“When I started at school, I was nervous, too shy. Not in my comfort zone. Now everyday I’m happy to be in school, ready to learn.” – Pupil A
Study finds significant improvement for pupils’ emotional wellbeing when using charity Books Beyond Words’ picture-based story books
A new study by UK charity Beyond Words and non-profit organisation ImpactEd has revealed that using the charity’s word-free picture stories can improve children’s emotional wellbeing, build stronger peer relationships, and help children identity and express their emotions.
The study found, after using Books Beyond Words resources in a school setting:
94% of pupils became more able to identify and express a range of emotions
92% of pupils in the study improved their overall emotional wellbeing
94% of pupils were found to have achieved their best hoped for outcome:
The evaluation further found that Books Beyond Words resources are filling a gap in provision that is not met by other resources. It found they are easily adaptable to different school contexts, pedagogical practices and needs, and are highly valued by schools.
Beyond Words has been creating word-free stories for 35 years. Stories without words encourage the reader to interpret characters’ feelings, expressions and situations, encouraging open conversations around difficult topics like grief, mental health and trauma. They can be used for a wide range of purposes, from facilitating discussion about specific activities like visiting the doctor or making friends, to assisting children and adults with complex disabilities to understand and engage with everyday activities.
While Beyond Words resources are highly adaptable by design, for this study they were primarily used in three contexts:
Within a group setting to enable children and young people a safe place and a resource to discuss their life experiences with peers
Supporting schools to deliver a high-quality Social, Emotional and Mental Health curriculum (SEMH) for their pupils
In a 1-1 context with a trained therapist
By developing a theory of change and evaluative framework, the resources were assessed by 14 schools over a school term. This framework is available for free to schools that purchase Books Beyond Words’ resources, enabling them to monitor their own outcomes.
Participating schools commented:
“Books Beyond Words have enabled us to give high attention support to pupils not receiving emotional health and wellbeing support via other interventions or therapies – those who might not have met criteria or been high priority within cohorts.”
“For some individuals already working 1:1 with adults, the books seemed to help them talk more openly than other resources had.”
Katie Smith, CEO of Beyond Words, said:
“We have always been confident that our picture stories enhance lives. To have it spelled out in the clear, unambiguous findings of this report is fantastic. Not only do our stories work to get pupils to engage with their emotions, the evidence is clear that they do so across a tremendous range of different schools and in different settings, from one-to-one support in an SEN school to enabling peer group support in mainstream schools. This report makes it clear that our resources can be a tremendous tool to help the children’s mental health crisis.”
The full report is available via the charity’s website. Its key findings in full are available below. Book sets designed for schools will soon be available via TTS and include free access to the evaluative framework designed by ImpactEd.
The key findings of the report in full:
A strong causal link between use of Beyond Words resources and pupil progress towards improved emotional wellbeing, stronger peer relationships, and an ability to express and recognise a range of emotions.
The resources and stories are easily adaptable to different school contexts, pedagogical practices, and needs. They are highly valued by participating schools and filling a gap in provision not met through other resources.
Pupils within mainstream schools, who primarily were not identified as having special educational needs (SEND), made particularly strong progress. 87%, 90% and 100% of this group reported a positive change across the three assessment questions.
Pupils without special educational needs (SEND), pupils with SEND in mainstream settings, and pupils with SEND in specialist education settings all made progress in key outcomes, demonstrating the effectiveness of the resources across both mainstream and specialist settings.
About Beyond Words
Charity Beyond Words (Charity no.: 1183942), now in its 35th year, co-creates word-free picture stories with and for people who find words a barrier. This includes people with learning disabilities and autistic people, as well as people whose first language is not English and some Deaf people, as well as children in mainstream and SEN schools.
Contact:
Emily Magdij
Communications Manager
emagdij@booksbeyondwords.co.uk
About TTS - Giving every child, every day, a reason to love learning
TTS is a leading supplier of innovative educational resources that inspire and empower learners of all ages. With over 35 years’ experience, our in-house experts collaborate with teachers and educational experts from across the globe, developing high-quality resources that enhance teaching and learning, throughout 115 countries worldwide. Visit www.tts-group.co.uk to find out more.