Storytelling In Your Area - London: 2015

In 2015 we organised the following multi-sensory storytelling sessions:

Eastway Care, Newham. 27/11/15, 11/12/15, 18/12/15

There were a total of 27 adult participants across the three sessions. There were three trainees who all rated the overall training/mentoring as "5/5 - Very Good". Comments were:

• "Very enjoyable. Great teacher."
• "I enjoyed telling the story of CJ the cat. Believe it or not, I have the worst stage fright. But it was so easy and simple, you'd never know."
• "Personally I feel Bag Books is a fantastic project that needs to continue for a long time and [the Storyteller] is a credit to the project. She brings the stories to life in a magical way."

Kestrel House School, Haringey. 20/11/15

Our Storyteller ran four multi-sensory storytelling sessions involving a total of 19 children (the entire school) with severe autism spectrum disorder. We received feedback from four teachers who judged that all 19 children had benefitted from the multi-sensory storytelling. All four rated the overall experience as “5/5 – Very Good”. Comments were:

• "Thank you so much! All the students enjoyed the session. Please come again!!."
• "[The Storyteller] was fantastic - her approach was very suitable for ASD. The resources were amazing - multi-sensory and engaging. The children were fully engaged and all sat nicely and waited for their turn. Sitting can be tricky for some of our students but the resources had them very focused. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Thank you!"
• "Very good."

Whitefield Schools and Centre, Waltham Forest. 18/11/15

Our Storyteller ran six multi-sensory storytelling sessions involving a total of 47 children with profound & multiple learning disabilities and/or severe autism spectrum disorder. We received feedback from six teachers who judged that all the children in their classes had benefitted from the multi-sensory storytelling. Five rated the overall experience as “5/5 – Very Good” and one as “4/5 – Good”. Comments were:

• "[The Storyteller] was a great storyteller who demonstrated a sincere interest in working with pupils with SEN. Her caring, patient nature was evident throughout."
• "Pupils were all really engaged. There was at least one board which captivated each child. For one child in particular, he was really motivated and showed a higher level of active participation than usual."
• "Wonderful. Always great to have new resources and ideas brought to our school. Thank you so much!"
• "The repeated phrases for each child as they explored the boards worked really well. Speed of speech was perfect. Might have worked better for our particular group to have only had four children as could have had longer for each board. Some boards were a little obscure for young autistic children - cat's paw - but others were great and good cause and effect e.g. pulling the skull and cross bones flag. Loved how the senses were involved. [The Storyteller] was fantastic with the pupils. She engaged with them all at an appropriate level and showed care and concern for each of them."

Whitehorse & Beulah Community Hub in Wandle Park, Croydon. 06/11/15, 13/11/15

There were a total of 11 adult participants across the two sessions.

St. Mark's Road Day Centre, Kensington & Chelsea. 26/10/15, 02/11/15, 09/11/15

There were a total of 9 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 enjoyable experience." The other commented, "Very friendly and competent trainer. Last session was very enjoyable as I felt more confident. I am inspired to make my own stories. Thank you."

NAS Acton Day Service, Ealing. 17/09/15, 24/09/15, 09/10/15

There were a total of 15 adult participants across the three sessions. There were two trainees who both rated the overall training/mentoring as "5/5 - Very Good". One added, "The training was fantastic, very helpful and useful for future sessions and projects."

HF Mencap, Hammersmith & Fulham. 24/07/15, 07/08/15, 09/10/15

There were a total of 25 adult participants across the three sessions.

Newbridge School, Redbridge. 08/10/15

Our Storyteller ran five multi-sensory storytelling sessions involving a total of 29 children with profound & multiple learning disabilities and/or severe autism spectrum disorder. We received feedback from seven teachers who judged that all the children in their classes had benefitted from the multi-sensory storytelling. Six rated the overall experience as “5/5 – Very Good” and one as “4/5 – Good”. Comments were:

• "The students really enjoyed the stories. All stories were very good but I think they liked the zoo one the best."
• "Excellent, engaging resources. Well delivered."
• "The students really enjoyed the sensory integration part of the stories."
• "All the learners enjoyed listening to the stories. They participated well and turn taking and concentration was very high. Thank you."
• "The students were very individual and loved the props. Keep the good work. Thanks."

Bensham Manor School, Croydon. 07/10/15

Our Storyteller ran five multi-sensory storytelling sessions involving a total of 38 children with severe autism spectrum disorders. We received feedback from five teachers who judged that all bar two of the 38 children had benefited from the multi-sensory storytelling. All five rated the overall experience as "5/5 - Very Good". Comments were:

"The session was fantastic! It engaged all of the listeners and the stories were just the right length to keep their attention. Would definitely recommend!"

