'Just Listen' school stammering awareness project

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Leila and Julia (right) with their Just Listen promotional poster

Julia Lovel, Assistant Headteacher at Holderness Academy in Hull, and student Laila, tell us about their new project aiming to raise awareness in schools, which launches today. Scroll down the page to download resources so that you can use them in your school.

Julia: This is a story about two voices — one from the past that shaped who I became, and one from the present that reminded me why listening matters so much.

Julia's story

Growing up with a father who had a severe stammer shaped me long before I ever became a teacher. From an early age, I was acutely aware of how unkind the world could be — how something as natural as speaking could invite judgement, impatience and ridicule. Watching how people reacted to my dad taught me a deep lesson about empathy and the power of listening.

He was strong, funny, and wise — but I saw how quickly peoples' faces changed when he opened his mouth. That awareness stayed with me, and it's one of the reasons I became a teacher who champions student voices. I want every young person I work with to feel that their words matter, however they come out.

Just Listen isn't about fixing or speaking for anyone. It's about creating space for young people to be heard — exactly as they are.

Last year, in October 2024, I was invited to deliver a 'personal assembly' after students asked staff to share something real about their lives. I decided to talk about my dad — and about the time his stammer landed me in trouble.

I was in Year 8 when a teacher snapped at a boy who was struggling to answer a question: "If you can't speak properly, why did you put your hand up?" The anger that rose in me was instant and fierce. I stood up for him — perhaps not in the most diplomatic way — and was promptly sent out of class. When the school called home later that day, my dad answered the phone. The irony wasn't lost on anyone.

In that assembly, I spoke honestly about how moments like that shaped me: the injustice I felt, the empathy I learned and the pride I have in my dad. What I didn't realise was that this story would connect me with someone who was living that same experience every day — my student, Laila.

Laila's story

I've had a stammer for as long as I can remember. Some days it's hardly there; other days, it's like my words get stuck somewhere between my brain and my mouth. Navigating school can be tough — reading aloud, answering questions or even chatting with friends; it made me feel so self-conscious to speak.

When I heard Ms Lovel's assembly about her dad, it was the first time I'd ever heard a teacher talk about stammering in such an honest, human way. I wanted to say thank you, but I was nervous. Eventually, I went to find her and told her I had a stammer too.

We talked about how frustrating it can be when people say, "Oh, I stammer when I'm nervous too." It's not like that. It's part of who I am — not something caused by nerves or fear. I also told her about my part-time job answering phones in a busy takeaway. It terrified me at first, but I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it.

That conversation was the start of something bigger.

...it was the first time I'd ever heard a teacher talk about stammering in such an honest, human way.

Together

Julia: We realised there wasn't much out there created by teenagers, for teenagers about stammering. We wanted to change that. With support from Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust and The Consortium Academy Trust, we created Just Listen — a learner-led educational project shaped entirely by young people who stammer.

Just Listen includes student assemblies, staff training for educators and a short film told through teenage voices — not adults speaking for them. It's about understanding, courage and empathy — and it officially launches this International Stammering Awareness Day (22 October 2025).

What we've learned 

Julia: "For me, this journey has come full circle. The little girl who once watched people underestimate her dad now stands beside students like Laila — strong, brave young people who are changing perceptions one story at a time."

Laila: "I used to wish my stammer would disappear. Now, I wouldn't change it. It's part of who I am. It's made me resilient — and it's helped me find my voice."

Julia: Just Listen isn't about fixing or speaking for anyone. It's about creating space for young people to be heard — exactly as they are.

Watch the video below and scroll down further to download resources from the Just Listen pack. Are you a teacher or teaching assistant? Why not join the STAMMA Educators stammering network.