Our clubs – Your questions answered

The Story Room is passionate about inspiring young people to read and write.  Our relaxed approach nurtures and inspires young writers to develop their writing skills and to think creatively. Whether your child struggles to write their ideas down on the page or are confident writers, The Story Room has something for everyone!  

Our aims:

• Improve your child’s literacy skills (oral and written)
• Boost your child’s self-esteem and confidence
• Share our passion for reading/encourage children to read
• Promote a love English language and literature
• Enhance and revise skills learnt at school

Each class starts with inspiration! Depending on the subject matter of the workshop we may read some poetry, some extracts from stories/books or even a newspaper clipping. There may be objects and pictures to show or there may be music or video clips to share. In a  physical workshop setting, where possible, we can engage the children in using all of their senses, or even a walk in the garden to search for inspiration.

The children are then given writing task(s) to complete. This will be guided and help given where needed. In each workshop we focus on an element of the English language – verbs, adjectives, similes, etc encouraging children to use and recognise that element, reinforcing what they learn in school.

Depending on the length of the class, the children will have a break. After break the children finish their writing, check it through and then read it out to the class. This is encouraged and we find the majority of children are eager to share their writing, but they are absolutely not obliged to do so and a ‘no’ is totally fine. 

If the children are taking part in an art and writing workshop they will create something linked the stories and poetry they write. 

We encourage the children to go away and read their stories  and poems to their friends and family and if they want to, to build on what they have written.

We look forward to meeting your children!

No. We are always on the hunt for new lesson ideas and rarely repeat one throughout a year. We keep a close eye on the registers to make sure that the material is fresh for each child.

Yes, we welcome neurodiverse children and have done so since the very beginning of The Story Room.  Just send us an email before you book to let us know about your child’s learning difference so that we can think about how to best to support your child and to make sure that you are choosing a club that they will benefit from.

Yes, we welcome SEN children and have done so since the very beginning of The Story Room.  Just send us an email before you book to let us know about your child’s learning difference so that we can think about how to best to support your child and to make sure that you are choosing a club that they will benefit from.

Try one of our sessions. We offer standalone sessions, so you do not have to book a whole week or course.  We would recommend all of our session but a place to start would be one of the holiday sessions where we do art and writing, they are fun and educational and children come out proud of their writing and their work of art. Our sessions, whether online or in person, are relaxed and welcoming. You have chosen the right place for your child!

We do not offer free trial sessions. Our creative writing sessions are small group workshops and many of them are standalone, so you can book just one to try it out.

We do not allow primary school children to attend the teens groups as it restricts what we can teach and talk about with the older children. In addition, the materials and subject matter chosen for the teens group are for an older age group and may not be suitable for a younger child.

We will ensure that your child is stretched within the group that you choose.

We have a mix of children in our workshops – those that are preparing for entrance exams and those who are not.

 In our sessions, we write diary entries, letters, poetry, continue stories, write in response to pictures, and much more which all help your child to confidently tackle any task in an exam. We believe that a child who is a versatile writer is better equipped for these exams.

Our workshops are designed to be fun but also to develop writing skills to elevate the quality of the children’s work. We build and reinforce on skills learnt at school and also introduce new vocabulary through our materials and in the words we use whilst speaking to the children.

So, in short, the answer is yes — the workshops are a great help to children sitting entrance exams.

Cancelling your Booking:

• Up to 48 hours before the workshop date, you can cancel your place for an account credit to use at a later date. You will be charged an administrative fee of £8.00 fee per workshop cancelled.
• If it is less than 48 hours before the workshop date, you get in touch to offer your space for resale. If we sell your space you will receive a refund for your booking less an £8.00 admin fee. If we do not sell your space you will not receive a refund. We cannot guarantee that we can sell your space.

Amending your Booking:

• You can request to change to an alternative session up to 48 hours prior to your workshop, subject to availability. An administration charge of £8.00 for each amended date will be payable.
• Student names can be changed once a booking has been made but you must notify us in writing (by email) and the new student must complete a Booking Form. There is no fee for changing the name on a booking.

Why do you charge for cancelling or amending bookings?