Multi-sensory stories for people with learning disabilities

Storytelling In Your Area - London: 2013

In 2013 we organised the following multi-sensory storytelling sessions:

Daylight project, Islington. 18/12/13

A "Build-a-Book" day where one of our Storytellers and one of our Craft Artists assist a group of people with learning disabilities to make a multi-sensory book. The day involved seven adult participants. A member of staff commented,“Good experience of using objects and making the story book. Good sensory experience. The Bag Books guys made it fun and helped build a lot of confidence with the service users."

Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, Haringey. 16/12/13

Our Storyteller ran multi-sensory storytelling sessions with a total of 15 children from Vale School, Haringey and Haringey 6th Form College, Haringey. We received feedback from two teachers. They judged that all 15 children had benefitted from the storytelling. One rated the experience as "5/5 - Very Good” and one as "4/5 - Good". One added, "My class really enjoyed the story. Thanks for having us." The other commented, "Thanks to [The Storyteller] for an excellent session, held at White Hart Lane stadium. All the pupils really enjoyed the three stories and soon got into the format of the storytelling. I was impressed by the attention of the pupils. The repetitive nature of the stories certainly got them involved at their own level."

The Mayflower, Mariner Road Day Centre, Newham. 11/12/13

Eltham Clusters Day Service, Greenwich. 27/11/13, 04/12/13, 11/12/13

There were a total of 17 adult participants across the three sessions. There were three trainees. Two rated the overall training/mentoring as "5/5 - Very Good" and one as "4/5 - Good". One added, "Very enjoyable. With plenty of practice and time would make working more and more enjoyable. Fantastic time." The other commented, "There's no need to improve on the training. She has been fully supportive all the way along a very enjoyable experience."

Woolwich Dockyard Day Opportunities, Greenwich. 27/11/13, 04/12/13, 11/12/13

There were a total of 15 adult participants across the three sessions. There were four trainees. All four rated the overall training/mentoring as "5/5 - Very Good". One added, "I have really enjoyed the training. It has been fun and engaging. Thank you." Another commented, "Trainer was very encouraging and understanding. Really enjoyed the course."

Watergate School, Lewisham. 05/12/13

Our Storyteller ran five storytelling sessions with a total of 19 children. We received feedback from all five teachers. They judged that all 19 children had benefitted from the storytelling. Four rated the experience as "5/5 - Very Good" and one as "4/5 - Good". Comments were:

"Wonderful, we all really enjoyed it, the children were very happy, lots of smiles, looking and vocalising. It was very beneficial for our group of children. Thank you very much!!"
"Good stories - original ideas. Children enjoyed interactions."
"Excellent! Lovely stories, props, pace of the story was really good. Can we have some more?!"
"Excellent session. Each sense used. Simple but effective. Particularly liked that simple movements could activate effect e.g. cow sound toy."
"Very good resources and well delivered. Most appropriate for PMLD groups. Would be good for one of your reps to attend one of our parents evenings or family day and sell to parents."

Peperfield Day Centre Centre, Camden. 27/11/13

A "Build-a-Book" day where one of our Storytellers and one of our Craft Artists assist a group of people with learning disabilities to make a multi-sensory book. The day involved seven adult participants. A member of staff commented, “One to one interaction. They were very involved in the Build-A-Book sessions. Very stimulating, sensory, feel, touch, sight. All service users enjoyed the sessions. Laughter, good body language. Very interesting and entertaining."

Mayford Day Centre Centre, Camden. 20/11/13

A "Build-a-Book" day where one of our Storytellers and one of our Craft Artists assist a group of people with learning disabilities to make a multi-sensory book. The day involved eight adult participants. A member of staff commented, “They worked together, worked with tools, intensive interaction with customers, hand on hand support. Body language, responsive, engaging, patiently waiting, new skills. [It could have been better if the] introduction could have taken a bit more time, taking turn to introduce the objects."

