Welcome to our May update for The Story Starts with You project. This bulletin is aimed at keeping you updated about the project and what’s been happening and what’s coming up.

Unbelievably, we’re coming to the end of the first year of The Story Starts with You! It’s been an incredible experience so far – full of growth, creativity, and some great connections. One of the most powerful reflections has been watching teachers step beyond their comfort zones, experimenting with storytelling in their practice and discovering its impact on engagement, confidence and classroom culture. It’s been inspiring to see how these small shifts can open up new possibilities for both teachers and students. We’re beginning to plan for the second year of the project, working with the teachers and storytellers to build on learning from this year and ensure there’s a legacy of meaningful storytelling practice in each of your schools.

“For some teachers the storytelling process appears to be reconnecting teachers with their own creativity and personal voice…”

“…the children get excited when they see me (*storyteller) arrive as they know it’s going to be a really fun lesson, but it’s not me that’s doing the delivery though, its the teacher, it’s just the thing I represent that they’re excited about, the magic is coming from the teacher.”

The legacy of storytelling in schools:

The second year of the project will focus on your storyteller and teachers continuing to work closely to develop their own storytelling practice. There will be a further aim of looking at ways this practice can have an impact within the wider school community. This could be looking how storytelling can have an impact on certain aspects of the curriculum; involving families more in school life; supporting specific aims of your school development plans; staff training and development; whole school enrichment activities…and more!

If you’d like to learn more about The Story Starts with You, please contact hannah@z-arts.org