Visual stories for schools and SEND
Know what to expect, before you go.
Starting a new school, moving up a year or visiting somewhere for the first time can feel worrying, especially for children who find change hard. Our visual stories show a child exactly what a real place will be like, step by step, with photos of the actual place, so the first time they walk in, it already feels a little familiar.
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The example is a made-up school, drawn rather than photographed.
Who it’s for
Starting school and moving up
The first day at a new school, a new class, or the move to secondary school. The gate, the classroom, the cloakroom, lunchtime, the toilets and home time.
SEND schools and settings
Special schools, resource bases and specialist provision, for children who need to see what’s coming, as many times as they like, before it happens.
Venues welcoming every visitor
Museums, castles, gardens and attractions that want to welcome visitors with additional needs, alongside relaxed sessions and access guides.
We also make them for health visits, residential trips and holidays. Just ask.
What it’s like for a child
Real photos of the real place
Not a drawing of “a school”. Their school, their classroom, their peg.
Step by step, in the right order
From arriving at the gate to going home, so there are no surprises.
What it will feel like
What they might hear, see and smell, where it’s busy and where it’s quiet.
Who they’ll meet
Faces and names of the staff, with their permission.
Gentle things to do
“Can you find where you’ll hang your coat?” No wrong answers, no scores and no time limits.
At their own pace
They can go back, stop and read it again as often as they like, with a grown-up or on their own.
Read it to me
Every page can be read aloud, with each line highlighted as it’s read. There’s a bigger text option too.
Tips for grown-ups
Short notes on each page help parents and carers talk it through at home.
Made with you, for your setting
Every visual story is made for one place. We visit, take the photos (with no children in them), and write it with your staff. You check every detail before anyone sees it, because a story that gets something wrong can make things harder, not easier.
We shape our approach with practitioners, parents and neurodivergent people. When things change, such as a new classroom, a new teacher or a new entrance, the story can be updated.
Simple to share, safe to use
- No app and no account. Families open it from a link or a QR code in a welcome pack, a letter or an email, on any phone, tablet or computer.
- No personal data. We don’t collect or store anything about the children or families who use it. There’s no tracking, and nothing they do is sent anywhere.
- No children in the photos. Any adults shown give their written permission, and your setting signs off every page.
- Calm by design. Plain, literal language, no flashing, no sudden movement and no sounds unless they’re asked for. It follows the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.2 AA).
- Works with patchy signal. Families only need a signal for a few seconds when they first open it, so it works on the way there too.
- A printed version. Every story prints with its pictures and grown-up tips, for families who prefer paper.
Prices
A visual story is used again with every new class, so it keeps working year after year.
Founding school pilot
£495
A limited-time offer, in return for your feedback and permission to share the results as a case study.
- One visual story
- First year of hosting and updates included
Visual story
from £950
One story about one place, such as starting school or a visit to your venue.
- A visit to take the photos
- Written with your staff and checked by you
- Read it to me, bigger text and a printed version
- A link and QR code for your letters and welcome packs
- First year of hosting and updates included
Transition bundle
from £1,750
Two stories for the same setting, such as starting school and moving up a year.
- Two visual stories, one visit
- Everything in a single visual story
- First year of hosting and updates included
After the first year, hosting and small updates (such as a new teacher’s photo) are £150 a year per story.
Prices are a guide. We’ll give you a fixed quote after we’ve talked, and the price we quote is the price you pay, with nothing extra on top.
Questions schools ask
How is this different from a Social Story?
Social Stories™ are a specific method, often written by a school’s own staff for one child. Ours are visual stories about a specific place, shared with every child who’s going there. They work well alongside the Social Stories your team writes for individual children.
Who takes the photos?
We do, on a visit at a time that suits you, with no children in them. Staff who appear give their written permission. If you’d rather use your own photos, we can work with those.
What about safeguarding and data protection?
We don’t collect or store any personal data about children or families: there are no accounts, no forms and no tracking. Photos never show children, and nothing goes live until you’ve signed off every page. Your story isn’t listed on our site; families reach it from the link or QR code you share.
How do families get it?
We give you a link and a QR code to put in your welcome pack, transition letter, newsletter or email. It opens on any phone, tablet or computer, and it can be printed.
Can it be changed later?
Yes. Small updates, such as a new teacher, a moved classroom or a new entrance, are included in the first year and in the yearly hosting after that.
How long does it take?
Usually a few weeks from our visit, depending on how quickly your staff can check it. For September starters, it helps to talk to us before the summer term.
Have a place with a story to tell?
We would love to hear about your venue, your visitors and what you would like them to discover.
Email usOr email hello@curiodigital.co.uk