Ickburgh School, Hackney. 18/11/13

Our Storyteller ran six storytelling sessions with a total of 21 children. We received feedback from six teachers. They judged that all of the children had benefitted from the storytelling. All six rated the experience as "5/5 - Very Good”. Comments were:

"Very good, pupils enjoyed it and interactions were very good. Thank you."
"Sensory preferences: E liked cricket sound, liked ball blow air, fan, balloon, pulling on rubber spider's leg. B liked fan, balloon. M liked rubber ball blow air."
"The children enjoyed the sensory props and particularly responded to the one with sound effects."
"We all enjoyed the session, all the students enjoyed it. A sat down throughout the session. D was laughing throughout. I will be using these stories. Thank you."

The Geffrye - Museum of the Home, Hackney. 13/11/13

Our Storyteller ran multi-sensory storytelling sessions with a total of 14 children from Ickburgh School, Hackney and The Bridge School, Islington. We received feedback from two teachers. They judged that all 14 children had benefitted from the storytelling. One rated the experience as "5/5 - Very Good” and one as "4/5 - Good". One added, "Brill session, all loved story but some find it difficult to sit for long periods. We use these stories at school so the pupils are familiar with them. Thank you for having us, we will be back." The other commented, "The performance/storytelling space was a little cluttered and open but the students coped very well over and above their sensory processing difficulties. Sharing items does promote idea of "waiting", "taking turns" and "group"."

Beatrice Tate School, Tower Hamlets. 07/11/13

Our Storyteller ran six storytelling sessions with a total of 32 children. We received feedback from five teachers. They judged that all bar one of the children in their classes had benefitted from the storytelling. Four rated the experience as "5/5 - Very Good” and one as "4/5 - Good". Comments were:

"Really fantastic session!"
"Loved it. Stories very well told - engaging. Students clearly enjoyed the session and interacted well."
"Excellent presentation - worked well with all students. Interesting, entertaining and engaging. Thank you!"
"Great storyteller. Nice not to go with preconceptions. All who were at right level for it really enjoyed it. Lovely resources - very interactive and fun. All very involved."

Carlton Road Centre, Ealing. 06/11/13

A Build-A-Book day with ten adult participants. A member of staff commented, “Very positive. Really enjoyed it. Lots of involvement and laughing. People that we wouldn't expect were active and joined in."

The Museum of London Docklands, Tower Hamlets. 06/11/13

Our Storyteller ran multi-sensory storytelling sessions with a total of 18 children from Castlebar School, Ealing and North Beckton Primary School, Newham. We received feedback from two teachers. They judged that all 18 children had benefitted from the storytelling. Both rated the experience as "5/5 - Very Good”. One added, "Thank you very much for this fantastic opportunity. We all enjoyed the session and I would recommend it to other classes in our school. It was lovely seeing all the children engaging in the story. Thank you very much!" The other commented, "This was a fantastic session. Our children were stimulated, excited and really had fun. Bag Books are really important in our school and we use them regularly. Many thanks."

The London Transport Museum, Westminster. 17/10/13

Our Storyteller ran multi-sensory storytelling sessions with a total of 17 children from Woodlands School, Harrow and Woodside School, Bexley. We received feedback from two teachers. They judged that all of the children in their classes had benefitted from the storytelling. Both rated the experience as "5/5 - Very Good”. One added, "Fantastic, all children loved the experience, all children are engaged and interested. Thank you!" The other commented, "[The Storyteller] really engaged the pupils, some of which have extremely challenging behaviour. They all engaged and we would love to bring them again."

The Natural History Museum, Kensington & Chelsea. 10/10/13

Our Storyteller ran multi-sensory storytelling sessions with a total of 13 children from Grangewood School, Hillingdon and Manor Special School, Brent. We received feedback from two teachers. They judged that all of the children in their classes had benefitted from the storytelling. Both rated the experience as "5/5 - Very Good”. One added, "Thanks for a fantastic session in an incredible venue. A great day for the whole class!" The other commented, "[The Storyteller] did a great job of engaging a potentially difficult group in an unfamiliar setting. They absolutely loved the stories, and interacting with them. Especially the sounds."