"Great mix of calm and excitement - appealing to whole group. Gentle delivery - just right. Thank you."

"A couple of the class that usually struggle to concentrate in a normal lesson remained interested through all three stories."

"For this group, because of their ability, I filled out the form with them. I asked each of them what they liked/didn’t like and recorded them. 1) I loved the spider. 2) I liked the spray and pink squishy ball. 3) I liked the spider and spray. 4) I liked being in the dark. 5) I liked smelling the ice cream. 6) I liked hooking the duck. Staff feedback: It was really good and different from reading for a change."

Cherry Orchard Day Service in Wandle Park, Croydon. 21/09/15, 28/09/15

There were a total of eight adult participants across the two sessions.

Woodside School, Bexley. 28/09/15

A Build-A-Book day with seven children. The teacher commented,“The day began at 9.30, setting up the class for a 10.00 start. [The Bag Books staff] were very punctual. The topic was introduced and activities started promptly. There were seven students in the class with assessment levels ranging from P7 to 2C.  Along with the two adults delivering the day there were 3 other adults – teacher, class TA and 1:1 TA.

"The students were engaged from the beginning and sat patiently while the activities were explained. Both [Bag Books staff] had an excellent rapport with the children. Everyone in the class took part in all activities - painting, hammering, sticking, measuring, threading etc, using a variety of tools – hammer, drill, hot glue gun, saw, pipe-cutter, pliers – all managed expertly for health and safety. Particularly pleasing was how much B joined in (who requires 1:1 at all times), sitting for up to an hour at a time, listening and taking part. The activities also allowed the flexibility to give breaks when needed.

"Many areas of the curriculum were touched upon:

• English – story telling, descriptive language.
• Maths – counting and calculating.
• DT – many activities, as well as using tools safely.
• Science  - installing batteries, discussing sound, light, texture.
• Sensory – lots of texture, smell (scented flowers), things to see and hear.
• PSHE – listening and following instructions, waiting patiently, working together, lots of talk and discussion. Lots of good language used across the curriculum.

"More information beforehand about the activities involved would have been good to allow us to do a detailed risk assessment for our records and to follow our policy. However, the day was carried out, as previously stated, with health and safety a priority.

"The day was a huge success, a unique experience for the students in my class and has left the school with a lovely resource which has already been used in a junior assembly. It has also given me a lot of ideas about how story telling can be approached."

Livity School, Lambeth. 23/09/15

Our Storyteller ran multi-sensory storytelling sessions involving a total of 38 children with severe learning disabilities.

Waverley School, Enfield. 23/09/15

Our Storyteller ran seven multi-sensory storytelling sessions involving a total of 32 children with severe learning disabilities.

Richard House Children's Hospice, Greenwich. 27/08/15

Our Stroyteller ran four sessions involving a total of 20 children. The hospice staff judged that all 20 children had benefited from the multi-sensory storytelling. One added, “Enjoyed storytelling - applicable for all age range - children enjoyed the different stories.”

Bexley SNAP, Bexley. 04/08/15

Our Stroyteller ran sessions involving a total of 30 children. The staff judged that all 30 children had benefited from the multi-sensory storytelling. One added, “Young people enjoyed and participated in both stories. Three young people surprised us with how well they participated in the groups, especially the sea urchin. One young person sat and listened really well compared to when she has a Bag Books story in school.”

Demelza Children's Hospice, Greenwich. 04/08/15

Our Stroyteller ran sessions involving a total of three children. The hospice staff judged that all three children had benefited from the multi-sensory storytelling. One added, “The storyteller was brilliant. All children enjoyed the stories. One child even called for more!”

Tuke School, Southwark. 21/07/15

A Build-A-Book day with six children. A teacher commented,“They loved using all the different tools and that the tasks were varied. They seemed to understand when listening to the story at end that they had made it and had a sense of achievement.”

Clarendon School, Richmond Upon Thames. 07/07/15

Our Storyteller ran two multi-sensory storytelling sessions involving a total of 15 children with severe autism spectrum disorders. We received feedback from two teachers who judged that all 15 children had benefited from the multi-sensory storytelling. Both rated the overall experience as "5/5 - Very Good". One added, "The Seaside story and The Fariground were so engaging with the first group of children, especially with the austistic spectrum children. The story packs would be great to use in our sensory room." The other commented, "The children that were chosen for the second session of stories were the junior class. They responded with such a fantastic engagement. [The Storyteller] was fab. The laughter and smiles on the children's faces were wonderful. Many thanks for a great morning."

