The second GlamLit festival at the University of Glamorgan in Pontypridd is set to entice around 1,600 south Wales secondary pupils on to the campus next week.

Hay Festival has put together a free two-day schools literary programme, funded by the university as part of its offering to its “compact” schools, 80 of them in the Valleys and Greater Cardiff area. The schools also benefit from masterclasses, mentoring and other activities “aimed at increasing aspiration and enjoyment and widening access to children from communities where few people will have been on a university campus”, says pro vice-chancellor Professor Dai Williams.

There are still some places left for both days of the programme: Thursday December 11 for Year 7s with Brian Patten and Louisa “Lion Boy” Young, and Friday December 12 for Year 10s with Benjamin Zephaniah (pictured) and Children’s Laureate Michael Morpurgo. Schools that can get to the campus by 10am are welcome to apply. Contact Ruth Hay on 01497 821217 or email: ruth@hayfestival.co.uk. For older pupils and the public, there are plenty of tickets left at pound;2.50 for Benjamin Zephaniah’s solo event (December 11, 8pm, details on the above number).