The Museum of London, City. 04/10/13

Our Storyteller ran multi-sensory storytelling sessions with a total of 12 children from Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee School, Westminster and Oakleigh School, Barnet. We received feedback from two teachers. They judged that all bar one of the children in their classes had benefitted from the storytelling. Both rated the experience as "5/5 - Very Good”. One added, "Very wonderful storytelling and the kids loved it." The other commented, "A lovely session that offered the children a fantastic sensory experience. The storyteller was brilliant at initiating interactions and bringing out lovely reactions from the children. A very enjoyable session and visiting the museum was a very valuable experience for the children. We would love to do this again!"

Samuel Rhodes School, Islington. 30/09/13

Our Storyteller ran two storytelling sessions with a total of 12 children. We received feedback from one teacher. They judged that all the children in their class had benefitted from the storytelling and rated the experience as "5/5 - Very Good”. They added, "I would like to say that this session was simply fantastic. It captured the children’s imaginations and engaged them fully. Every one of my children left the session smiling, happy and buzzing about it. I cannot recommend you highly enough and am hoping that you will come back soon."

The Horniman Museum, Westminster. 27/09/13

Our Storyteller ran multi-sensory storytelling sessions with a total of 12 children from Greenvale School, Lewisham and Marlborough School, Bexley. We received feedback from two teachers. They judged that all of the children in their classes had benefitted from the storytelling. Both rated the experience as "5/5 - Very Good”. One added, "Another lovely session. All the students had a great time. It was a lovely setting to do the session in. [The Storyteller] did a fantastic job once again and really has a great understanding of the students' needs and abilities." The other commented, "Fantastic!! The students really had a good time, great interactions and all happy by the end. Great resources and a lovely presentation. One student interacted from behind an iPad and recorded the session, he then had his lunch and watched it back. This was fantastic. All engaged and focussed throughout. This is usually something they find difficult, but today they were really interested and had a fab time. Thank you [to the Storyteller] for such a wonderful interactive time."

The Museum of Childhood, Tower Hamlets. 25/09/13

Our Storyteller ran multi-sensory storytelling sessions with a total of 15 children from Riverside School, Bromley and Phoenix School, Tower Hamlets. We received feedback from two teachers. They judged that all of the children in their classes had benefitted from the storytelling. Both rated the experience as "5/5 - Very Good”. One added, "Excellent, would love to come again. Thank you." The other commented, "We are very grateful to have been invited to participate. The correspondence we reviewed before the session was great. The session was perfect for the sensory nature of our children. Thank you very much."

Richard House Children's Hospice, Newham. 27/08/13

Our Storyteller ran storytelling sessions with a total of 10 children. The hospice staff judged that all the children in their classes had benefitted from the multi-sensory storytelling. They added, "The storytelling was very interactive. The storyteller was excellent, very skillful and flexible to the needs of the children and young people. Told the stories and went round each child repeating each part of the story so they understood and followed the story. So everyone was part of the session, no one left out. Thank you for providing this session and the new sensory stories - both are greatly appreciated."

St Quintin Avenue, Kensington & Chelsea. 18/07/13, 25/07/13, 31/07/13

There were a total of 15 adult participants across the three sessions. There were four trainees who all rated the overall training/mentoring as "5/5 - Very Good". Comments were:

"It was a great session with the customers and staff. They loved it. It was an enjoyable storytelling."
"The people we support and us the staff loved the sessions. Each of the sessions brought about a friendly and relaxed atmosphere. The storyteller captured the attention of the people we support."
"The trainer approach was fantastic. The people we support loved the 3 sessions and benefitted from them. The storyteller engaged everyone during each session. The people we support enjoyed the experience."
"These three sessions were great. The sessions were informative, interactive and beneficial to the people we support. [The Storyteller/Trainer] did a brilliant job by getting responses from the people we support and staff. The team were very impressed with the storyteller. Good sense of humour. Thank you."

Barlby Road, Kensington & Chelsea. 18/07/13, 25/07/13, 31/07/13

There were a total of 12 adult participants across the three sessions. There were three trainees; two rated the overall training/mentoring as "5/5 - Very Good" and one as "4/5 - Good". One added, "The storytelling concept is a very good way to stimulate the people we support. Even one of our clients now tells the Kofi story to the group and she enjoys every bit of it. The trainer was very good at the storytelling, so we are trying our best to it the way she showed us."

