Partners & Local Champions
A promising educational idea deserves to be tested properly.
EmpowerEd Novels began as a classroom experiment: could a personalised graphic novel help a young person who rarely sees themselves represented to feel more visible, motivated and included?
Early experiences have been encouraging, but they are not yet evidence that the approach will work consistently or at scale. We are now seeking support to create more books, evaluate their educational value and, if funding allows, test the wider Ripple Model through schools, libraries and local communities.
As I have developed the proposal, I have discussed EmpowerEd Novels with educational leaders including Dame Alison Peacock, President of the Chartered College of Teaching, and Professor Simon Peyton Jones, Chair of the National Centre for Computing Education.
These conversations have helped sharpen the central challenge: encouraging individual experiences are not enough. The project now needs a carefully designed pilot to establish what works, which parts of the experience make a difference, and whether the effects can be reproduced with other students.
Help Us Take the Next Step
EmpowerEd Novels is seeking its first Founding Partners, alongside organisations and individuals who may be able to support a smaller part of the pilot. Every contribution helps us create books, work with more students and gather stronger evidence about what the approach can—and cannot—achieve.
The level of funding will shape the scale of the pilot. Smaller contributions will allow us to test the personalised books with students and collect structured feedback. Founding Partner support will enable the fuller Ripple Model, including printed books, school and library placements, local community participation and a more substantial independent evaluation.
The aim is not to assume that EmpowerEd Novels is already a proven solution. It is to investigate whether the promising experiences seen so far can be reproduced, understood and developed responsibly.
- Supporters help fund personalised digital or printed books and enable us to begin gathering evidence with students.
- Founding Partners make the fuller pilot possible, including the Ripple Model, community placements and independent evaluation.
- Local Champions help test whether visible encouragement, community readings and positive role models add value beyond the book itself.
- Educators and Researchers help design, evaluate and improve the pilot so that conclusions are based on evidence rather than enthusiasm alone.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is EmpowerEd Novels?
▼EmpowerEd Novels is an educational innovation that uses responsible AI to create personalised graphic novels in which young people become the heroes of science-driven adventures.
The project is designed particularly for young people who rarely see themselves represented in educational stories. It brings together storytelling, science, identity and aspiration to make learning feel more visible, relevant and personally meaningful.
What is the goal of the pilot?
▼The pilot will investigate whether personalised graphic novels can strengthen young people's sense of representation, belonging, motivation, confidence and educational engagement.
It will also examine how the intervention works in practice, including the contribution made by the finished book, the character-creation process, teacher support and the wider learning experience.
The research questions, proposed theory of change, evaluation approach and delivery roadmap are set out on the Pilot page.
Why should my organisation support this?
▼EmpowerEd Novels is designed to create value for both young people and the organisations that make the pilot possible.
Rather than traditional sponsorship or advertising, Founding Partners demonstrate their commitment to responsible innovation, inclusion and educational opportunity by helping to deliver and evaluate a meaningful educational project.
Partners receive lasting recognition as organisations that invested in educational research and opportunity at an early stage. They are able to showcase those values through a tangible initiative with measurable educational outcomes, while respecting appropriate safeguarding and educational boundaries.
For organisations committed to environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals, corporate social responsibility (CSR), responsible AI or community engagement, the pilot provides an opportunity to support an innovative educational project with the potential to generate evidence, practical learning and lasting social impact.
When will the pilot take place?
▼Pilot preparation will begin during the Autumn Term of 2026. Funding and delivery partnerships secured by the end of October 2026 will determine the final size, design and timetable of the pilot.
A smaller cohort will support an exploratory feasibility study. Greater funding will allow more students and settings to participate, stronger evaluation and a small pilot team to support production, school liaison, delivery and analysis.
What happens if the full funding target is not reached?
▼The project is designed to operate at different funding levels. The funding available by the end of October 2026 will determine the largest responsible pilot that can be delivered.
Smaller contributions can support a tightly scoped exploratory pilot focused on feasibility, student experience and improving the delivery model. Greater funding can support a larger cohort, printed books, additional settings, independent evaluation input and follow-up activity.
Each level of funding supports a defined piece of work rather than remaining unused while the project waits for a single all-or-nothing target.
Partner contributions will be managed by Metamorphorces Ltd, the company developing EmpowerEd Novels, and used solely for the agreed pilot activities. The scope of the pilot will reflect the funding secured by October 2026. If circumstances require changes to the delivery plan, Founding Partners will be consulted before any significant changes are made.
What does the £12,500 pilot budget support?
▼The £12,500 target is intended to fund a complete educational pilot, not simply the production of personalised books.
The budget would support project coordination, school or MAT liaison, student onboarding and safeguarding processes, book creation, editorial review, printing, quality assurance, delivery support, evaluation and publication of the findings.
