Table of contents
Storylines project
This project summary resource complements the storylines films — a creative participation project with children and young people in alternative education.
Through three short films, children shared their experiences of education, what helps them learn and what needs to change. The children highlight the importance of trusted relationships, flexible support, and safe learning environments.
We worked with:
- A group using specialist service as they can’t attend school for a prolonged period due to physical or mental health
- A group who are at risk of exclusion from mainstream education, or who may find school a challenge
- A group who have long-term health conditions
The films – while covering similar experiences and themes – are creatively very different. Each film is deliberately anonymous to protect children’s privacy and to create a safe environment for sharing experiences.
The first film, called If You Can’t Stand The Heat, was made by children who attend a specialist service for education. They use a cooking analogy to describe their experiences as sharing food together is an important way they connect. The voiceover explains: “If there are 143 ways to cook an egg, surely there are infinite ways to learn – we can’t all be expected to do it the same way.”Through the film, the children explain how and why they felt school was overwhelming, and what support they receive now.
In the second film, another group of children who find school a challenge share what they have found works for them. It’s called Being Able To Be Myself and the children helped script, narrate, direct, and produce it.
The final film is called Spend The School Day With Us: Children Living With Health Conditions In Scotland. It explores why the school day can be so much harder for some children. The children made digital collages to share what challenges they face, and where they need more support to realise their right to education.
We also created a bonus film for our Shoogle Lab, where children use their collages to describe how it feels when adults listen to them — and when they do not.