Peckham Library, Southwark. 30/07/13

Our Storyteller ran multi-sensory storytelling sessions with a total of 4 children.

Old Oak Road, Hammersmith and Fulham. 25/07/13

Our Storyteller ran multi-sensory storytelling sessions with a total of 4 adults.

Paddock Secondary School, Wandsworth. 22/07/13

Our Storyteller ran six multi-sensory storytelling sessions with a total of 29 children. We received feedback from five teachers. They judged that all the children in their classes had benefitted from the storytelling. All five rated the experience as "5/5 - Very Good”. Comments were:

“The session was excellent. Thank you so much, all the pupils were engaged and enjoyed the session. Please come again.”
“Children very engaged. Great sensory interaction.”
“Pupils were very engaged. More than usual for a group session of that nature. Especially the second story.”
“Students asked when [the Storyteller] is coming back as they loved it. Very well presented and done in a fun way.”
“A fantastic session. [the Storyteller] built up an amazing rapport with the students and staff in a very short time! We would love to take part in this opportunity again! Thanks so much!”

Paddock Primary School, Wandsworth. 17/07/13

Our Storyteller ran six multi-sensory storytelling sessions with a total of 34 children. We received feedback from six teachers. They judged that all bar two of the children in their classes had benefitted from the storytelling. All six rated the experience as "5/5 - Very Good”. Comments were:

“It was lovely to see children who find sitting difficult sit for the duration of three stories. One child's severe tactile intolerance cut her session short. Really nice repeated joint attention.”
“A really good sensory experience for the pupils. Provided some great ideas to use in the classroom. The pupils enjoyed touching the different textures and hearing the different noises. Good for those pupils that are tactile defensive as it encouraged them to explore their senses in a safe environment. Pupils applauded and requested for more..”
“Great to see pupils so engaged with props. Objects on the side a bit of a distraction but most children coped with this well. Really lovely to see the children sit for the duration of 3 stories; their expressions showed enjoyment and focus. Pupils tracked objects around the circle but good use of pace to ensure that their attention was kept.”
“Very fast paced - excellent. Brilliant resources. Small groups. Great enthusiasm.”
“An amazing session at the end of a very hot day. We would welcome [the Storyteller] back anytime! She is amazing with all the children. Thank you.”
"A really enjoyable session. The children loved each session and staff came out of the sessions saying how appropriate they were and just at the right level for our children. Thanks again."

TheTate Britain, Westminster. 10/07/13

Our Storyteller ran multi-sensory storytelling sessions with a total of 11 children from Kingsley High School, Harrow and Sybil Elgar School, Southall. We received feedback from two teachers. They judged that all of the children in their classes had benefitted from the storytelling. Both rated the experience as "5/5 - Very Good”. One added, "Thank you for taking the time and trouble to organise a fantastic learning experience for our students. They always enjoy joining in the Bag Books stories." The other commented, "The storyteller was very good. All the pupils loved the session."

The Tate Modern, Southwark. 08/07/13

Our Storyteller ran multi-sensory storytelling sessions with a total of 11 children from Tuke School, Southwark and The Village School, Brent. We received feedback from two teachers. They judged that all bar one of the children in their classes had benefitted from the storytelling. One rated the experience as "5/5 - Very Good” and the other as "4/5 - Good". One added, "Session was very good and story books were excellent. The acoustics weren't great which was a problem for one of our pupils." The other commented, "Fantastic. Not sure we would have thought of coming to the Tate without the Bag Books session, but all the pupils enjoyed the whole trip."

