KS2 Vocabulary Case Study: Storyteller's Word a Day at Histon and Impington Park

Without a vocabulary made up of rich, descriptive words, a succulent steak would simply be 'nice'. The exhilarated feeling we get when riding a rollercoaster? Overlooked and unnamed. Descriptive words like these add colour to every part of our lived experience and the world around us.

We recently saw that play out at Histon and Impington Park Primary School, when we paid them a visit to see how they're using our Storyteller's Word a Day book to strengthen KS2 vocabulary and language skills across Key Stage 2.

A 'little and often' approach to KS2 vocabulary

The school, which is part of the Meridian Trust, delivers Storyteller's Word a Day through 15-minute, discrete vocabulary sessions three times a week. Every class in Key Stage 2 takes part, so all children have equal access to ambitious, story-driven vocabulary teaching.

By keeping the sessions short, focused and fun, teachers have found it easy to build the resource into their weekly routine without disrupting wider curriculum priorities.

A key part of the curriculum at Meridian Trust schools is Powerful Words: a five-year programme that teaches two words each week until pupils graduate. Storyteller's Word a Day fits perfectly alongside it, giving teachers clearly structured lessons and engaging activities.

A collaborative approach across the trust

Histon and Impington Park Primary School is not alone in using Storyteller's Word a Day. Other schools in the Meridian Trust use it in the same way, and their work has been recognised in inspection reports, with inspectors praising the schools' approach to explicit vocabulary teaching.

This shows the power of consistent, well-structured word learning, not only for children's literacy outcomes but also for whole-school recognition.

The impact on children's language

What teachers have noticed

Teachers at Histon and Impington Park have seen a clear improvement in children's vocabulary, both in what they say and in what they write. Pupils are more confident choosing precise, adventurous words to express themselves, and their written work shows a marked shift towards richer, more descriptive language.

These gains reflect how Storyteller's Word a Day builds confidence: it introduces challenging words in accessible, relatable ways, so children can understand them and use them in context.

"It's a joy to receive the anecdotal information from teachers and headteachers when they talk about the impact it's had on pupils in their spoken language in the classroom as well as their written work.

I think the thing that tickles me the most is the conversations we hear in the playground. The work we do with the Powerful Words programme and the Mrs Wordsmith resources is recognised by our Ofsted reports. We often have Ofsted inspectors commenting during the inspection and then including it in the Ofsted inspection write-up."
— Beth Morrish, Director of Literacy Strategies, Meridian Trust

What pupils say

It wasn't just the adults who were impressed. The pupils loved it too.

"I learn loads of words like this. I wouldn't know what words like nauseous or imposing mean if it wasn't for Powerful Words."
— Pupil, Histon and Impington Park Primary School

Pretty impressive vocabulary, if you ask us!

The results in numbers

In the trust's Spring Term 2023–24 vocabulary test, Histon and Impington Park pupils scored an average of 23.6 out of 24, one of the highest results in the trust. Across 14 Meridian Trust schools and 1,631 KS2 pupils, the average was 23.0 out of 24.

And they enjoy it: 92% of pupils at Histon and Impington Park said they enjoy their vocabulary sessions.

Why it matters

Strong vocabulary is the cornerstone of literacy, comprehension and academic progress. With just three short sessions a week, Histon and Impington Park Primary School has found a powerful way to close word gaps and inspire children to play with language in creative, meaningful ways.

Read how Cecil Road Primary took new words from talk into writing.

Inspired by this story? 180 descriptive words await!