The Story Makers Company

Story Makers Company was established in 2017 by academics, teachers and artists concerned with the lack of creative opportunities for young people inside and outside school, particularly those from socially underrepresented and economically disadvantaged communities

Our academic and practice-based research focuses on creative learning in education, researching with and alongside children through the use of drama and creative writing. In collaboration with children, teachers, artist educators, education leaders, cultural and community groups we seek to create meaningful learning which relates to children’s lived experiences. We aim to challenge policy which advocates narrowing curricula and the marginalization of the arts, in addressing issues which support the holistic learning and wellbeing of children.

Changing landscapes of arts practice in schools:

• Teacher Development Fund - Empowering Voice: Working across 8 schools alongside teachers and artists in the BD5 area in Bradford, the 2-year project looks at building children’s oracy and communication skills through drama. This involves supporting teacher’s and artists to integrate creative learning across the curriculum through an online ‘story exchange.’
• Arted: Running across 3 years, this is a trans-European ERASMUS+ funded project which seeks to transfer the knowledge of artists to teachers and parents in order to boost children's wellbeing and creativity
• Creative Therapy to Impact on Urban Health: There is a lack of capacity and expertise in Lambeth, Brixton Learning Collaborative and Oval Learning to support children experiencing poor mental health in schools. Over the next year, in partnership with schools, communities and specialists across this demographic, Lisa Stephenson and Nicole Gridley will evaluate the impact of creative therapies across 20 schools in this area.

Future Literacies (Re-imagining Home, Museum of Legends and Common Ground Project): Rethinking the curriculum through online storying work with schools and communities. 

• Re-imagining Home: This project was designed to provide a creative space for Story Rebels to make stories and fictional histories together using music, words, images, objects and materials through the pandemic.
• Museum of Legends: Story Makers Company partnered with CRED at Leeds Beckett University and Project Ujima to co-create a virtual Museum of Legends with young people from Chapeltown in Leeds.
• Common Ground Project : This award from Common Ground Common Ground – re-connecting young people with their heritage extends the Story Makers Reimagining Home and Museum of Legends projects, creating a new immersive online storying space for Ipswich Museum alongside the young people in care at Volunteering Matters.

Story Makers Press: The Story Makers Press uses drama and storytelling with children in order to get them to explore different narratives with us, which we then aim to transform into engaging fiction books.

Gathering transformative practices: Story Makers Dialogues is our shared practice working paper, Story Makers Hub is our shared space to create and articulate new artist-teacher practices, Story Makers Festival is our shared event to share practice and research