Grangewood School, Hillingdon. 01/07/13

Our Storyteller ran six multi-sensory storytelling sessions with a total of 41 children. We received feedback from six teachers. They judged that all the children in their classes had benefitted from the storytelling. All six rated the experience as "5/5 - Very Good”. Comments were:

“Repetition was great for the pupils. All really engaged in the props.”
“Children enjoyed and focused. All interested in the story props - very appropriate for our children. Could use in class and double props for group of 7 so not waiting too long in between. Repetition of language = excellent. With story repetition, maybe could encourage a chant for verbal children.”
“Simple and effective. Excellent use of sensory props. Good demonstration of how to access them. Good to have the story parts repeated to each child in turn. All children able to access the story props at their own level. All children interested and involved fully throughout the session. Storyteller able to "tune in" to child and enough time allowed for exploration. Very calm and well paced approach to the stories. Have used similar approach many years ago but need to reintroduce it. Great!”
"I participated in the storytelling session with 5 children (above P Level 4) and 2 members of staff. All children really enjoyed the stories and they were really engaged. They made comments on the props expressing likes, dislikes, surprise and anticipation. They were repeating/copying phrases from the stories and engaged with the pretend play. It was a very good session.”
“Storyteller made sure all the children were engaged with the story. The sensory experience was simple - but very effective. It was nice to see the reaction on the children's face. We should make more sensory props to use in school.”
“Thank you very much. All the children really enjoyed it and got something from it. Suitable for all.”

The South Bank Centre, Lambeth and Southwark. 26/06/13

Our Storyteller ran multi-sensory storytelling sessions with a total of 16 children from Livity School, Lambeth and Shenstone School, Bexley. We received feedback from two teachers. They judged that all of the children in their classes had benefitted from the storytelling. Both rated the experience as "5/5 - Very Good”. One added, "Lovely day out for my group. Thanks for arranging this for us." The other commented, "The children have had several sessions over the year with [the Bag Books Storyteller]. It was a wonderful opportunity to travel up to London to have another session. The pupils in the class really benefit from the stories; anticipating the sensory outcomes, experiencing the sensory elements, building relationships, sharing, turn-taking, and waiting for their turn. The stories are great and so very relevant for our SLD pupils. A great learning resource."

The Science Museum, Kensington and Chelsea. 15/06/13

Our Storyteller ran multi-sensory storytelling sessions with a total of 32 children.

Newbridge School, Redbridge. 06/06/13

Our Storyteller ran five multi-sensory storytelling sessions with a total of 25 children. We received feedback from five teachers. They judged that all 25 children had benefitted from the storytelling. All five rated the experience as "5/5 - Very Good”. Comments were:

“All four of my PMLD students were completely motivated and involved for the entire session. Two students in particular who normally push away readily touched and interacted.”
“All of the children responded well at some point.”
“All children enjoyed both stories, they were interacting with the storyteller who delivered the story to their level.”
“The pupils found the story very interesting because they all had a chance to interact. They were all able to touch and fell the objects that were referred to in the story. The storyteller was very good at the way she illustrated the story. Objects used were very creative and thoughtful of the way the pupils learnt. It’s put into consideration of how different pupils learn. She involved in the touch and feel which the pupils found interesting. In conclusion, we did think that our pupils would benefit from such programmes because it would improve their concentration, interaction and listening skills.”

Carlton Road Centre, Ealing. 08/05/13, 22/05/13, 05/06/13

There were a total of 20 adult participants across the three sessions. There were two trainees who both rated the overall training/mentoring as "5/5 - Very Good". One added, "Very good. Enjoyed it." The other commented, "We have really got a huge amount from this training and really appreciate it. We plan to continue using the stories and would like to have access to more stories. If the local libraries stocked them we would be able to offer accessible storytelling in the community. Libraries we use: Northolt/Acton"

246 Haymill Close, Ealing. 08/05/13, 22/05/13, 05/06/13

There were a total of 20 adult participants across the three sessions. There were two trainees but only one gave feedback. They rated the overall training/mentoring as "5/5 - Very Good" and added, "Don't change anything, perfect."

The Science Museum, Kensington and Chelsea. 03/06/13

Our Storyteller ran multi-sensory storytelling sessions with a total of 12 children from Marlborough School, Bexley and St. Giles School, Croydon. We received feedback from two teachers. They judged that all of the children in their classes had benefitted from the storytelling. Both rated the experience as "5/5 - Very Good”. One added, "Brilliant. Children loved being in the museum, and the storyteller was superb." The other commented, "Thanks for providing my class with a wonderful experience. The pupils were very excited about being somewhere new, and the storytelling was fantastic."

