our:stories – bringing reading to life through art and movement 

As the National Year of Reading invites us to reimagine how children engage with books, our:stories shows us what’s possible when reading and writing for pleasure are explored beyond the page. Across our recent our:stories projects at The Avenue School in Brent and The Livity School in Lambeth, pupils with SEND explored stories through visual art, dance and movement. This supported their literacy, wellbeing and confidence in ways that traditional classroom approaches alone often can’t.

our:stories is Create’s programme for SEND pupils across London, using the arts to support reading and writing for pleasure and to help children develop their identities as readers and storytellers. 

ENGAGING WITH STORIES THROUGH VISUAL ART 

Over six sessions between November and December 2025, Create artist Chloe Cooper worked with pupils at The Avenue School, using visual art to explore The Boy Who Loved Broccoli. For Marzena, a teacher and literacy lead at the school, the project offered something distinct from everyday classroom literacy: 

“The different types of stimuli were great for pupils to have the sensation of the story. We could see lots of enjoyment in the sessions.” 

Using colourful tape, paint pens and model-making, pupils acted out and reimagined the story, making connections between the written word and real-world experiences. The pace of the sessions allowed the pupils to have space to make choices, follow their curiosity and express their opinions: 

“[These sessions] bring a different perspective from what we are doing in class. They move at a slower pace and allow pupils to be creative and messy. Pupils can make their own choices and have their opinions. If they wanted different materials, they were offered [them], so that was great.” 

They could express themselves, so the creative arts were boosting their wellbeing.

Marzena, teacher & literacy lead at the avenue school

EXPLORING STORYTELLING THROUGH DANCE AT THE LIVITY SCHOOL 

At the Livity School in Lambeth, Create dancer Paul Smethurst led six days of dance and movement workshops, supporting students to interpret stories physically, rather than verbally. Teacher Adam reflected on how movement presented new ways for pupils to engage with reading and comprehension: 

“They’ve been reading different books, interpreting them and exploring them through dance and movement.” 

“It’s very individually tailored. Paul has been really good at getting them all involved“

I think when the kids see somebody else with that sort of enthusiasm, they really take to it.

adam, teacher at the livity school

For pupils who are confident with literal answers but find abstract thinking more difficult, dance offered a route into self-expression: 

“There are many in the class who are very good at reading or answering a black-and-white question, but actually to express their own ideas is something they need a lot of encouragement to do.” 

Through movement, the students explored how characters feel, what stories suggest “between the lines”, and how different people interpret the same text in different ways – all core skills for reading comprehension and communication: 

“There are definitely things from the project that we’ll keep going and implement in communication sessions. From here on, there’ll be a lot of work on “how do you see this” or “how does this make you feel?” That’s the sort of communication they need to have. They need to be able to say it themselves but also understand what their peers are saying as well.” 

WHY READING FOR PLEASURE NEEDS INCLUSIVE APPROACHES 

Nationally, reading for pleasure is in decline. Recent research shows that less than a third of children say they enjoy reading, with pupils with SEND significantly less likely to engage with books independently or see themselves as “readers”. 

For many SEND pupils, traditional literacy approaches can feel inaccessible, particularly when reading is presented as a task rather than an experience. our:stories responds to this challenge by placing creativity, choice and wellbeing at the heart of reading and experiencing stories. 

By exploring stories through art and movement, pupils are supported to: 

• Engage with books in ways that suit their communication styles 
• Build emotional understanding and imagination 
• Develop confidence as readers and storytellers 
• Experience reading as pleasurable, social and meaningful 

As the National Year of Reading encourages schools and communities to widen access to books, our:stories demonstrates that reading should be accessible, creatively led and most importantly, for everyone. 

our:stories is funded by St Paul’s Schools Foundation [via The Mercers’ Company].