John O'Hare would lead the work, supported by a small, time-limited pilot team assembled around the educational, production, delivery and evaluation needs of the project.
What is the Ripple Model?
▼The Ripple Model asks whether the value of a personalised story can extend beyond the child receiving the book.
It proposes that sharing the books through schools, families, libraries and community activity may make representation, inclusion and aspiration more publicly visible.
The personalised-book intervention will be tested first. If the initial findings are encouraging, the wider Ripple Model would become a separate research question for a later and more substantial study.
How will the pilot be evaluated?
▼The evaluation will distinguish between immediate enjoyment, short-term motivation, sustained engagement and wider educational outcomes rather than treating them as the same result.
Depending on the size of the funded pilot, the approach may include defined outcome measures, pre- and post-participation evidence, teacher observations, student discussions, comparison materials, follow-up activity and independent academic or evaluation input.
The purpose is to produce useful evidence about what works, what does not, for whom, and under what conditions. The detailed approach is described on the Pilot page.
If we secure funding, one of the first steps is to appoint an independent evaluation partner. We are already in discussions with academics who have expressed interest in the educational questions
What would count as a successful pilot?
▼Success means producing trustworthy evidence and a clear basis for deciding what should happen next.
This includes establishing whether the intervention can be delivered safely, consistently and affordably; whether students and teachers engage with it; whether there are measurable indications of change; and where the model needs to be refined.
Positive, mixed and negative findings would all contribute to understanding whether the project should be expanded, redesigned, narrowed or discontinued.
How are safeguarding, privacy and governance managed?
▼Any pilot involving schools will only proceed with appropriate parental consent, school approval, safeguarding procedures and GDPR-compliant data handling. Protecting children's privacy and wellbeing is a fundamental requirement of the project.
Children do not upload photographs of themselves. Instead, they create a fictional hero they identify with by choosing characteristics such as appearance, interests, aspirations and, where relevant, disability or cultural representation. The resulting character is inspired by the child but is not intended to be a portrait or digital copy of them.
Pilot funding will support defined areas including project coordination, book production, programme delivery, safeguarding, evaluation, printing and educational resources. The final pilot plan, governance arrangements and allocation of funding will be agreed with participating partners before the pilot begins.
EmpowerEd Novels is developed through METAMORPHORCES, a UK-registered social-impact innovation studio. METAMORPHORCES LTD is registered in England and Wales (Company No. 16516715).
Which schools will take part in the pilot?
▼EmpowerEd Novels is currently seeking its first school and Multi Academy Trust (MAT) partners for the Autumn 2026 pilot. Funding secured by October 2026 will help determine the scale of the pilot and the number of participating students and schools.
Working with one or more MATs will help ensure the pilot is practical for schools, supported by experienced education professionals and capable of generating meaningful evidence to inform future development.
We welcome conversations with schools, MATs, libraries and educational organisations interested in helping shape the first independent pilot.
We believe it would be inappropriate to ask schools to commit staff time and resources before funding is in place. Once Founding Partners are confirmed, the first stage of the pilot is to appoint school or Multi Academy Trust partners and agree the final pilot design together.
Who leads the project?
▼The project is led by John O'Hare, a classroom teacher, Fulbright Teaching Scholar, Fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching and Chartered Teacher with experience across education, research, technology and innovation.
He holds an MPhil with Distinction and a PGCE from the University of Cambridge and was previously Head of Innovations at Nokia. EmpowerEd Novels brings together his classroom experience with his background in learner motivation, responsible technology and programme development.
At the fuller funding level, John would lead a pilot team rather than acting as the sole producer, school liaison, delivery coordinator and evaluator.
Why fund an early-stage educational pilot?
▼Early-stage funding allows promising educational ideas to be tested before substantially larger sums are committed.
EmpowerEd Novels already has a working platform and completed personalised books. The next step is to move from product development and individual experiences to structured delivery, evaluation and published learning.
Partners are supporting a defined programme of investigation: testing the educational value, practical feasibility, cost and limitations of the approach.
What recognition do Founding Partners receive?
▼Founding Partners receive lasting recognition for helping make the pilot possible, subject to appropriate safeguarding and educational boundaries.
This allows organisations to demonstrate practical support for responsible innovation, inclusion and educational opportunity without turning children's books or learning experiences into advertising materials.
How can my organisation or I get involved?
▼Organisations can support the complete pilot as Founding Partners or contribute to a smaller defined element such as personalised books, printing, evaluation, production support or activity within one school or community.
Schools and MATs can participate as delivery partners. Educators, researchers and evaluators can help strengthen the study design. Local Champions may become involved in a later community or Ripple phase where appropriate.
An initial conversation can explore the most useful contribution without creating an immediate commitment.
Contact John O'Hare .