At just six years old, Freda has already encountered significant challenges in her young life. Freda comes from a very low-income household, where access to the basics of life including food can be a daily struggle. During lockdown Freda had very few opportunities to access outside space or to develop her social skills and she became highly anxious.

The trauma she has endured has left her emotionally withdrawn, making it difficult for her to manage the weight of these experiences. As a result, Freda has fallen significantly behind her peers, particularly in communication, language, and personal, social, and emotional development.

When Freda began attending St Anne’s Catholic Primary School in Liverpool, she was a selective mute. She rarely spoke to adults or her peers, and never addressed the whole class. If she spoke at all, it was only in a whisper, and only in the presence of one adult.

As part of a SHINE-funded project, the school introduced Chatta, an innovative tool using interactive audio-visual storyboards to support communication and language development. Freda quickly engaged with the Chatta sessions, initially naming friends and later sharing facts about seahorses. Soon, she was speaking in simple sentences and was able to provide clear, ordered explanations – for example, describing the elements of a healthy breakfast.

Before long, Freda was confidently retelling stories with a clear beginning, middle, and end. As her confidence grew, her teachers noticed improvements across all areas of her learning, particularly in phonics and reading. She now participates in whole-class reading sessions and chats freely with her peers during break times.

In addition, Freda is now able to express her personal needs, something she struggled with before. Freda’s mum is delighted that she is now more confident to speak during lessons and in front of the whole class.

Freda’s teachers have observed a remarkable transformation in her confidence and self-esteem. She is now eager to try new things and enjoys using Chatta as a preparation tool before writing tasks.

This year, Freda has made rapid progress, bringing her significantly closer to age-related expectations in literacy. Through Chatta, Freda has come out of her shell and built relationships with her teachers and peers which have set firm foundations for the rest of her educational journey.