Confidence, Creativity and Change: A Talking Tales Journey
17th April 2026With the Talking Tales journey nearing its final chapter, Project Manager Tory and Year 1 Teacher Amal from Havelock Primary School explore how the project has sparked confidence, nurtured creativity and inspired lasting change. Reflecting on the experiences, challenges and moments of growth that have shaped both their practice and their pupils’ voices.
Tory: Let’s rewind to September 2024 before Talking Tales began, what were your initial thoughts and expectations when you joined the project?
Amal: I was very excited, to take part in the programme. I really hoped that by being part of Talking Tales it would improve my pupil’s oracy skills. With the year group I had at that time, there were a lot of EAL children, some additional needs and lots of them were struggling to formulate sentences. I thought, oh, maybe there’s another way of teaching oracy and the way they spoke.
Tory: What has it been like having Rachael, your Polka Practitioner in your classroom and collaborating with them on this journey?
Amal: It was very lovely to have Rachael in the classroom with me in the first year and then as my collaborator in the second. We have been able to bounce ideas off each other, when we were discussing in our co-planning sessions. She gave me lots of good ideas and different ways of approaching a task. I also feel like I have become more creative in my thinking. I love drama, I love teaching through drama, and the Polka activities really helped me to explore that. Having a mentor visit the school to discuss ideas has made the training more practical and beneficial for both my pupils and me.
Tory: What challenges have you faced during Talking Tales and how have you navigated them?
Amal: For me personally, I can struggle within a group environment, and I feel like I’ve blossomed. I’ve become more animated with the children. Another challenge we have faced is that some of the children struggle with emotions and they can’t always relate to the activities or characters. Rachael and I discussed this and decided to use the activity “Emotion Chairs” within our role play sessions. By acting out the emotions before going into another activity really helped with their understanding and then we were able to put this back into the role play activity.
Tory: How has using drama and the Polka Oracy Framework developed oracy and communication skills in your pupils?
Amal: The children I have this year can loose focus very quickly, so you must be on point every time. Using the activities and including movement breaks helps with regulating their energy, I have incorporated these throughout the day. My pupils have changed through this project, they are talking more and sharing more ideas. Using these activities and incorporating role play is allowing them to think beyond what they normally would.
Tory: Can you share any specific examples of a pupils whose growth has really stood out to you?
Amal: All of my pupils are more confident; I can see this in their group discussions. They are talking more and challenging each other, which is really great to see. Another example happened very recently, we were using Freeze Frames, and I left them to it and I could see that they were discussing and negotiating within their groups. Some of them were expressing their ideas, ‘maybe we will do it this way’ and the others were listening, which was good to see.
Another example that really stands out to me throughout the whole project is an EAL child, they never used to contribute, but recently I was teaching an ICT lesson, and they have been more proactive, coming up with words that I would not expect them to say.
Tory: Was there a moment during the project that felt like a turning point for you, and what have you discovered about yourself through this process?
Amal: There wasn’t any particular moment, but I think it was an accumulation and a build-up of lots of different things. I feel like I have become a better teacher, I’m now thinking outside of the box and finding new creative ways of teaching a topic. This has also been picked up by members of SLT, they have noticed an improvement in my teaching style. I am enjoying teaching more and that is being passed onto the children, through the different tasks and activities that I am now incorporating within my teaching. It has made my teaching more exciting! I am also now more confident and as a result I recently applied for a staff governor job…and I got it! I feel like I have grown so much throughout this project, I am more of a risk taker – I wouldn’t have done that before.
Tory: Looking back, in what ways have you changed as a teacher since being part of Talking Tales?
Amal: I am really enjoying my teaching and this project has given me a more positive mind set. Sometimes you have to move yourself away from what you know and not restrict yourself to find something within you. I’m excited, because I have seen the impact it has had on the children and I would love for it to be passed on to other year groups.
I have also noticed that I’m far more reflective, I am thinking about how I decide which activities to use and the purpose they hold. I feel that I’m making it more enjoyable for the children, and I am also enjoying it alongside them. It’s also being noticed by others that I have a more positive mindset.
This project has allowed me to see the importance of oracy. If the children say what they mean and what they have understood, they are more likely to become better writers. That has pushed me to include lots more oracy in all my teaching. Polka and this project have contributed to that.
Tory: How do you feel about sharing Talking Tales and the Polka Oracy Framework wider and what long lasting impact could this have on the rest of the school?
Amal: I’m excited and looking forward to it. I have enjoyed learning about all of these activities and we have done so many amazing things together (Rachael, myself and the children) and I would love to share it with the rest of the school. We have a lot of EAL children in the school and some of their families also struggle, so by using these activities from the Polka Oracy Framework, the children will then go home and share what they have learned in school and teach their parents, so there is a wider impact of this project beyond the classroom.
Tory: What parts of Talking Tales will stay with you when it does come to a close?
Amal: Definitely the activities! I have enjoyed trialling them out and I have found that they work really well with the children. I am going to miss Rachael, our partnership and we have enjoyed our co-planning together. I have also enjoyed taking part in the CPD’s at Polka, with all the teachers across the schools together. It has been wonderful to learn from each other; I have been able to use some of the other teachers’ ideas that have been discussed and shared at the Polka CPD’s. They really have made a difference for me.
Tory: What advice would you give to someone about to begin a journey like this?
Amal: I can tell the initial reaction of new teachers about to start; they would see it as something else to do on top of their regular teaching. But it is the opposite, I think it will make you a better teacher. It’s a creative form of teaching; it will add onto your teaching practice and make a difference to your children as well.
Tory: Finally, can you sum up your Talking Tales experience in one sentence?
Amal: I would say exciting! When I think of Polka, happy fond memories come to me and I’m hopeful for the future. My hope for the future of Talking Tales in Havelock is for it to go school wide, because I have seen the impact on the children and the way it has built their confidence.