London Zoo, Camden. 18/05/13, 19/05/13

Our Storyteller ran multi-sensory storytelling sessions throughout the weekend with a total of 38 children.

The Science Museum, Kensington and Chelsea. 11/05/13

Our two Storytellers ran multi-sensory storytelling sessions throughout the day with a total of 37children. A parent subsequently emailed us saying, "I just want to say thank you so much for the show today, my son didn't just enjoy it, I did too!! I was so fascinated how you used the senses to tell the story, it was amazing, wonderful and left me wanting to hear more!"

Allenby Primary School, Ealing. 09/05/13

Our Storyteller ran three multi-sensory storytelling sessions with a total of 22 children. We received feedback from two teachers. They judged that all the children in their classes had benefitted from the storytelling. Both rated the experience as "5/5 - Very Good”. One added, "The storyteller was very involved in the session. Very good resources. It was very beneficial for all the children attending the session. The children with a short attention span joined the whole session. It was very impressive. The children were waiting for their turn nicely. Many links with other subjects (PSHE/Maths/English/Science)." Another commented, "Lovely stories! The children were focused and they have listened to the story very carefully. They have waited for their turn with resources. Thank you for new experience."

Manor Special School, Brent. 02/05/13

Our Storyteller ran six multi-sensory storytelling sessions with a total of 31 children. We received feedback from six teachers. They judged that all bar one of the children in their classes had benefitted from the storytelling. Four rated the experience as "5/5 - Very Good” and two as "4/5 - Good". Comments were:

"Fantastic to see resources we have in school used. Will be using them in class."
"The session was great. All the children enjoyed and interacted with all the props. Thank you."
"I think the children would have benefitted from a paper/book copy of the story because they have ASD and take in information better visually. I think they would also have benefitted from a smaller group because they found it difficult to maintain attention. They all thoroughly enjoyed the experience and I will be using them in class. Maybe an option of additional visual info on the page like the first page of Kofi & The Magic Shaker."
"Did some signing with the children as story was told to help understanding. This was first time with story - of course would do more about the story if we did one - however children enjoy multi-sensory approach plus repetition."
"It was very tactile and the storyteller went at the children's pace."

Mencap, Islington. 05/04/13

We trained nine more staff/volunteers from Mencap in multi-sensory storytelling.

182 Crofton Road, Bromley. 06/02/13, 27/02/13, 27/03/13

There were a total of 14 adult participants across the three sessions. There were two trainees. Both rated the overall training/mentoring as "5/5 - Very Good". One added, "Our clients loved them and I was very interested in the storytelling." Another commented, "Feel it is very good for the people we support."

Mencap, Islington. 26/03/13

We trained seven staff/volunteers from Mencap in multi-sensory storytelling.

The Village School, Brent. 20/03/13

Our Storyteller ran six multi-sensory storytelling sessions with a total of 40 children. We received feedback from four teachers. They judged that all the children in their classes had benefitted from the storytelling. They all rated the experience as "5/5 - Very Good”. One added, "I think the sensory stories will benefit 60% of students. It is important to choose age appropriate themes, but it is a great way of helping students with VI, HI to participate. Thank you for telling us and showing us the stories today."

Jack Tizard School, Hammersmith & Fulham. 13/03/13

Our Storyteller ran six multi-sensory storytelling sessions with a total of 42 children. We received feedback from two teachers. They judged that all the children in their classes had benefitted from the storytelling. They both rated the experience as "5/5 - Very Good”. One added, "Good to have storytellers in school with new resources demonstrating to staff how to use them effectively."

173 Crofton Road, Bromley. 06/02/13, 27/02/13, 13/03/13

There were a total of 16 adult participants across the three sessions. There were three trainees and feedback was received from two of them. Both rated the overall training/mentoring as "5/5 - Very Good". One added, "Really brilliant. Had a lot of fun. I can't wait to start it back at [another home]." Another commented, "Storytelling supports me to engage with customers. Helps customers interact with each other."

