My friend said, if your young writers can do it, then why wouldn’t you ask professionals? Like all good things, it sounds easier than it is. Writing a six word story is actually a pretty …
About Antonia Byatt
First Story is 15
We've grown up from the seed of an inspirational idea to an established charity championing creativity through a sustained programme for young people across England. Over fifteen years so many young …
Saint Gabriel’s College ’20:20 Vision’ anthology launch
Earlier this month, we were invited to St. Gabriel's College in South London, for a special socially-distanced event to celebrate publication of their new First Story anthology, 20:20 Vision. After …
School closures have highlighted the gulfs in inequality between young people
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted, more than ever, that there are fundamental problems with the parity of access to education in the UK. Our CEO, Antonia Byatt, writes about how the gap has become …
Covid-19 Update
With current government advice in mind, First Story's Chief Executive, Antonia Byatt, responds to the uncertainty surrounding the outbreak of COVID-19. As schools close this week, I wanted to …
A good education for all: First Story and the Ofsted inspection framework
Last month, Ofsted published its Annual Report for 2018/19, the year it introduced its new education inspection framework and sparked fresh debate about what works best to tackle disadvantage. Is …
Our impact in 2018-19
We’ve published our annual Impact Report for the year ending June 2019. I joined First Story as Chief Executive at the end of the academic year, but I'm no less proud of all that was achieved in …
Reflecting on my first summer with First Story
Fittingly, my first day as First Story's new Chief Executive was also National Writing Day. And what an inspiring day it was. My first stop on 26th June was to the Museum of Migration in Lambeth, …
Why learning to use your voice is powerful
It is a quite a coincidence that National Writing Day is my first day in the job as CEO of First Story, the lead organisation behind the campaign. When I tell people I will be working in an …
