‘Scribing children’s stories, has enabled teachers to learn more about their classes, what excites them and what they have learned from each other. They have found out that their children are listening.”
Natalee Doran, Westhaven School
The Need:
At Westhaven School, supporting children with Special Educational Needs to work together, grow in confidence, and develop their communication skills is paramount. The staff already understood the power of Helicopter Stories in mainstream settings, but they wanted to explore how it could work in their classrooms, particularly with non-verbal learners.
What They Did:
Teachers engaged with Helicopter Stories through the On Demand online course and attended three twilight sessions as part of our North Somerset training programme. As their confidence with the approach grew, they began to adapt it for their learners’ individual needs.
For Alex, a pre-verbal child, his class teacher introduced communication mats to support storytelling. She adapted these mats to reflect characters, actions, and locations based on Alex’s interests. This gave him the tools to lay out stories and have them scribed, creating a bridge between his thoughts and the group.
The Results:
Despite being non-verbal, Alex now regularly tells stories using the communication mats. He demonstrates a strong grasp of story structure and beams with pride as his words are read back to him.
The impact has extended across the class. Children who once struggled to integrate now listen attentively and give each other good eye contact during Helicopter Stories sessions. Acting out stories together has helped reduce issues with proximity and increased their confidence in group settings. For many, having their words scribed has also removed barriers to writing, helping them see their ideas come alive.
As one teacher shared, “Scribing has opened a window into their thoughts and imaginations. It’s helping us see just how much they understand, and how much they want to share.”