Sybil Elgar School, Southall. 11/03/13

Our Storyteller ran six multi-sensory storytelling sessions with a total of 30 children. We received feedback from six teachers. They judged that all bar three of the children in their classes had benefitted from the storytelling. They all rated the experience as "5/5 - Very Good”. Comments were:

"All the pupils really enjoyed the session. It was a wonderful experience for all the pupils who were all fully engaged throughout the storytelling session."
"It is what kids need and enjoy. Would be very nice to have such interactive stories for science lessons."
"A big thank you from all our pupils. Great session."
"The pupils greatly enjoyed. The stories were very interactive and enjoyable. Everyone had a lot of fun. Thank you."

Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee School, Westminster. 07/03/13

Our Storyteller ran five multi-sensory storytelling sessions with a total of 26 children. We received combined feedback on behalf of all the teachers. They judged that all the children in their classes had benefitted from the storytelling. They rated the experience as "5/5 - Very Good”. They added, "Thanks for helping to make World Book Day such a success. All the staff were thrilled with how the sessions went."

Kingsley High School, Harrow. 06/03/13

Our Storyteller ran seven multi-sensory storytelling sessions with a total of 35 children. We received feedback from seven teachers. They judged that all the children in their classes had benefitted from the storytelling. They all rated the experience as "5/5 - Very Good”. Comments were:

"Brilliant! All the students were engaged and enjoyed the stories. Storyteller was very dynamic and engaging!"
"Excellent resource and experience for the students. Let's do more."
"It is fantastic - the students LOVED IT! Thank you so much."
"All students were really engaged and enjoyed it. One student had been a little out of sorts but this session cheered him right up again. Another student was brilliant, responding to mood and needs of the class. We would love sessions like this more often!"
"All the PMLD students enjoyed the storytelling session thoroughly. Children participated to their fullest reaching out for sensory objects during the storytelling session."
"Our class thoroughly enjoyed your previous session and today's also. We have students that can be a little tactile defensive but they were all curious and engaged fully. Thank you very much. All staff enjoyed the session also."
"The children loved the session and the feel of the Bag Books. They were interested throughout. [Child's name] loved it."

Belvue School, Northholt. 28/02/13

Our Storyteller ran five multi-sensory storytelling sessions with a total of 39 children. We received feedback from five teachers. They judged that all the children bar one had benefitted from the storytelling. Four rated the experience as "5/5 - Very Good” and one as "4/5 - Good". Comments were:

"[The Storyteller] had an excellent rapport with the young people. The pupils were engaged and interested and had lively responses. All benefitted from the repetition of the storyline and loved the interactive resources."
"Great performance by the Storyteller. Lots of physical contact which is great for most of the students but some who are adverse to such contact could feel uncomfortable."
"Excellent, multi-sensory, fun, interactive session. One student said "I like! Funny!" One ASD student remained engaged for all 3 stories. One non-verbal student enjoyed the activities involved. So many ideas can be used within our school environment. Thank you."
"Very interactive and multi-sensory. The students really enjoyed this; some were much more focused and calm than they would ordinarily be. A follow up training session for school staff would be hugely beneficial."

Shenstone School, Bexley. 26/02/13

Our Storyteller ran sessions with a total of 36 children and trained one person in multi-sensory storytelling.

Linden Lodge School, Wandsworth. 14/02/13

Our Storyteller ran three multi-sensory storytelling sessions with a total of 20 children.

Eastway Care, Waltham Forest. 16/01/13, 30/01/13, 13/02/13

A total of 17 adult participants across the three sessions. There were four trainees. Three rated the overall training/mentoring as "5/5 - Very Good" and one as "4/5 - Good". One added, "[It was useful] experiencing a service user who was a little disruptive today and how it affected the group and how the situation was turned around." Another commented, "Enjoyable and gained client interest."

