HOW OUR:STORIES IS REIMAGINING READING FOR PLEASURE – AND WHY IT MATTERS NOW MORE THAN EVER
This year marks the National Year of Reading, the biggest campaign in a generation designed to help more people (re)discover the joy of reading and make it part of their everyday lives.
The initiative presents a time to reflect on how and why children read, and who is being left out of the story. Reading can open new worlds but for many children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), those worlds remain out of reach.
While much of the national conversation around literacy focuses on attainment and school results, there is growing recognition that how children engage with reading is just as important as whether they can do it. Reading for pleasure – or volitional reading – supports wellbeing, identity and long-term motivation. But for many SEND children, access to those experiences is still lacking.
That’s where Create’s new programme, our:stories, comes in. Designed for children with SEND, our:stories brings our professional artists into SEND schools, enabling children to explore storytelling through creativity and play, and with a sense of agency.
But why is this work important? To find out, we spoke to Dr Helen Hendry, a Senior Lecturer in education at Open University (OU) who is part of the ‘learning partner’ team working with of the Mercers’ Company Literacy and Oracy Special Initiative, about the broader state of research around reading for pleasure – and why programmes like ours are more important than ever.
The decline in reading for enjoyment
Despite the wealth of research showing the benefits of reading for pleasure – including improved vocabulary, empathy and cognitive development – recent statistics show a sharp national decline in engagement:
- In 2025, only 32.7% of children and young people aged 8-18 said they enjoy reading in their free time, the lowest level recorded by National Literacy Trust.
- Fewer than one in five (just 18.7%) read daily for pleasure.
- Since this data began being collected in 2005, reading enjoyment has dropped by 36%.
“There isn’t much research on volitional reading and writing for children with SEND: not about the skills, but about wanting to read for pleasure,” Helen commented.
A lot of the research available doesn’t give us the tools to work with children with special needs.
HELEN HENDRY
Helen explained that while there is a strong international research base indicating the many benefits of reading for pleasure – including improving vocabulary and cognitive development – few studies explore how this applies in specialist settings.
Introducing our:stories
Developed by Create in response to the gaps in both access and research, our:stories is a high-quality, inclusive creative programme that uses visual art, drama, dance and other artforms to explore texts and books as tools for engagement and wellbeing, not just literacy attainment.
It has been specifically designed for children with SEND, who are often overlooked in traditional reading initiatives. Each projects is led by one of our professional artists and co-designed with schools. Texts are chosen collaboratively and explored creatively, allowing children to connect with stories in ways that feel accessible, meaningful and fun.
Workshops are multi-sensory and participant-led, helping children to develop social skills, oracy, creative expression and self-esteem. Teachers attend alongside their students, gaining new tools to support literacy in the classroom long after the project ends.
A novel approach that fills a gap
Helen’s current research focuses on reading and writing for pleasure across a range of organisations. With funding from The Mercers’ Company, she has been analysing how different charities approach reading and writing for pleasure; and says Create’s model is distinct:
In the research I’ve read, and undertaken, I haven’t seen any other projects that combine creatives, children with SEND and reading and writing for pleasure in this way.
HELEN HENDRY
Helen also emphasised the importance of working in a way that is responsive and flexible:
“It’s important for those working with children to understand what research tells us about practices that support them to want to read and write, and to implement these based on the needs of the children or young people. There are a lot of nuances.”
why it matters now
As the National Year of Reading gathers momentum, our:stories shows how creative approaches can foster a love of stories and storytelling, particularly among children who face additional barriers. Children with SEND are more likely to experience exclusion from traditional classroom environments, where there is often limited space for agency, play and creative exploration. our:stories responds directly to this gap, creating workshops that are shaped by children’s interests and communication styles, and allowing reading and writing to be experienced as something joyful, expressive and collaborative.
Reflecting on her observations of our:stories, Helen explained:
“In our:stories, really listening to what children are communicating can be watching how they respond. The facilitator artist flexed the session to flow with what the children were interested in, giving them agency and choice over what was happening. This isn’t something that can always happen in traditional school activities, due to curriculums and wider targets.”
This responsiveness sits at the heart of our:stories. By prioritising enjoyment and creative interpretation, the programme offers SEND children the opportunity to build confidence, develop a positive relationship with reading and writing, and see themselves as storytellers.
our:stories is funded by St Paul’s Schools Foundation [via The Mercers’ Company].
With thanks to Helen Hendry for offering her expertise and insights.
You can read more about The Open University’s previous reading and writing for pleasure research for The Mercer’s Company here.
