Case studies

Read case studies of how our Skills for Life programmes have been used and the impact they have had on children and teachers.

In this section

Zippy’s Friends for SEND at Evergreen School in Warwick

Kelly Higgs, from Evergreen School Warwick shares her thoughts about how Zippy’s Friends for SEND has supported her pupils.

Skills for Life programmes making a difference to the children of Oldham

Teachers in Oldham, Greater Manchester, share their experiences of delivering Skills for Life programmes as part of the Opportunity Area Funding.

Zippy's Friends helps cope with bereavement

The Deputy Head teacher, working in a disadvantaged area of Newcastle delivers Zippy’s Friends in year two. With one of her pupils bereaved by suicide, she was nervous about delivering Module five of Zippy’s Friends, which focuses on change and loss, including death.

Zippy's Friends helps children express their emotions more easily

Marilyn Charles is a higher level Teaching Assistant and Family Support Worker at a primary school in Gloucestershire. She teaches Zippy’s Friends to her year 1 class.

Zippy's Friends is popular with children and parents alike

Sarah Pask is a learning mentor at Geddington Primary School in Northamptonshire. She has been running Zippy’s Friends for two years alongside the class teacher Caroline Hammond.

Vulnerable young people supported through Zippy’s Friends

A residential care worker in the UK, who was trained in Zippy’s Friends eight years ago, shares her experiences of delivering the programme to young parents.

Jordanian teachers notice big changes in children’s behaviour

Zippy’s Friends has been running in Jordan since 2014, under the name Labeeb’s Friends, and teachers there soon noticed that it could help children who had significant issues.

Children in Russia respond to Zippy’s Friends

Svetlana Alexeeva, a Zippy teacher in Petrozavodsk in Russia, noticed the impact of the programme on her class.

A mother in China finds Apple’s Friends helps her deal with her only child

The Chinese official policy (now relaxed) of one child per family has created a generation of children nicknamed ‘little Emperors’, often doted on by two parents and four grandparents.

A teacher in Trinidad and Tobago shares her joy at teaching Zippy’s Friends

‘I am elated to be a Zippy's Friends teacher and my school Couva South Government Primary is truly blessed to be participating in this programme.

Zippy’s Friends can have a big effect on teachers themselves

Zippy’s Friends has been running continuously in Lithuania since 2000, longer than in any other country.

Zippy’s Friends helps a boy cope with his father’s absence

A mother in Andradina, Brazil, noticed that the programme helped her son deal with change when her husband had to go away for work.

Supporting children with major issues such as bereavement

A Family Liaison Officer at a school in Kent has been delivering Zippy’s Friends and Apple’s Friends for a number of years and has seen first hand the impact if has had on his pupils.

Skills for Life programmes encourage vulnerable children to seek help

Dave Prodrick, a Family Liaison Officer, has seen first-hand the impact the Skills for Life programmes have had on his pupils.

Zippy's Friends helped an adopted child improve their confidence and coping skills

A teacher in Gloucestershire who has been running Zippy’s Friends for two years has found that the programme has had a positive impact on an adopted child in her class.