The students from St Clement’s High School spent the morning at Terrington Lodge as part of National Storytelling Week, which took place this year from 1 to 9 February.

“Students from year groups 7, 8 and 9 read a variety of books, poems and literature,” said Jenny Ford, who is Librarian at the school.

“Some of the residents liked animal-focused picture books with images depicting everyday life that they could relate to. These books hopefully engaged the listener and helped initiate conversation and memory recall, and were a nice opportunity for the residents to reminisce and share their interests.”

National Storytelling Week was launched by the Society for Storytelling in 2000, and is promoted across the UK by organisations such as the National Literacy Trust. It was the first time that St Clement’s had participated in the event, which was organised at the school by Head of English Sarah Murkin.

“We wanted to promote National Storytelling Week to encourage students to have the confidence to read aloud to a different audience, other than family or their fellow students,” explained Mrs Ford.

“It was a unique opportunity for students to engage with an audience with complex needs, with support and supervision from teaching staff and the professionals working at Terrington Lodge.

“It also gave the students an insight into how to engage with family members who may be older or suffer from dementia. It was immensely rewarding, and a good opportunity to promote reading and storytelling, social skills and confidence.

“The students learnt the skills of speaking and reading out loud. They learnt the acronym RSVP – Rhythm, Speed, Volume, and Pitch – which is a useful tool to learn and practise in many different environments and scenarios.”

“Visits like this help build a great relationship in the community,” she continued. “The students had a unique opportunity to integrate with a group in the community that they might not have known much about. They learnt the skills required to engage with people who have specific learning needs, which may help with careers in the future.

“The students could develop their personal skills, such as listening, patience and empathy. The community benefited from engagement with a younger audience.

“There was already a positive relationship with the school and Terrington Lodge, and we are always looking for opportunities to maintain this.”

Other National Storytelling Week activities taking place at St Clement’s included a National Literacy Trust workshop with Steve Camden, the author of Nobody Real, Tape, and Everything All at Once.

‘National Storytelling Week is a great opportunity for communities to unite, which reflects diverse culture and experiences,” added Mrs Ford.

“It encourages the sharing of stories across generations. It helps listening skills, patience, to consider language barriers and how to overcome them, and can also help foster a sense of humour and empathy too.”