Start with Story is the practical guide from Settle Stories that shows you how to make learning stick across every subject — no performance required, no extra prep.
pupils reached across the UK
National Curriculum aligned
funded & accredited charity
featured & recommended
You’ve tried the prompts. You’ve tried the word banks. And yet, there are still children staring at a blank page with nothing to say and no idea where to start.
Oral storytelling builds vocabulary, sentence structures and narrative confidence – carrying directly into writing at every stage from EYFS through KS2.
Practical examples across Science, Maths, History, RE and Geography show exactly how the framework translates into your day.
Storytelling unlocks EAL learners, reluctant readers and pupils who come alive when they’re talking rather than writing.
Through the safety of a story, pupils explore complex emotions, develop empathy and build emotional literacy that lasts beyond the classroom.
Working this way makes me wish I could go back into the classroom just to do it all over again.
Jean Gross CBE - Foreword, Start with Story
Performance storyteller and founder of Settle Stories. Creator of the Stories for Schools digital library – blending traditional myths and new technology to nourish every child’s engagement and emotional wellbeing.
Former primary teacher and school governor. Emma manages the Stories for Schools digital library and wellbeing programme – using storytelling and mindfulness to build pupil resilience.
Yes, because it's built around what you already do. This isn't a new approach to bolt on. It's a lens that makes your existing planning richer. Teachers across EYFS, KS1 and KS2 are using it every day in schools just like yours.
The five-minute planner is genuinely five minutes. You're not redesigning your lessons, you're adding a 30-second opening that changes the whole room. Most teachers say they spend less time explaining once they start, because the story does the context-building for them.
You don't need to. The most powerful moments in a story-led lesson aren't theatrical - they're a lowered voice, a three-second pause, a single well-chosen word. If you can tell a child why something matters, you can do this
Not at all. The Teach Primary article showed how this works across Science, Maths, History, RE and Geography. If there's a concept to teach, there's a story that can carry it.
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