Oak Lodge School, Barnet. 30/06/15

Our Storyteller ran five multi-sensory storytelling sessions involving a total of 39 children with severe autism spectrum disorders. We received feedback from four teachers who judged that all 39 children had benefited from the multi-sensory storytelling. All four rated the overall experience as "5/5 - Very Good". Comments were:

• "It was a lovely session. All students were engaged and all adults were surprised at the level of engagement from our students. The stories were pitched perfectly for the needs of our students and were very multi-sensory for them. [The Storyteller] was fantastic. We would love to have her again and she made it perfect for our students. Thank you."
• "Students loved this and would really benefit from more of this on a regular basis."
• "Amazing session - interaction with individual students as well as group activity was great. Sensory equipment using sound, touch, and different textures. Storyteller was amazing, enthusiastic, and understanding of needs. Vocabulary used was excellent for level of functioning students. All students engaged in activity with eye contact and correct responses. Incorporate with (attention autism) sessions. Thank you very much from P4."
• "Useful CPD and resource combined. The students were all very engaged by the storyteller. The sensory resources were very well made. Fantastic inclusion of pre-verbal students. Great. Super confident storytelling for our students. Best I've seen."

Carlton Road Day Centre, Ealing. 29/06/15

There were a total of 5 adult participants.

Coney Hall Day Centre, Croydon. 30/04/15, 11/05/15, 12/06/15

There were a total of 12 adult participants across the three sessions. There were two trainees. One rated the overall training/mentoring as "5/5 - Very Good" and the other as "4/5 - Good". One added, "Very good training, which has been cascaded to the rest of the day service team. Thanks very much." The other commented, "Had a great time. Taught other staff and they are practicing with the people we support."

St. Paul's Church (Mencap), Hammersmith & Fulham. 30/04/15, 11/05/15, 08/06/15

There were a total of 13 adult participants across the three sessions. There were three trainees who all rated the overall training/mentoring as "5/5 - Very Good". Comments were:

• "Excellent tutor! Really enjoyed training. Pleased with the involvement and the interaction from our members."
• "Very useful and enjoyable."
• "Trainer is really helpful and supportive throughout training. Beneficial for adults with learning disabilities as well as children."

Marlborough School, Bexley. 01/06/15

A Build-A-Book day with six children. A teacher commented,“The pupils got the opportunity to try many different skills, many for the first time (fine motor skills especially). They were able to create a story they then listened to, giving them ownership over the story. They were very engaged and enjoyed the experience.”

The Village School, Brent. 13/05/15

A Build-A-Book day with six children. A teacher commented,“Pupils engaged in building the Bag Books. They interacted with the various process involved in constructing the unit, hammering sensory for the banging actions and sounds were stimulating and enjoyed immenseley. There was grins, laughter and smiles. Each process brought a positive reaction from each child. Exploring the bunting process, looking and listening at the materials and actions throughout the delivery of the whole process.”

Marlborough School, Bexley. 01/06/15

Our Storyteller ran multi-sensory storytelling sessions involving a total of 36 children with severe or profound and multiple learning disabilities.

The Bridge School - Secondary Site, Islington. 08/05/15

Our Storyteller ran five multi-sensory storytelling sessions involving a total of 25 children with severe or profound and multiple learning disabilities. We received feedback from four teachers who judged that all bar one of the children in their classes had benefited from the multi-sensory storytelling. Three rated the overall experience as "5/5 - Very Good" and one as "4/5 - Good". Comments were:

• "That was brilliant. Wish we'd had a morning slot then all our students could have come."
• "A student left at end and said "That was good".
• "Stories and procedure very good - all students enjoyed. It would have been great if students were given more time to interact independently and had time to join in with saying the words as well as some Makaton. Great session though - thank you!"
• "Would be good if the storyteller asked at the beginning "Is there anything I need to know about the students." Very good session! The students really enjoyed it."

Family Link Services, Ealing. 24/03/15

Our Storyteller trained 10 respite care workers.

Greenwich Day Opportunities, Greenwich. 24/03/15

A Build-A-Book day with seven adults. A member of staff commented,“[We liked the] involvement in seeing how a book comes together to an end result.”

