Education

News in Brief


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The education work of the Poetry Society is integral to its remit to 'help poets and poetry thrive in Britain today'. For over thirty years, we have worked to place poets in schools, provide teacher training and develop resources for pupils and teachers. In recent years, we have published two highly acclaimed publications, The Poetry Book for Primary Schools (eds. Anthony Wilson and Sian Hughes) and Jumpstart Poetry in the Secondary School (Cliff Yates), both of which were supported by the Arts Council's 'Arts for Everyone' scheme. We also run the Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award, the Rise Londonwide Youth Slam Championship, and Poetryclass, as INSET training project which was originally funded by the DCSF (formerly the DFEE and DFES).

 

Poets in Schools

The Poets in Schools scheme is one of the most successful, well established and high profile areas of the Poetry Society's work, setting standards for good practice which have been widely copied. Poetry is often perceived as a difficult subject to teach, and poets provide new inspiration and ideas for teachers. Whether or not you have worked with a poet at your school before, it is always best to contact us first to discuss project plans, costs and possible sources of funding. The Poetry Society works with poets throughout the United Kingdom, and we are the best placed organisation to recommend the right poet for your school, whether it be for a one-off workshop, a reading, or an after-school literacy club.



Poetryclass INSET training for teachers   

Poetryclass takes the fear out of teaching poetry. Our unique INSET training, led by professional poets, provides teachers with new insight into the reading and writing of poetry, not only as a creative end in itself, but also as a lively and engaging way of raising standards in literacy and developing language skills. Our Poetryclass sessions also begin from the premise that teachers are writers themselves, which is often forgotten - our INSET classes give teachers the time, space and opportunity to produce their own writing, as well as boosting their confidence in the teaching of poetry.


Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award

Open to anyone aged 11-17, the Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award is the most prestigious young national poetry competition, attracting entries from around the world. It is entirely free to enter, and an individual can send as many poems as they like on any topic. 


Rise Londonwide Youth Slam Championship

Slam is the competitive art of performance poetry, where participants present their original poems in front of a live audience and a group of judges chosen from that audience. First presented by the Poetry Society and the Mayor of London in 2002, the Rise Slam (formerly the Respect Slam) is a collaborative project aimed at young people between 12 and 18 who live or study within Greater London. Based around writing and performing original work on the theme of respect, finalists and professional performance poets share the stage in a spectacular showcase finale.


Tailor-Made Projects

In recent years, we have developed larger-scale teaching projects with Education Action Zones, Excellence in Cities clusters and LEA's. Working with poets in residence over an extended period with groups of schools, provides excellent value for money, unites schools around shared literacy targets, pools resources and allows for extended literacy developement for pupils involved.


Future Education Work at the Poetry Society

As we approach our Centenary in 2009, and look ahead to London 2012, the Poetry Society are keen to raise our profile and develop our programme of events, education and outreach work and resources.

We have had a strong focus in the past on providing workshops and training for schools and teachers, and we wish to continue this work whilst also extending the project work we do in the community, providing innovative, dynamic projects to encourage participation.

We are now looking forward to a new programme of Creative Learning, promoting inclusion for young people and adults, building in long-term and permanent outreach projects focusing on supporting the needs of individuals, schools and the community.

We hope that this outreach project will be the first of many, supporting and benefiting both our local community and the rest of the UK in delivering Education and Literacy programmes with a strong focus on inclusion.

SCHOOLS

 


YOUNG POETS

 

COMMUNITIES

  • Poems for...           Supplies small poem-posters in praise of diversity for public display in waiting rooms, classrooms & libraries.

Education Snail