Story Starter Programme
This programme is an opportunity for families to spark the joy of reading before children start school. We want to equip children with resources at our partner schools.
What this programme involves
Welcome families and schools!
Our early years provision includes packs with resources for children aged four to five years-old. Packs have been curated with the government’s non-statutory guidance for the Early Years Foundation Stage in mind.
In your pack, families will find lots of resources to ignite a love of reading in your child. We’d love for you to use the book, magazine, stationery and storytelling resources as some fun activities before your child starts school later this year.
Apply here
Check the criteria below to see if your school is eligible and then click the button to apply.
Eligibility criteria:
- Higher than the national average Pupil Premium percentage
- Higher than national average Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index
- Lower than national average Key Stage 2 reading results
Apply for the Story Starter Programme
If your school is eligible, complete the expression of interest form
In your Story Starter Programme pack you’ll find:
- Godfrey is a Frog by Alex Latimer – Godfrey used to be an egg, then he was a tadpole. Now, Godfrey is a frog. He changed quickly and it was all very exciting. He’s waiting for the next change… but it seems there isn’t one. Is this it? Godfrey thinks. It’s not very exciting. Bear has wonderful claws, Deer has impressive antlers, Heron has majestic wings. Godfrey buries himself in the mud and hides away from the world. He doesn’t want to be just a frog. Can Brinley the minnow, Radcliffe the snail, and Penelope the shrimp convince Godfrey that a frog is a pretty special thing to be?
- The Story Corner Magazine – A special Early Years edition filled with stories and activities!
- Filled pencil case - Stationery set including a pen, pencil, ruler and an eraser
- 12 pencil crayons - Try them out with the colouring-in activity in The Story Corner magazine
- Pencil grip - To help little ones start their journey towards writing
- Storytelling cards – Let their imaginations run wild as you create different stories together using the prompts on these cards
- Finger puppet – These lovely finger puppets are perfect for storytelling!
The packs were greatly received by the children. They were are all pleased to receive something and loved looking inside the bag to see lots of different activities/stories; opening the pencil case, using the crayons. The finger puppets were also a big hit and the children loved trying them on. The adults were all amazed by the quality of the bags and the contents within. It made starting school that little bit more special.
My child already had a keen interest in reading and book, and the story pack has just added to it.
We’ve also put together some videos with top tips on how you can use the exciting items in your Story Starter pack.
Reading wordless stories
Discover how you could explore a story without any words with your child, using one of the stories inside The Story Corner magazine.
Storytelling
Learn how to engage children in storytelling using questions and statements.
Fun activities
Explore some activities in The Story Corner magazine and how you could support your child with completing them.
Storytelling Cards
Learn some games to play with the storytelling cards in your packs!
Finger Puppets
Look at how to use the finger puppets in your packs to create excitement and joy around reading.
Find out more about our programmes
We partner with schools to develop a whole school reading culture and provide one-to-one reading support.
