On Thursday 17th September, Year 4 stepped out of their usual lessons and into a story. Heartgarden, a company that runs immersive, story-led workshops for schools, spent the day at William Ford, with each Year 4 class taking part in its own hour-long puzzle adventure.

Rather than sitting and watching, the children became part of the story. Working in teams, they explored, cracked puzzles, followed clues and made decisions that changed how the adventure unfolded. The Heartgarden team played characters throughout, guiding the children along the way and, judging by the feedback, making them laugh a great deal.

The highlight for many was the hunt for hidden mushrooms. As one pupil put it, "It's like a real adventure." Others enjoyed the puzzles, the role play and the ending, and several described the visitors as "funny and nice."

Behind the fun there was plenty of real learning going on. Sessions like this ask children to listen carefully, explain their thinking, work together towards a shared goal and keep going when a puzzle doesn't crack straight away. Those are exactly the skills we want our pupils to grow in, and it was good to see them practise them with such enthusiasm.

The children were also honest reviewers. Their main suggestion? Make it longer next time, with more to find and more chances for everyone to have a turn. We'll take that as a sign it went down well.

Thank you to Heartgarden for bringing the adventure to William Ford, and to our Year 4 team for making it happen.