A BUDDING author from Oxford has won a national competition for storytelling.

Theo Ross, 10, from Walton Street, Jericho, impressed children’s author Stewart Ross with his tale about bullying at school.

The Year Five New College School pupil had been asked to write a story based on the line “There once was a monster who lived in a moat....” for the Evans Schools Short Story Competition.

But rather than write a fairytale, he twisted the idea to create a realistic portrayal of a child being bullied into writing an English essay.

His work – along with that of nine other winners – was included in an anthology of the best entries called The Monster in the Moat and other Short Stories.

Theo received a copy of the book on World Book Day, on Thursday, and said: “I feel really good. I’m actually really proud of myself for winning.

“I didn’t really want to write a fairytale, so I turned it on its head and wrote it about something completely different. I think that caught the judge’s attention.

“When I saw the book I felt amazing. It’s something to see your work on the wall at school, but it’s another thing to have it in your own book.”

His mother Jacinta Ross said: “I’m really proud of him.

“I think one of the reasons he has done so well is because they have some fantastic English teachers at the school.”

The headmaster of the Savile Road school, Robert Gullifer, said: “We’re all very proud of Theo.

“He’s an original thinker and it’s great to see his story in print.”

Theo now plans to write another story, provisionally titled The Secret, during the Easter holidays.

He said: “I want to write in the future, because people listen to what you think in your stories.”

A total of 2,700 children from more than 500 schools across the country entered stories in the competition and another similar contest for secondary school pupils.

Oxford High School pupils Emily Pritchard, 12, and Hannah Tillman-Morris, 11, were among the winning writers in the older age-group category.

ghamilton@oxfordmail.co.uk