Bringing Stories to Life Across Year Groups

At Nexus, learning is strengthened when our community comes together. What began as a special activity during Book Week and Care:Week has grown into a meaningful, ongoing initiative that now takes place throughout the school year.

Our Primary and Secondary learners regularly meet for shared storytelling sessions, where Secondary learners read aloud to their Primary peers.

In their library lessons, our Secondary learners begin by exploring a wide range of picture books and selecting one that resonates with them. Before meeting the Primary learners, they discuss what makes a meaningful read-aloud experience, from showing the illustrations clearly to using expression, pacing and confidence to bring the story to life. They also take time to think about connection: how to introduce themselves, how to connect with younger learners, and how to create an engaging atmosphere.

These sessions offer more than a chance to enjoy a good book. They allow learners of different ages to interact, build relationships and learn from one another. Primary learners benefit from having positive role models, seeing older learners model fluent reading and discovering new stories. For our Secondary learners, it is an opportunity to develop leadership, empathy and communication skills while contributing to the wider school community.

The initiative has also helped learners explore different spaces across the school. Secondary learners have visited Primary classrooms and library areas, while Primary learners have enjoyed coming up to the Secondary library — a simple experience that sparks curiosity and builds a greater sense of belonging across the campus.

The idea of sharing stories has also extended into the curriculum with our Year 6 learners recently stepping into the role of teachers for our Year 1 learners in a special cross-year experience.

As part of their Unit of Inquiry, Sharing the Planet, Year 6 learners designed and wrote their own digital children’s books focusing on critical global challenges such as pollution and climate change. By sharing these digital creations with Year 1, our older learners had the opportunity to explain and deepen their own understanding of these complex issues. Using storytelling to make “big ideas” accessible and engaging, the Year 6 learners sparked thoughtful questions, lively discussions, and plenty of curiosity from their younger audience.

This cross-school partnership highlights the power of connection and the joy of learning together. Through shared stories, our learners are building literacy while strengthening the community spirit that makes Nexus so special.