Our Story

Legends, fables and fairy tales have been used throughout the ages to help us make sense of ourselves and our place in the world. And we know this is still true today.

When our founder, Olivia Richards was awarded a prestigious Churchill Fellowship in 2016, she saw how schools, charities and even prisons in the US and Canada were using reading and writing to improve the mental health of children and young people. She observed how the stories played a critical role and recognised that wellbeing is not a fixed or singular state, rather a fluid set of tools and skills used throughout life.

Back in the UK, Olivia felt driven to improve children’s wellbeing using a similar approach. Drawing on her own teaching experience and rooting all her work in the very latest research, she created a complete and ready-to-use curriculum, then trialled, refined and vetted it in schools. The Story Project was born.

Based around stories already loved in the classroom, our resources support teachers to deliver meaningful PSHE and RSHE outcomes, inspiring the next generation to learn and practise wellbeing skills, making healthier choices for themselves and others, now and into adulthood.

Our vision

We believe in a future where all children have the tools, skills and knowledge they need to practise life-long wellbeing, making healthier choices for themselves and others.

Our Mission

The Story Project is on a mission to use the magic of children’s stories to inspire lifelong wellbeing.

We offer teachers a complete wellbeing curriculum based around stories already enjoyed in the classroom. Our materials are curated to engage children and effectively deliver PSHE and RSHE outcomes, continuously evolving to reflect the latest research and developments in the field.

Our Impact

The success of The Story Project speaks for itself.

90%

have seen a positive improvement in children’s wellbeing

76%

have seen a positive improvement in children’s academic literacy

100%

would recommend The Story Project

Our Values

A Love of reading

At the heart of all we do is our love of books and our passion for reading.

We are all teachers and learners


We practise humility and embrace feedback so that our work can continually evolve and grow.

Rooted in research

Our products are based on high-quality research and we are always striving to reflect the very latest developments in the field.

Wellbeing for all


We prioritise the wellbeing of everyone involved, including the diverse range of children in our classroom and the teachers who make the work possible.

Rooted in research

Our products are based on high-quality research and we are always striving to reflect the very latest developments in the field.

Wellbeing for all


We prioritise the wellbeing of everyone involved, including the diverse range of children in our classroom and the teachers who make the work possible.

Our Theory of Change

We know we’ve set ourselves an ambitious goal; to empower all children with the tools, skills and knowledge for lifelong wellbeing. That’s why we’ve developed our Theory of Change. It’s a clear and detailed roadmap to help us meet our objective.

Find out more

Related Content

Congratulations to our two new MHFAiders (and how we’re using their new skills)

Great news – two of our team members, Fiona and Laura, have now completed their Youth Mental Health First…

Read More

International Women’s Day – Our favourite books by female authors

8th March is International Women’s Day We work hard to ensure The Story Project promotes equality, inclusivity and diversity. As…

Read More

Spring, is that you?

We don’t want to jinx it, but is that the sun peeping out from behind the clouds? Wow, what…

Read More

What should a primary PSHE curriculum include?

Inspired by our CEO, Olivia’s, PhD research, we are writing about a topic close to our hearts…. PSHE is a…

Read More

The Importance of Mistakes; 8 books to help children get back up when they’ve fallen down

Everyone makes mistakes but we very rarely embrace their power. Very young children travel through their days unimpeded by…

Read More

World Book Day 2025

This is a big one for us – its one of our favourite books and we’re really excited to…

Read More
View all

Our Partners

We’re grateful to the following organisations for their funding and support. With their help, we are building a community to inspire lifelong wellbeing.

Featured In

We’re proud of what others have to say about us. Take a look at some of the media coverage we’ve attracted.

The Story Project Vision

We believe in a future where all children have the tools, skills and knowledge they need to practise life-long wellbeing, making healthier choices for themselves and others.

On Instagram