Held every year on 21 March, World Poetry Day celebrates one of humanity’s most treasured forms of cultural and linguistic expression and identity. Practiced throughout history – in every culture and on every continent – poetry speaks to our common humanity and our shared values, transforming the simplest of poems into a powerful catalyst for dialogue and peace.

 

Poetry Assemblies 

Start your poetry day with a poetry assembly beamed straight to your hall or classroom! our assemblies can be tailored to meet the theme of your day - please contact us for details. 

"Each class thoroughly enjoyed the poetry workshops and enjoyed taking an active role in order to create their ideas. Using drama to create an orchestra of sounds for our soundscape poems was fantastic to see and I know that we plan to use this strategy with the children again! Thank you for inspiring the children, so they could create such wonderful ideas!" (Windsor CP School)

 

World Poetry Day: Standing on the Shoulders of Giants

Celebrate the lives and achievements of some amazing British writers from diverse backgrounds through highly engaging workshops taking a very active approach to poetry - and culminating in new and original poems written by the pupils themselves! And with every year group looking at a different writer, your school will discover a whole new world of poetry! The writers we have selected include …

 - Raymond Antrobus – winner of the 2019 Ted Hughes Award – and whose work is influenced by his experiences of deafness …

 - Malorie Blackman – who was spurred to write after realising that none of the characters in the books she had read as a child looked like her …

 - Levi Tafari – born in Liverpool, a performance poet who has worked within a wide range of music traditions – with partners from dance and drum band Delado to the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra …

 - Andrea Levy – proving that it’s never too late to write by publishing her first book at the age of thirty eight, sharing with the world some of the experiences of the Windrush Generation.

 - Benjamin Zephaniah – a hugely influential poet who, despite his dyslexia, received sixteen honorary doctorates, and was a Professor of Poetry and Creative Writing!

 - Rupinder Kaur – mixing influences from her family’s heritage in the Punjab with her experiences as a 21st century British Asian woman to create something entirely new.

 

"The immersion aspect was particularly effective in engaging the pupils and this led to high standards of written poetry. All teachers were full of praise for the workshops and were delighted with the pupil outcomes and engagement. We would love to arrange another visit for next year!" (Head of English, Immanuel and St Andrews School)

 

All Poetry Workshops

A Celebration in Rhyme

A Celebration in Rhyme

Working with up to 420 children to create and perform a School Poem in just one day! A celebration in
World Poetry Day - Standing on the Shoulders of Giants

World Poetry Day – Standing on the Shoulders of Giants

Celebrate the lives and achievements of some amazing British writers from diverse backgrounds through highly engaging workshops taking a very
Counting Achievement Through Poetry

Counting Achievement Through Poetry

Year on year, our National Poetry Day programmes prove popular and successful right across the country and we’ve developed a
International Women's Day Poetry Workshop

International Women’s Day Poetry Workshop

Celebrates the power of women working together, remembering their achievements through verse - and we have three particular collectives in
Poetry in Sight

Poetry in Sight

Our poetry writing workshops encourage pupils to play with words and rhythms while working to the restrictions imposed by different
Soundscape Poetry

Soundscape Poetry

Those pupils who said they don’t like poetry will be writing furiously at the end of this magical workshop. "The
Personification Poetry

Personification Poetry

What if Stonehenge could tell us all it has seen over the millennia – and all it has heard, too?
National Poetry Day School Workshops Refuge

Refuge Rhymes – Poetry

Inspiring and Reflective Poetry workshops for both Primary and Secondary Schools exploring the theme of "Refuge" "The immersion aspect was
Collaborative Poetry 

Collaborative Poetry 

Workshop Description These workshops can last between 30 and 90-minutes, depending on the number of classes you would like to
Cinquains of Truth – People Whose Choices Shaped the World

Cinquains of Truth – People Whose Choices Shaped the World

Progress towards equality in a diverse world has been made possible by people who made choices that, while sometimes causing
Poetry Live!

Poetry Live!

Poetry Live - Join one of our team for live workshops, beamed straight to the classroom! (Streamed Workshop) "Thank you
Messages from Space

Messages from Space

What do we know about Neptune? What’s the science of Saturn? And what's our understanding of Uranus? "The workshops were
The Poetry of Shakespeare

The Poetry of Shakespeare

With many of Shakespeare’s characters, it’s definitely not a case of “what you see is what you get”. So this
The Poet-Tree

The Poet-Tree

From tiny acorns … great verses grow … Every tree starts as a seed – a seed that germinates and
Outdoor Poetry

Outdoor Poetry

Across both the centuries and the continents, poets have taken inspiration from the outdoor world. And this intriguing workshop gives
Performance Poetry: Rhythm, Rhyme and Action

Performance Poetry: Rhythm, Rhyme and Action

A magical route to seeing how poems can be changed and transformed through choral speaking "We welcomed back Jackson from
Celebrations in Rhyme: Christmas

Celebrations in Rhyme: Christmas

Creating and performing a whole-school Seasonal Poem in just a single day! From Jingle Bells to White Christmas, from Silent