Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland has launched their new Storylines project – three short films made with and by children about their experiences of education. The films were made with three different groups of children who have found challenges in mainstream school. They explore their experiences creatively and share ideas and solutions on what would improve the education system.
Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland has launched their new Storylines project – three short films made with and by children about their experiences of education. The films were made with three different groups of children who have found challenges in mainstream school. They explore their experiences creatively and share ideas and solutions on what would improve the education system.
The project worked with:
The films – while covering similar experiences and themes – are creatively very different. Each film is deliberately anonymous to protect children’s privacy and to create a safe environment for sharing experiences. There’s a complementary resource with some further context to accompany the films.
The first film, called If You Can’t Stand The Heat, was made by children who attend a specialist service for education. They use a cooking analogy to describe their experiences as sharing food together is an important way they connect. The voiceover explains: “If there are 143 ways to cook an egg, surely there are infinite ways to learn – we can’t all be expected to do it the same way.”
It uses digital animation, and the children involved wanted one narrator to tell their stories. The narrator says: “It felt like a prison and no one was listening. Trapped by the building, the system, myself.”
Through the film, the children explain how and why they felt school was overwhelming, and what support they receive now. They highlight that relationships between teachers and children, different learning environments, and being treated as an individual, can all make a positive difference.
In the second film, another group of children who find school a challenge share what they have found works for them. It’s called Being Able To Be Myself and the children helped script, narrate, direct, and produce it.
One says: “When I first came in, in S1, I was very unsettled and I wasn’t as focused on things.” Another says: “I went into classes and everyone knew much more than me and I just couldn’t really focus as well.”
They talk about their experiences of feeling left behind, misunderstood, and recognise the stress teachers are under. But they share what support works for them in alternative education – having more choice about how they learn, and rest breaks when needed.
The final film is called Spend The School Day With Us: Children Living With Health Conditions In Scotland. It explores why the school day can be so much harder for some children. The children made digital collages to share what challenges they face, and where they need more support to realise their right to education.
One says: “The whole day starts with this overwhelming knot of anxiety in my stomach. What’s going to go wrong today? I’m already worrying about everything that could happen.”
Another adds: “I’m trying to keep up but with the constant pain and all the noise, it’s just too much to process all at once. I feel myself falling behind but there’s nothing I can do about it.”
The children talk about what would make their experience better – individual support, more time to do tasks, and quiet rooms to decompress.
Commissioner Nicola Killean said: “We’re committed to working with children whose rights are most at risk, and whose voices aren’t always heard. But we have to do that in ways that suit them, and film was the wonderful way to capture their experiences.
“All three films highlight the challenges some children face, but they all come up with suggestions to make things better. Education leaders, schools, and politicians must really listen to young people and take on board their suggestions.
“I have consistently called for children’s participation to be systematically embedded within education, and for robust analysis of the resources and infrastructure required to deliver an inclusive education system.
“One child sums it up, saying ‘Listen to us, understand us, make education accessible for all young people’ – that’s not too much to ask for.”