Written by Mr Brandreth, English Subject Leader, Saar

Poetry Day in the Infant and Junior Schools this year was extended this year, as children read, listened to and wrote poetry for the whole week leading up to the day itself. The themes were wide and varied, ranging from World War 1-inspired work in Year 6 to animal poems in Reception! The end products were extremely impressive, showing just how talented and creative our budding poets are. Performance was the name of the game as each class also welcomed a visiting teacher who read some of their favourite poems to them. These included work from poets such as Allan Ahlberg, Michael Rosen and Benjamin Zephaniah. Hopefully the children might be inspired to write some poetry at home. If they do, please bring it in to school. We would love to see it!

“It was great to hear the animal impressions when Mr Brandreth visited Reception B. And some were even from the children!” ~ Mrs Price

Written by Ms Dodson, Head of English, Isa Town

The theme of this year’s National Poetry Day at Senior School was ‘Change’. To celebrate the poetic form and engage with the theme, students were asked to consider how they might change the world.  Each tutor group was invited to contribute to a whole school poem about changing the world with students collaborating to write 2-3 lines together. In Enrichment, students participated in discussion about global change, using videos and slam poems to help generate ideas and consider different perspectives. Students worked together to share their views on how they might change the world via the use of a Flipgrid. In Year 7, 8 and 9 assemblies, students reflected on whether poetry has the power to change the world, listening to poems that inspired change, including the Langston Hughes’ poem ‘I Dream a World’, said to have inspired Martin Luther King Jr. The English department also ran their annual poetry competition with students submitting poems on the theme of ‘Change’. Listening to the students engage and talk so earnestly and passionately about how we might change the world gives enormous hope for the future; the world certainly looks like it will be a better place with our young people leading the way!