The Mayflower, Newham. 16/01/13, 30/01/13, 13/02/13

A total of 23 adult participants across the three sessions. There were three trainees who all rated the overall training/mentoring as "5/5 - Very Good". One added, "This has been a great experience for me. I had never heard of sensory storytelling but after this experience I feel confident of telling stories. The trainer was amazing, full of sense of humour and makes you feel comfortable. Thank you for motivating people with learning disability." Another commented, "It was a great experience which I have enjoyed and hope to use more in the future.

Kisharon School, Barnet. 11/02/13

Our Storyteller ran six multi-sensory storytelling sessions with a total of 34 children. We received feedback from four teachers who judged that all the children had benefitted from the storytelling. All four rated the experience as 5/5 “Very Good”. Comments were:

Absolutely excellent - loved the style of storytellng! All children thoroughly enjoyed and were engaged! Please can we have more of this?!!!
Fun, interactive, a good use of hand-eye-co-ordination. Let them use their imagination. It was really good for the boy who was visually impaired.
All of the students in [the] class joined in. They concentrated throughout the session.

Michael Tippett School, Lambeth. 08/02/13

Our Storytellers ran three multi-sensory storytelling sessions with a total of 15 children. No feedback was received.

Oakleigh School, Barnet. 07/02/13

Our Storyteller ran six multi-sensory storytelling sessions with a total of 37 children. We received combined feedback on behalf of all the teachers. They judged that all the children in their classes had benefitted from the storytelling. They rated the experience as "5/5 - Very Good”. They added, "Thank you for a fantastic day."

Mapledown School, Barnet. 05/02/13

A "Build-a-Book" day where one of our Storytellers and one of our Craft Artists assist a group of people with learning disabilities to make a multi-sensory book. The day involved ten children with learning disabilities and the teacher commented, "A great feeling of achievement. They enjoyed making the different parts of the story. Gave students owenership of the story. [What could have been better was that ] we are a large class and students can't wait for long so [we needed] more prop making."

Mapledown School, Barnet. 04/02/13

Our Storyteller ran seven multi-sensory storytelling sessions with a total of 37 children. We received combined feedback on behalf of all the teachers. They judged that all the children in their classes had benefitted from the storytelling. They rated the experience as "5/5 - Very Good”. They added, "All the teachers full of praise for the sessions. Thank you!"

Regents Park Children's Centre, Camden. 01/02/13

Our Storyteller ran three multi-sensory storytelling sessions with a total of 26 children. We received combined feedback on behalf of all the teachers. They judged that all the children in their classes had benefitted from the storytelling. They rated the experience as "5/5 - Very Good”. They added, "Thanks for coming back. All the staff and children really enjoyed the sessions."

Woodlands School, Edgware. 31/01/13

Our Storyteller ran six multi-sensory storytelling sessions with a total of 42 children. We received combined feedback on behalf of all the teachers. They judged that all the children in their classes had benefitted from the storytelling. They rated the experience as "5/5 - Very Good”. They added, "Perfect for our pupils. We're big fans of Bag Books!"

Mandeville School, Greenford. 24/01/13

Our Storyteller ran five multi-sensory storytelling sessions with a total of 32 children. We received feedback from five teachers. They judged that all the children had benefitted from the storytelling and all rated the experience as "5/5 - Very Good”. One added, "Fantastic. Thank you!" Another commented, "Excellent sensory session. Several pupils showing responses I wouldn't have anticipated."

Swiss Cottage School , Camden. 22/01/13

Our Storyteller ran six multi-sensory storytelling sessions with a total of 55 children. We received feedback from six teachers. They judged that all the children had benefitted from the storytelling. Five teachers rated the experience as "5/5 - Very Good” and one as "4/5 - Good". Comments were:

"Excellent session. All really enjoyed it."
"My pupils were possibly a bit beyond this, but the storyteller was fantastic."
"Nice to see how pupils settled as session went on. Excellent storyteller."

Castlebar School, Ealing. 14/01/13

Our Storyteller ran six multi-sensory storytelling sessions with a total of 43 children. We received feedback from six teachers. They judged that all the children had benefitted from the storytelling and all rated the experience as "5/5 - Very Good”. One added, "Did well to keep this group's attention. Wonderful stories." Another commented, "Great session."

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