Feedback from Schools 2022

This is the third time I have asked Harry to 'WOW' my class, and, like always, cast his magic spell over us all. He is adept at managing an excited group of children with humour, and highly skilled at weaving lots of historical anecdotes into the 'session'. What I particularly appreciate is that Harry asks, prior to visiting, what our reading book is so that he can incorporate these characters into his drama, further embedding the children's learning.  Everyone enjoys the morning, so I have no hesitancy in recommending Harry to any school or organisation who wants to bring 'history' to life'. (Burrington CofE Primary, December 2022)

Thank you SO much for our fabulous Viking day, the children absolutely loved it and we were very impressed. One child even told me as she walked out 'this has been the best day of my life'. The children particularly enjoyed the hands on aspect holding the weapons and being able to role play. I thought it was brilliant that all of the children were given an opportunity to join in with the activities and all had a part to play if they wanted to. I know my class were fascinated and loved learning new facts too. Hopefully see you again next year (St Mark's Ecumenical Anglican/Methodist Primary School, December 2022)

A BIG THANK YOU for yesterday’s visit. It was wonderful for the children to have an opportunity to learn in such an engaging, practical and informative way. It was great how much pace was in the workshop with fun and learning in every moment. We also loved how the session took the children on a journey through Ancient Egypt and outlined all the roles and responsibilities that people had in those times. It also involved every single child within the session on multiple occasions which was great to keep engagement high - thank you (Kingsmoor Primary School, December 2022)

Year 5 thoroughly enjoyed their visit from 'Andronicus Alexiou' the Spartan Soldier last week! From the moment he appeared from the hall cupboard, both classes were very engaged and really enjoyed finding out more about Athens vs Sparta, Greek medicine and the Battle of Marathon. The content fitted in perfectly with what we'd learnt about in class. A good mix of listening and interaction - thank you.

(Backwell Junior School, December 2022)

Your entertaining presentation fully engaged the children and provided them with thought-provoking role-play, fascinating anecdotes, interesting artefacts and amusing and enjoyable interactive learning. The children thoroughly enjoyed themselves and were introduced to a wide-range of information about Britain during World War 2 in a fun and engaging way (Churchill CofE Primary School, November 2022)

Thank you so much for a wonderful morning earlier today. The 'Brunel' session really brought the children’s learning to life.  I would recommend you to any school as I witnessed how much the children were engaged in the session and very active in their learning (St Francis Catholic School, November 2022)

Thank you so much for the 'Sir Walter Raleigh' session earlier today. The children absolutely loved it and so did we - they certainly gained a lot from the experience.  We will definitely be in touch again and we have recommended your services to our colleagues (Herons Moor Academy, November 2022)

Our children loved the workshop with Jethro, they learnt so much and had a lot of fun at the same time. They were all keen to get involved and had a great time acting, singing and developing their understanding of the Great Fire of London. Thank you Harry! (Glenfrome Primary School, November 2022)

The Y1 children had a brilliant introduction to their history unit 'First flight'. As 'Don Thomas the Astronaut', Harry used songs, actions and role play to keep the children engaged. It was very much pitched at their level to keep them interested (and make them laugh!) Thanks Harry, we thought it was great. Be in contact again next year (St John and St Francis Church School, November 2022)

We had a fantastic morning thanks to your visit. Whilst some children knew bits and pieces from reading/ home etc about the 'Great Fire of London', we had not directly taught anything and the factual based conversations they were having after were really inspiring and inspired by your session. It really did deliver the curriculum facts and 'hooked' them into this new focus - thank you.

(Haywood Village Academy, November 2022)

Thank you for today's visit as Sid Richards the ARP Warden set in WW2. The children really enjoyed the session, and they loved the links to the characters in Goodnight Mr Tom. They really enjoyed the stories and the drama around the Blitz and staying in shelters definitely inspired some great diary writing this afternoon. Thanks again (St John and St Francis Church School, October 2022)

Thank you so much for coming in – we all absolutely loved this morning!! I am so impressed at your enthusiasm and storytelling.  It was great to see the story coming alive in drama and how you managed to include every single child! They were totally captivated the entire time!

