News: Nottingham College hosts Story Valley programme launch event

Story Valley Launch at Nottingham College

Nottingham College is the first in the country to pilot the National Literacy Trust’s (NLT) Story Valley programme, a unique storytelling programme which aims to build students’ literacy skills in an engaging, creative way.

On 25^th May, the College hosted a special launch event at its City Hub campus, welcoming guests from the NLT as well as partnering colleges and art organisations from Edinburgh and the Netherlands.

The event included an exhibition of student work, presentations about the project and a live Q&A for attendees.

As part of the programme, students were asked to find a story from their local area or own experiences. They then had to tell that story in a creative way and adapt it based on their curriculum course.

Kirsty Haughton, College Advanced Practitioner for English, said: “Literacy and getting our learners to engage with storytelling is a real passion for me, so I’ve created a really firm partnership with the National Literacy Trust.

“They introduced us to the Story Valley project, and myself and Hannah Richardson, from our Tutorial Team, have worked really hard to try and bring this project to life at the College, so that our students can tell stories in a range of different ways. We are very excited about the future of this programme and we’re looking forward to partnering with different colleges from all around the world.”

Kyle Turakhia, from the National Literary Trust, said: “Nottingham College didn’t have very long to put this together, only joining our pilot recently and yet they’ve used the resources well and have developed some really interesting projects. Students shared some quite personal stories, which is always quite difficult to do, and it’s lovely to see they’ve had that vulnerability. In a short space of time, I am very impressed with the work they’ve produced and we’re looking forward to collaborating again in the future.”

Hannah Richardson added: “The launch event was a great success, showcasing the creativity and talent of students from the College and beyond. It was a fantastic opportunity for students to develop their literacy skills while working on creative projects, and it’s clear that the programme has the potential to have a real impact on the lives of students from all backgrounds.”