Mary Bean: A Champion of Young Storytellers

When I heard her on BCB 106.6 FM’s One-to-One with Carol Moss, her warmth flooded through the radio but so did awe at her journey. From a sporty schoolgirl to a transformative educator, Ofsted inspector, author, and now my partner in StoryQuest, Mary’s life is a love letter to Bradford’s children and their stories. You can listen to her full interview at https://listenagain.bcbradio.co.uk/ Thursday 21st August 12noon OnetoOne with Carol Moss to hear her passion firsthand.

Mary grew up in a tight-knit Bradford family, her dad a carpenter and war veteran with perforated eardrums from D-Day, her mum a nurse who met him dancing in Bingley. With a sister and a brother ten years younger, she thrived at Thornton Grammar, Bradford’s only mixed grammar school then. “It was idyllic,” she told Carole, her voice bright with memories of hockey, netball, tennis, and A-levels in English, French, and German. She dreamed of PE college, but family pressures meant waiting. Instead, she worked in Leeds Library and at Green Lane’s unfortunately named Remedial Centre before marrying Doug – a tall, handsome PE teacher she met at her brother’s football matches. Fifty-six years later, they’re still together, having raised Mark, Sarah and four grandchildren.

Aged 28, when a friend offered to watch Mary’s young daughter Sarah, Mary grabbed her chance, enrolling at Bradford College as a “guinea pig” in its first Diploma in Higher Education cohort. Placements at All Saints, St Barnabas, and other primaries ignited her passion for children’s writing. “I always wanted to be a teacher,” she said, and her BEd (Hons) was just the start. Her first job at Wellington Primary was six years of magic. Under a headteacher she still visits at 96, Mary and her team, built a creative haven. Residentials at Inglebrough Hall meant night walks, cave adventures, and poetry that poured from children’s hearts. “I’ve still got their poems and wonderful writing,” she said, pride in her voice. “We gave them freedom to create without fear.” Today’s health and safety rules might wince, but those gentle risks shaped confident kids.

A one year secondment to Leeds University for a Master’s in Education, thanks to her reputation for developing children’s writing, deepened her craft. Her dissertations on story development and writing planning were a spark. “The university was so professional,” she said, “with professors to back you up.” It gave her tools to champion creativity, especially for children in tough spots.

That passion took her to Reevy Hill Primary on Buttershaw estate, where Rita, Sue and Bob Too was written and filmed. As deputy head and special needs coordinator, she handled 33 case conferences in a year, supporting children from complex backgrounds. “Some had never seen a sheep or knew what a view was,” she said. With a countryside warden, she led Lake District and Whitby residentials and breakfast clubs, building trust through hands-on learning. Parents weren’t always grateful, “One moaned about lost underpants!” but Mary’s heart stayed with the children.

Her biggest challenge was headship at Parkwood Primary in Keighley, a school split across three buildings, serving a diverse, deprived community. “It was struggling,” she admitted.

Inspired by an American Comer Project, - The School Development Project spearheaded by Dr James P. Comer - she launched the Parkwood Project, integrating social workers, mental health professionals and parents, and businesses like Peter Black. With a stellar chair of governors and local support, she bridged divides. “White and Asian parents stood apart in the playground at first,” she recalled. It was hard, but her team created connection and harmony. Her education-business partnerships earned her a Royal Society of Arts fellowship and a Buckingham Palace Garden Party invite, a proud moment.

As an Ofsted inspector, Mary saw schools anew. “I wanted to know what they’d do to mine,” she grinned. It was enlightening! She did over a hundred inspections over several years and was seconded to Ofsted for a year.

She also authored Practical Approaches to Writing in the Primary School, preserving examples of children’s work and sharing the process.

In retirement, she stayed active, governing at Harden Primary, supporting her grandchildren, and playing racketball, tennis, and now pickleball with the U3A. “It’s the camaraderie,” she said, “exercise, coffee and chats with friends, some who’ve lost partners or suffered illnesses. It lifts you up.”

Then came Story Quest, our shared adventure. 12 months ago, I showed Mary a draft book I co-wrote with my son Gabriel, who I see just an hour a week over Facetime. it’s a tale of adventure through Gabriel’s lens, and Mary’s eyes lit up. “Kate, get this into schools,” she urged. She was right.

We’ve since run workshops in Bradford primaries for Year 5 and 6 children, who pair up to share their own imaginative stories with a partner who jots notes to ensure no idea is lost, free from perfection and fuelled with purposeful self-expression as they enter a world where anything is possible. “Kids are so constrained now,” Mary sighed, lamenting how academisation prioritizes behaviour over imagination. “We tell them: no boundaries, just imagine.” The result? School anthologies and a planned Bradford-wide collection, with 99% of kids loving the freedom to “let go.”

Mary’s life is full of full-circle moments, like reconnecting with Duncan Hall, a serious boy she taught whose writing she cherished. Now a children’s author and sociology professor, we hope he will join our Story Quest Celebration event.

Mary’s playlist, Copacabana for caravan holidays, Any Dream Will Do for school plays and musicals, Bring Him Home, Somewhere, Smile for resilience, and The Way We Were for those with dementia, the first album she and Doug bought together, weaves through her story. That last one hit me hard.

Mary teases, “Kate, I’m retired!” but her life tells a different story. From Wellington’s joyful residentials to Parkwood’s bold reforms and now StoryQuest, she’s still inspiring children, just like she’s inspired me and Gabriel.

In a world of rigid curricula, Mary Bean’s legacy is a reminder: give children a chance to tell their stories, and they’ll write their own futures. The one concept that came out of all her work with children is motivation. If children are engaged in their learning, the sky’s the limit.