We have collected some quotes from the children (they are STILL buzzing from it!) “I thought it was funny because he was chasing people in Parrot, Parrot, Pirate.” “I liked it when the pirate chased my friend!” “I liked it when he was stealing the treasure because I opened my eyes the whole time” (she meant she couldn’t take her eyes off you) “I liked how the dragon and pirates were friends.” Thank you again – they have really been inspired by it and they have been talking of it all day (Sidcot Juniors, October 2022)

Thank you so much - we had a great time! The children were immersed from beginning to end and came back from the session having gained so much valuable knowledge. Will definitely be booking again. (Oldmixon Primary School, September 2022)

What a brilliant learning experience that was for the children.  They absolutely loved it and were buzzing about it afterwards! I felt it was the perfect balance between being fun and educational. We loved having a surprise visit from the Knight, Sir Kelvin of Kewstoke and Sand Bay who came to see us from the past. Lots of fun was had and a great deal of learning certainly went on!  There was dressing up, sword fighting, horse riding, a princess being rescued from the dragon by a brave Knight and even some jousting!  There was also lots of great singing and dancing too - Thank you (Kewstoke Primary School, September 2022)

Thank you for your kind words about the children - they had a fantastic afternoon. The class were excited to use the facts they learned in their writing at every opportunity. It really stimulated their excitement and interest in the topic as a whole. I think their favourite fact was about the heart being as light as the feather. 

We have also enjoyed using your artefacts to stimulate descriptive writing this week. Thank you for the loan of these (Worlebury St Paul's CEVA Primary School, September 2022)

Thanks so much for visiting us for our Victorian WOW morning it was a brilliant session (as they always are) and the children got an incredible amount of information from your visit.  Here are some quotes from the children: 'He was very funny and entertaining', 'It was so funny when we got to do the acting!', 'I liked doing the exercise drills', 'I liked learning how to use the abacus',  'I loved how he let us act out a story with props and costumes' (Portishead Primary School, September 2022)

The children were completely hooked and engaged with our Anglo-Saxon warrior visitor. The whole experience enriched the children and supported them with their curiosity of the settlement of the Anglo-Saxons in Britain. As the session was so active, the children were motivated and eager to take part in dressing up, role play and singing. Thank you Harry, our classes are now excited to learn lots more! (Haywood Village Academy, September 2022)

Thank you so much for a wonderful morning - you were, as always, amazing! Lots of the parents on the gate mentioned this morning how their children came home speaking all about the Great Fire of London and what they had learnt. It really is our favourite way to start the topic!  We are always in awe of how you are able to tailor the parts to the needs of the children - drawing out the quieter ones to engage and also make sure those that need some additional attention, get it.

We also enjoy as staff having the chance to unpick some of the things you teach them more fully in class, but that they seem 'real' to the children, as they have already met you. We spent another 30 minutes in the afternoon picking out some of the things you had shared, and they were so interested in wanting to know more and more. 

The children found it so very funny with one mentioning how 'It made her eyes 'leak'! 

 (Birdwell School Academy, September 2022)

What Harry offers is absolutely outstanding. The resources, the subject knowledge and the way in which his characters engage the children is well and truly phenomenal. I would highly recommend Cadcharacters, for WOW days or any topic work you would be doing in school. I really cannot thank Harry enough (St Martin's CofE Primary School, July 2022)

Thank you so much for today - it was wonderful as always. The children really enjoyed meeting the pirate Captain Whitebeard on the beach, and so did the staff! (Axbridge CofE First School Academy, June 2022)

Thank you so much for such a terrific day. The children were absolutely engrossed by Captain Whitebeard The Pirate and his stories and loved the activities you had set up.Thank you once again and we wish you all the best for the future (Shirehampton Primary School, June 2022)

Thank you so much for coming back to visit to test our boats and kick off our next learning enquiry, the children were so excited to see Captain Whitebeard the Pirate again!

You have given our children such a valuable and memorable learning experience in which I am sure they will remember for a very long time! They were incredibly excited to start their challenge and have been so excited exploring the oceans and have already thought of some fantastic ideas of how we can protect our oceans. Thank you so much for the incredible work you do, I would highly recommend you to any teacher or school (St Annes Church Academy, June 2022)

The children in Y2 at Crockerne Primary had a fantastic visit from Professor Robert Jones that they will always remember. They loved finding out all about the Stone Age and acting out things that might have happened. They particularly enjoyed dressing up as Stone Age animals and pretending to hunt the woolly mammoth!!! They have not stopped talking about it at school today. Hopefully, we'll see you again soon. (Crockerne CofE Primary School, June 2022)

Thank you so much for your visit to us in the guise of Earnwald. The children had a wonderful experience, and it was a fabulous introduction to the Anglo-Saxons for them. You were so entertaining and informative (as always!) and gave them so many fascinating nuggets of information. Their initial frisson of fear at the terrifying stranger entering their space was quickly dispersed by the gales of laughter and fascination by your tales - and I am now going to use the things you told them as a base for their learning for the rest of the term!  We are always delighted to welcome you back to our school and look forward to the next visitation – doubtless in another disguise! (Sidcot Junior School, May 2022)

Thank you so much -  it was fabulous and the children LOVED it...as usual. It was a wonderful start to our 'Brunel and Victorians' topic and has really ignited an interest in the children. A huge thank you!

