OutoftheBox in Schools

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“OutoftheBox creates a safe space for participants to reflect on their experiences, develop understanding of themselves and others, and strengthen relationships. Using simple stories and hands-on materials, it encourages creativity, curiosity and meaningful dialogue, making it a powerful tool for supporting well-being, learning and community connection.”
 Sarah Smith, Headteacher, Christ The King Academy Blackpool 

Children need space to question, to play with ideas and think for themselves. They need to learn to express their feelings and hear other points of view. They need to explore their values and what really matters to them. 

OutoftheBox creates space in the curriculum for all of this and more. It is being used in schools in the UK in Lancashire, Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire and Herefordshire.

 

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“I was delighted to offer OutoftheBox transition support to our Year 6 students. The series of six sessions, planned across the latter part of the summer term, gave them the chance to reflect on their primary school experiences while looking ahead to the opportunities of secondary school. By aligning the sessions with their transition days, we created a space for them to talk, listen, and understand that their feelings are valid and valued. 
In times of increasing pressure on school budgets, this is one area that should not be cut. Our Year 6s deserve it.” .
 Claire Roberts, Headteacher 

“OutoftheBox gave the chlidren a safe place to say what they really thought and felt through a non-judgmental environment with freedom to interpret the story for themselves.”
Trish Horwood, Primary schools worker

“There was lots of excitement and anticipation of what was in the box, and superb conversations about what might be happening in the story. All the children were engrossed, including those with SEND and those with English as an additional language.”
Jennifer Bayley, Deputy headteacher

“The children took the initiative to want to become storytellers themselves and they worked together to tell me their story.”
Becky Guynn, schools worker

Jen Bayley is Deputy Head of a primary school and a Key Stage 1 teacher. She talks about her experiences of using OutoftheBox and the impact it is having on the wellbeing of children.

Jennie Fytche works for a charity which supports primary school children with the spiritual aspects of their education, both in church and state schools. She has a regular booking with seven schools where she uses OutoftheBox to help bring wellbeing and transformation.

Sally Haiselden is Headteacher of Cherry Hinton CofE primary school. Shs shares here about how OutoftheBox is a way of addressing the hidden parts of the curriculum: children’s belief, spirituality, social and emotional health.

Hev Taylor describes her experience of using OutoftheBox in schools as a teaching assistant in a special educational needs setting for teenagers, and a volunteer at a Church of England primary school.

Trish Horwood works for a charity who support primary schools with their RE and PSHE curriculum, and she is also training in Play Therapy. She uses OutoftheBox with small groups of children in Y4 and above.

Wendy Heaton is a retired teacher in the Isle of Man who volunteers in her local primary school using OutoftheBox to work on wellbeing and philosophy. She works with all the year groups, except for Reception, and finds it interesting to see how different age children respond to the same story in different ways. 

Kathy Hays is a Deacon in the Methodist church and is chaplain to a school in Lancashire. She tells OutoftheBox stories to groups of children and whole classes, and finds that all of the children “absolutely love them!”