advice the BBC offers to children who want to take part in the UK’s biggest writing competition.
There are two age categories; 5-7 and 8-11 year olds. Winners can take home a bundle of books. Plus, their stories will be fully illustrated.
There’s also another way to win – every child that takes part enters into a random prize draw. Then, the BBC picks a winner at random and they’re awarded a bundle of books and a literacy Wall Art project for their school!
St Nicolas Church of England Combined School were the lucky prize draw winner in 2024! They received a bundle of books for their school AND this beautiful and bespoke Wall Art project.
The school opted to feature their Wall Art project in the school hall. This is a large, communal space, so it is used by pupils across the school who can now turn to the Wall Art design for inspiration on their next piece of writing. As a large visual design, the Wall Art encourages reading for pleasure and we all know the more pupils read, the more it supports their writing.
We used an enchanted forest backdrop to spark curiosity and pique pupils’ interest. Then, we combined images and quotes from well known books and authors to complete the look. The final effect is a magical, vibrant and dynamic design that seems to leap off the walls!
Colour and images bring interest to the walls of the school hall. Using the hall as a location facilitates active learning giving pupils space to engage with the design at their own pace and in their own way.
Pupils can use their imaginations to conjure up stories, role play ideas and develop their vocabulary as they bring these ideas to life with friends. In this way, the Wall Art supports reading and writing, as is the ethos of BBC’s 500 Words Competition.
This stunning Wall Art design will last many years and requires zero upkeep. So the school can save money on maintenance costs and enjoy their free Wall Art project for a long time.
We were delighted to receive this feedback from Rebecca Holmes, Headteacher at the winning school;
“I want to say a massive thank you on behalf of the whole school!
The children have been so excited and keep finding new things to talk about in the design, and it really makes the hall special.
It has already been used as an inspiration for storywriting.”
Pupils at St Nicolas CofE Combined School have also shared their feedback on the new Wall Art installation.
We’re delighted to share a few of their original, handwritten comments here;
At Promote Your School, we’ve worked in education and design for over twenty years. We are a team of experienced designers, consultants and production experts.
Everyone on the team has a background in education or design. So we’re able to apply our experience to every project. And we offer a consultative service to ensure every school gets the exact end result they want!
A school library can be a magical place. Pupils can escape the ordinary every day and lose themselves in a good book. In fact, reading changes lives. So, we can’t overstate the importance of creating designated reading spaces in your school!
Literacy Wall Art brings the magic of stories to the walls of a school. You can use it in your school library or designate any area as a reading space.
BBC’s 500 Words Competition opens for entries on 23rd September 2025. It’s easy to take part and there are just a few rules…
All 500 words stories must;
We look forward to supporting the BBC on their 500 Words competition in 2025. Make sure your pupils enter to stand a chance of winning your own literacy Wall Art project!*
*Competition closes 9pm Friday 7 November 2025. For more details and to read the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Notices go to the 500 Words homepage.
*Ts&Cs apply
We’ll visit your school to understand your goals, explain our process and provide you with a no-obligation quote.
