Embedded Files
"Staff have noticed a real change in the school ecology. Having shared each others' stories, the students just seem better connected."
- Head of PSHE
What Happens in a Story Exchange Session?
We’ll visit your school and deliver a fully facilitated session for up to 16 students, from any year group you choose. Sessions last around 90 minutes to two hours and take place in a quiet room, with chairs arranged in a circle.
The process follows four simple stages (click on each stage to expand):
Prepare
Before the session:
Students are asked to prepare a true story from their own life - something personal, but not private. We’ll provide a few prompts to help them choose a meaningful moment they feel comfortable sharing, such as a time they overcame a challenge, made a decision, or experienced change.
The prompts we use are flexible - they can be kept broad and open, or tailored to align with your school’s values, current PSHE/SRE themes, or wider pastoral priorities. We’re happy to work with you to ensure the session supports your existing curriculum or wellbeing strategy.
At the start of the session:
Our trained facilitators lead gentle icebreakers and trust-building activities, creating a safe, supportive space where students feel ready to listen and be heard.
Share
Students pair up and take turns sharing their prepared stories in a one-to-one setting.
The focus here is on active listening - being fully present, without interrupting or judging. This simple but powerful skill fosters empathy and deepens connection, helping students feel genuinely seen and valued.
Retell
Each student then retells their partner’s story to the group - using the first person, as if the story happened to them.
This act of stepping into someone else’s shoes engages parts of the brain linked to empathy, identity, and emotional memory. It’s a transformative moment - one that not only strengthens understanding but gently reshapes how we relate to others.
Reflect
We close with a guided group reflection, led by our experienced facilitators. Students are supported to explore:
What it felt like to tell someone else’s story
What it felt like to have their own story told
What it was like to witness others' stories being shared in the group
This reflection stage helps students process the experience, grow in self-awareness, and recognise the shared humanity in the room. It’s often here that the full emotional impact of the Story Exchange is felt - and remembered.
"I thought it would be really complicated, but it was actually really easy to follow. The four stages made it feel really natural - like it all just flowed."
- Year 11 Student
Backed by Research
Narrative 4’s Story Exchange model is grounded in robust research from the fields of psychology, neuroscience, and education. It’s designed to build empathy, trust, and social connection - and the science backs it up.
The Science of Storytelling
When we tell and retell personal stories - especially in the first person - the brain responds as if we’re experiencing the story ourselves. This activates the mirror neuron system and engages areas of the brain linked to empathy, memory, and identity.
In schools, this means Story Exchanges don’t just teach emotional intelligence - they help students feel it, practise it, and internalise it through embodied, relational learning.
Evidence from International Practice
Independent research from the University of Chicago and Yale University has demonstrated the effectiveness of the Story Exchange in educational settings:
At University Heights High School (Bronx, NY), the introduction of Story Exchanges led to improved attendance and graduation rates, and a drop in suspensions.
Yale’s Emotion Revolution Survey found that students reported better communication, stronger relationships with teachers, and a greater sense that their teachers understood them after participating in Narrative 4 programmes.
You can read these studies here.
Narrative 4 Ireland teamed up with researchers from the University of Limerick to expand the evidence base around the Story Exchange which is currently being prepared for publication in the European Journal of Teacher Education.
Gill, J & McMahon, J (2022). Teacher Perspectives of a Storytelling Teacher Training Intervention. [European Journal of Teacher Education].
Key findings:
The programme enhanced student/teacher & professional relationships.
The teachers found that their own empathy skills increased.
Emphasised the importance of developing students social emotional skills systematically stating that it was ‘absolutely essential’.
Alignment with UK Educational Priorities
While Narrative 4’s roots are international, its impact aligns directly with key UK education priorities.
The Story Exchange supports:
PSHE education, including emotional wellbeing, relationships, and personal identity
Citizenship and SMSC, by encouraging respectful dialogue, empathy, and moral reflection
Mental health and wellbeing strategies, through fostering belonging and connection
Global citizenship and diversity education, by helping students hear and honour perspectives different from their own
Oracy and communication skills, through structured storytelling, active listening, and peer reflection
This makes Story Exchanges a flexible, research-based intervention that supports Ofsted’s personal development framework, enhances classroom relationships, and meets your school’s broader pastoral and educational aims.
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