Sutton Inclusion Centre, Sutton. 23/03/15

A Build-A-Book day with five adults. A member of staff commented,“[The Storyteller] brought her enthusiasm and knowledge of Bag Books to our centre once again. All our service users had a very touchy feely morning making their individual story. It was a very enjoyable, creative session. Both staff and service users had a wonderful time. Thank you.”

RNIB Sunshine House School, Hillingdon. 16/03/15

Our Storyteller ran six multi-sensory storytelling sessions involving a total of 27 children. We received combined feedback on behalf of all the teachers who judged that all 27 children benefited from the multi-sensory storytelling. They rated the experience as "5/5 - Very Good" and added, "Excellent sessions for our pupils, who could get a lot from the stories due to the multi-sensory elements."

Landmark 47 Tulse Hill, Lambeth. 10/03/15

A Build-A-Book day with seven adults. A member of staff commented,“Fun interaction with others. A real eye opener into what service users could do for themselves. TS used the equipment as good as anyone which I will feed back to other staff.”

Woolwich Dockyard Day Service, Greenwich. 09/03/15

A Build-A-Book day with seven adults. A member of staff commented,“The service users got to use a variety of tools that they would not normally use. They all appeared to enjoy the session. [The Bag Books' staff] interacted with all the service users explaining what and why they were doing. Really fab and enjoyable session.”

The Manor School, Brent. 05/03/15

Our Storyteller ran five multi-sensory storytelling sessions involving a total of 31 children.

Kestrel House School, Haringey. 05/03/15

Our Storyteller ran five multi-sensory storytelling sessions involving a total of 23 children. We received feedback from five teachers who judged that all the children in their classes had benefited from the multi-sensory storytelling. Three rated the experience as "5/5 - Very Good" and two as "4/5 - Good". Comments were:

• "Amazing! Thank you."
• "Very good storyteller with a lot of sensory objects. Children enjoyed and interacted with the storyteller."
• "Very good props and interactions with children; you allowed them to engage longer with preferred items. Stories are perfect length and they understood easier using the props."

Grangewood School, Hillingdon. 04/03/15

Our Storyteller ran six multi-sensory storytelling sessions involving a total of 51 children with severe learning disabilities and/or autism spectrum disorders.

KEF Sunday at Nishmas Yisroel Shul Hall, Barnet. 01/03/15

Our Storyteller ran two multi-sensory storytelling sessions involving a total of 21 children with severe learning disabilities.

Phoenix Arch School, Brent. 25/02/15

Our Storyteller ran two multi-sensory storytelling sessions involving a total of 13 children with severe learning disabilities and/or autism spectrum disorders. We received combined feedback on behalf of all the teachers who judged that all 13 children had benefited from the multi-sensory storytelling. They rated the overall experience as "5/5 - Very Good" and added, "Some of our students may have been a bit able for the stories, but they still thoroughly enjoyed them. The other students definitely  benefitted hugely from the session."

Swiss Cottage School, Camden. 18/02/15

Our Storyteller ran four multi-sensory storytelling sessions involving a total of 18 children with severe learning disabilities and/or autism spectrum disorders.

15 Ambleside Avenue, Lambeth. 26/01/15, 02/02/15, 09/02/15

There were a total of 12 adult participants across the three sessions. There were three trainees who all rated the overall training/mentoring as "5/5 - Very Good". One added, "When I told Bag Book story to the people I support for the first time, they were actually asking for more story. I was so pleased." The other commented, "I believe this training will highly benefit the residents I support. The trainer was very good and training was provided in a pleasant and fun manner. Thank you. It was great to see how the service users grew into the story and as it went along the weeks they have participated and interacted much more."

JMC Day Centre, Mitcham. 26/01/15, 02/02/15, 09/02/15

There were a total of 13 adult participants across the three sessions. There were two trainees who both rated the overall training/mentoring as "5/5 - Very Good". One added, "Love the content of both stories, Haircut and Kofi. The humour was something most of my clients/service users appreciated which brought them together. An easy emotion to share." The other commented, "I have organised storytelling sessions for Wednesday mornings within the intensive support service"

1a Children’s Centre, Camden. 04/02/15

Our Storyteller ran five storytelling sessions with a total of 30 children. We received combined feedback on behalf of all the staff. They judged that all 30 children had benefitted from the storytelling and rated the experience as "5/5 - Very Good". They added, "Wonderful storytelling as always! All the children got a lot out of the stories."

South Friern Library, Barnet. 30/01/15

Our Storyteller ran multi-sensory storytelling sessions with a total of 11 children. 14 library staff observed the storytelling and then had a training session.

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