(Hutton CofE Primary School, May 2022)

We all really enjoyed it as always, thank you. The children all loved watching the Norman invasion unfold before their eyes and it really brought it to life for them. They were all involved in some way and learnt lots about their topic. Many thanks again (Churchfield Church School, May 2022)

A big thank you for your assemblies and workshops today, the children have had a brilliant experience and the teachers were very positive with their feedback. Some of the comments from teachers included:

 'His range of resources used were brilliant to engage the children'

 'Harry was able to provide a range of workshops for KS1 all based around our specific request of Local history in an imaginative, exciting and interactive way- all children from Reception to Year 2 were excited and had a lot more insight into local history than before!'

 'He launched local history in a really innovative way and made it relevant to the children, even taking the time to incorporate the curriculum taught for the children as historians!'

(Haywood Village Academy, May 2022)



Thank you so, so much for the visit from Captain Whitebeard the Pirate today. The children and staff absolutely loved it! They had so much fun and can't wait to start learning about ships.  It would be great if you could do a little return visit! (St Anne's Church Academy, April 2022)

Thanks for another fab session the children (and adults) all loved it and it was a fantastic way to introduce our castles topic and get the children excited and asking questions. Here are some quotes from my class:

 "I loved how he acted, especially when he came in and surprised us and when he did a roly poly!"

"It was very funny."

"I liked the bit when he shot a bow and arrow."

"I liked the dancing."

"I liked how he got all the costumes out and put them on people."

"I liked it when he sung to someone in the class who was pretending to be Queen Elizabeth."

(Portishead Primary School, March 2022)

Just wanted to say THANK YOU so much for our World Book Day story characters (Smartest Giant in Town and The Twits). The children had the best day with you and every child I spoke to said that you were the best part of the day! Thank you again, as always you were amazing.
(St Josephs Catholic Primary School and Nursery, March 2022) 

Thank you so much for your visit. The children have not stopped talking about Eddie the Explorer since you left! They absolutely loved it! Your tales were engaging and the children enjoyed joining in to help retell the different stories. They were hanging off your every word! As staff, we were amazed how an excitable cohort of Reception children were fully engaged and enjoying for over an hour and a half! Your visits are always so memorable and a highlight of the year for many of the children, so thank you! 

(West Leigh Infants, February 2022)

Just wanted to say a massive thank you for the 'Sir Walter Raleigh and Queen Elizabeth 1st' session this afternoon. The children really enjoyed it! (Becket Primary School, February 2022)

Amazing afternoon! Year 2 stepped back in time and found out all about the Great Fire of London with Jethro, Samuel Pepys' servant. Entertaining and engaging throughout, the children learnt so much in such a child friendly way. Thank you (Wrington CofE Primary School, February 2022)

Staff have spoken really positively about the session - it was informative yet presented in a manner which made the children not really notice they were learning. They could recall such a lot of new learning when we shared in the afternoon.  Other staff commented having walked past too how much the children in all 3 sessions seemed to be enjoying it - happy noises radiated from the hall which is really all we hoped for. You are very knowledge about life as a soldier which showed in a passionate way yet at a level which the children understood. Thank you (Locking Primary School, February 2022)

Thanks for coming in on Friday - we all had a great time. You engaged the children really well with lots of interesting facts and just the right amount of humour and gore. You kept in character throughout and some children were convinced you were a real Roman!  It was great that you included as many of the children as you could.  10 out of 10! (St Mark's Ecumencial Anglican/Methodist Primary School, February 2022)

Thank you so much - the workshop was absolutely fantastic and Sid, the Air Raid Patrol Warden, was outstanding! The children were really engaged throughout and spoke fondly about the session afterwards. I loved that you had a balance of talking to the children and inputting knowledge as well as getting them involved both individually and as a whole class. I particularly liked the songs and dances that you taught them and I felt that many aspects of the workshop encouraged them to 'get into character.' Thank you again - I'm sure we will see you in the future for more amazing workshops. 

(Oldmixon Primary School, January 2022)

Harry, aka Professor Robert Jones, visited Burrington Primary, whisking our Year 5/6s off to Egypt where they learnt about the Ancient Egyptians. Harry is a natural story-teller and the children were hooked from the outset. He had so many props and costumes which the children loved dressing up in and 'acting' the various roles. Harry is a brilliant teacher and his easy-going nature and sense of humour encourage even the shyest child to get involved. Personally, I was amazed at how much History and Geography he managed to convey in such a short time - none of it boring either!  There was so much to see and do that time flew and there was an audible moan from the children when the workshop came to an end. To quote a child: ‘I enjoyed it all, not only was it funny but also very interesting.'  I was also impressed that Harry constantly sanitised throughout the performance and applied social distancing rules. This is the second time we have had Harry visit our school and it won't be the last!  

