City College Plymouth has partnered with Promoting Children in Plymouth (PCiP) to launch a unique literacy initiative designed to engage and inspire nursery-aged children through interactive storytelling and creative play. The project, titled Bring a Book to Life, sees T Level students from the College’s health and childhood education department take on the challenge of transforming storytime into a magical and memorable experience.
The chosen book for the initiative is Mr. Grumpy’s Outing by John Burningham, a much-loved children’s classic. Delivered as part of the Dolly Parton Imagination Library programme, each child receives a free copy of the book to take home, encouraging a lifelong love of reading beyond the classroom.
This initiative comes at a time when Plymouth continues to face challenges in early literacy outcomes. In 2024, just 66.7% of children in the city reached a Good Level of Development at the end of Reception, with literary-specific achievement even lower. The gap is particularly pronounced among boys and children from disadvantaged backgrounds. Projects such as Bring a Book to Life aim to tackle this early by making literacy fun, accessible and memorable, especially to those who may not have regular access to books at home. By involving students in delivering storytime and engaging with younger children directly, the project supports both early learning and the development of future educators.
Incorporated into their curriculum, the College’s students have worked on storytelling techniques and the creation of colourful, interactive character props to engage children aged two to four in nursery settings across the city. Over four lively sessions, the young audiences will see the story brought vividly to life through voice, expression and interactivity.
Katherine Hendrick, Project Coordinator for PCiP said, “Following the launch of the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, Promoting Children in Plymouth has partnered with the College to bring a book from the Imagination Library to life. Students from the College selected the book and have generously funded the cost of the book for over 100 children attending nurseries across Plymouth.”
This hands-on project offers valuable real-world experience for the students, supporting their development in areas such as child communication, classroom planning and community engagement, all essential skills for careers in education and early years practice. By working in partnership with community organisations such as PCiP, students are given meaningful opportunities to apply their learning in real-world settings, enriching both their experience and that of the wider local community.
One student said, “It’s been a good team building exercise, it’s brought us all together. It’s a good way of teaching us as it’s a more practical and hands-on experience.”
Former City Laureate and City College Plymouth lecturer, Thom Boulton, said, “Bring a Book to Life is more than just a storytelling initiative, it’s about igniting a passion for reading, building confidence in our students and forging meaningful connections within the community. Our health and childhood education department is deeply committed to intergenerational learning. Just recently, our first-year T Level students participated in a project that united younger and older generations through a day of creativity, conversation and shared experiences.”
