depute head Rachel Martin

What was the best arts company to visit your school in the past year? We’ve had Hopscotch and Baldy Bane theatre companies and they were excellent, but this week we have had storyteller, Linda Bandalier, because it’s our book fair week and we’ve had lots of library associated activities from designing a poster to a bookmark.

How did you hear about her? She’s actually a Methodist minister and I’m a Methodist, so I knew about her, but she is on the list of approved storytellers.

What does she do? She takes two classes at a time and tells stories from all round the world, with the help of a mouth organ and guitar. She’s American but has lived here for a long time.

Did you do any preparation beforehand? We did, particularly for book week.

Will you do any follow-up work? Yes, but that’s up to the individual teachers.

What does the visit cost? Pounds 120 per day and she’s been with us for two days.

What is so good about her? Her ability to bring the stories alive for the children who are all used to seeing things on television now and not used to someone simply telling a story. Storytelling is a much rare art now than it used to be.

How relevant is it to the curriculum? Very, especially for language and listening skills.

Contact Linda Bandalier, tel: 0131 554 8771