(Burrington CofE Primary School, January 2022)

We all really enjoyed your workshop and the children were full of what they had learnt.  It was great that you pitched the talk at the children's level of knowledge.  Last year we were at the beginning of our topic when you came but this year we had already learnt a bit and you added in more facts because of this.  

I've had an email from a parent saying: 'Just wanted to say they came home today full of information. She was so excited about what had happened and her very exciting visitor. The facts she is remembering about the fire are amazing.  Thank you for a wonderful experience.' (Hutton CofE Primary School, January 2022)

Many thanks - we all loved the session! You taught us facts we didn't know and reinforced their learning with the facts they did know.

Quotes from the children - I loved all the acting, it was so fun and I loved it when he picked up the pretend poo!'.  'I learned that we have a time machine in the PE cupboard!'  'I was so glad he picked me to be King Charles 2nd, I loved dressing up and riding the horse.'

The children were enthralled for 1 1/2 hours of historical fun. Harry, as always holds the children's attention, teaches them and engages all the class several times during the afternoon making history come to life. Worth every penny. I can't wait to book Harry for another session this year.

(St Francis Catholic Primary School, January 2022)

What a wonderful afternoon we had with 'The Very Jolly Postman'! The children were completely immersed in his stories, rhymes, and the opportunity to take part in some acting. Harry has such a wonderful way with the children - no wonder they are all bursting with the opportunity to join in with his fantastically planned sessions!  The children said, "Can we do that again; the Jolly Postman was so funny!" 

(Sandford Primary School, January 2022)

Thank you so much for today! It was absolutely fabulous, as always, and the children were utterly engrossed. It really has been a super starting point for our  topic relating to Queen Elizabeth 1st, and the children's enthusiasm knows no bounds! Fantastic - thank you again.

(Hutton CofE Primary School, January 2022)

A real pleasure to have you visit our school again. Fundamentally, the reason we keep asking you to come back is that you always have done your background research which is so important as our children are very inquisitive. You take an idea from history and make it exciting for learning as its child specific. Your role play - including the children - brings the scenarios to life and makes it easy to remember. These are the memories the children remember when it comes to the end of a topic. Thank you again.

(St Joseph's Catholic Primary and Nursery School, January 2022)

Thank you so much, we had such a wonderful Dinosaur morning! The sessions were incredibly fun and interactive. The children had the most AMAZING time and have been talking about you and their learning all week. It was truly the highlight of our WOW day. The children couldn't wait to tell their families all about it and many staff have said they could hear them having the best time with you.

(Birdwell Academy Primary School, January 2022)

Harry was easy to communicate with and made it easy to organise our visit. He was able to personalise a session for us based on our topic around rocks, soil and fossils. He had lots of brilliant resources and props and the children were engaged from start to finish. His character was fantastic and the children loved finding out about Archaeology and Palaeontology in a fun way. They loved joining in with acting out and singing. His character of 'Professor Jones' was amazing and the children were really sad to see him go at the end (St George's Church School, January 2022)

Our Year 6 children really enjoyed a World War 2 morning, presented by Sid the Air Raid Warden (Harry). It was both entertaining and informative from the very start to the finish. The quirky backstories of some of the evacuee characters made it easier for the children to understand the feelings and thoughts of children in that position. The songs and dances were enjoyable whilst still relevant.  In the afternoon, we asked the children to talk and write about what they had learned. Considering this was the first day of our topic and they had absolutely no prior knowledge, we were amazed by how much factual information they could recall from just one morning's input. Thanks again and I am sure we will see you in school again soon. 

(St John and St Francis Church School, January 2022)

Once again thanks so much. The children were so excited when we told them you would be in as a Viking, they all had a lovely time. We had a chat about it this morning and they were able to tell us lots of crimes and punishments they could remember from what you had told them.
"We all loved the workshop and getting to hold the weapons at the end was awesome." "All the things we were told will help me to write my explanation text now, it was so fun!" "I got to be part of a Viking Longboat and I was the mast. We sailed to do an invasion" (Churchfield Church School, January 2022)

Thank you so much for yesterday! The children absolutely loved it and have been talking about you all day! We as teachers thought you did an amazing job of kicking of our 'London' topic and really appreciate you tailoring it to our children's needs. The whole thing was great from start to finish and really was presented in a way that accommodated the children's needs throughout. Our children loved that they were able to be a part of your piece and really remembered today each bit through the actions you taught them such as Big Ben and the tube! Thank you so much for making such an exciting start to our topic. 

(Churchfield Church School, January 2022)