One of the privileges of working alongside schools is seeing how practice evolves over time.
The conversations we have with schools in their first few months with Lyfta are very different from the conversations we have two years later. At first, it's about getting started: introducing Lyfta and storyworlds, building staff confidence and finding a place for Lyfta within the school week.
Across the Rose Learning Trust, schools have embedded Lyfta in ways that reflect their own pupils and priorities. Some have built protected Lyfta Time into the timetable. Others have mapped storyworlds to school values, assemblies or curriculum drivers. Each school has developed its own approach, while sharing the same ambition: helping children understand themselves, one another, and the wider world through real human stories.
Seeing Lyfta in action
That ambition was evident throughout our visit to Crowle Primary Academy.
In Reception, children confidently compared countries, recognised emotions and discussed the values they noticed in the storyworld. The visiting Lyfta Leads were particularly struck by the depth of conversation among the youngest pupils as they reflected on similarities and differences between people's lives.
In Year 5, pupils explored the opportunities and ethical questions surrounding artificial intelligence.
In Year 6, discussions centred on compassion and empathy as the students visited an Elderly Home in Ethiopia.
Although the storyworlds visited were very different, every classroom conversation had something in common. Children were listening carefully, building on one another's ideas and using authentic human stories as a starting point for thoughtful discussion.
Different schools, shared purpose
Throughout the day, each school shared how Lyfta had developed within its own context.
At Owston Park Primary Academy, where many pupils have had limited opportunities to experience diversity beyond their local area, Lyfta has become a way of broadening horizons.
"I think it's an excellent tool to broaden our children's horizons and provide them with an understanding of just how big the world is, whilst also making connections with real humans, not just abstract concepts." - KS2 Teacher
At Lakeside Primary Academy, storyworlds regularly spark conversations that encourage children from diverse backgrounds to share their own experiences.
"It has opened discussions about children's cultures and experiences. As we have many children from diverse backgrounds or new to the country, they often point out things in videos that are familiar to them but are not common in England." - KS2 Teacher
Meanwhile, Scawsby Junior Academy has embedded weekly Lyfta Time around its school values.
"Lyfta allows us to explore authentic stories from different cultures and communities." - Year 6 Teacher
Pupil voice reflected those same themes.
"We love visiting different places to see different people and their country." - Year 1
"I like Lyfta because we talk about places I have never been to." - Year 3
Every school's journey looks slightly different, but the outcomes feel similar: children who are curious, reflective and increasingly confident discussing the lives and experiences of others.
Where the conversation goes next
And now, Rose Learning Trust is moving further. We discussed Lyfta Leads’ ideas for next steps.
Some were exploring how Lyfta could strengthen oracy through the trust's Let's Think in English approach. Others were looking at ways to make classroom discussions more pupil-led, create stronger links across the curriculum, or make even better use of the lesson plans and supporting resources that accompany each Storyworld.
We discussed bespoke plans to support this work and also shared these helpful resources, such as our oracy toolkit.
One teacher described how Lyfta had become an integral part of developing discussion skills in their classroom:
"Lyfta has helped us to embed the Let's Think in English structure. It gives the children opportunity to agree, build and challenge the ideas of others." - Year 5 Teacher
Listening to these conversations, we found ourselves reflecting on something we've seen in many of our longest-standing partnerships.
Schools tend to grow with Lyfta.
The early focus is often on getting started and establishing regular routines. As confidence grows, schools naturally begin thinking about how to deepen classroom discussion, strengthen curriculum connections and capture the longer-term impact of the work they're doing.
Rose Learning Trust is a wonderful example of that progression. The foundations are firmly in place. Now, the conversation has shifted towards refining practice, learning from one another and asking an important question:
How can we make every storyworld even more meaningful for our pupils?
Growing together
The Lyfta Journey
Every school's journey is unique, but our work with long-standing partners often shows a similar pattern.
- Stage 1 – Getting started
Introducing Lyfta, building staff confidence and exploring the first storyworlds. - Stage 2 – Building routines
Establishing protected Lyfta Time and creating consistent whole-school practice, often around bringing key values to life. - Stage 3 – Deepening discussion
Developing richer questioning, stronger oracy and more pupil-led dialogue. - Stage 4 – Connecting learning
Making meaningful links across subjects, and wider school priorities. - Stage 5 – Reflecting and refining
Evaluating outcomes sharing practice, learning from others and continually strengthening the impact of every storyworld.
Pupil voice underpins every stage of the journey. From first impressions of storyworlds to the thoughtful reflections that shape over time, pupil voice helps schools celebrate what's working, understand what matters most and shape what comes next.
There isn't a finish line, and schools don't all move at the same pace. Every school's journey is unique.
What we've learned from schools like those in the Rose Learning Trust is that the most exciting part often comes once the foundations are in place. That's when new ideas come up and are shared, practice is refined and new opportunities begin to emerge.
As a Lyfta team, our role isn't just to help schools get started with Lyfta, it's to continue learning alongside them and that's exactly where we want to be. Listening, sharing what we have seen and are still learning from across our partner community, and providing the guidance, support and resources that help every storyworld have an even greater impact. We can't wait to see where The Rose Learning Trust’s journey leads next!
