Current opportunities
We are currently seeking schools in London to get involved in our fully funded poetry programme for class groups of students in Years 5 to 9 from Autumn 2021. The project will run throughout the school year and will involve:
- Engagement with a local cultural venue, through a class visit or similar activity
- A poetry workshop with local professional poet, in-school or virtual
- Opportunity for students to perform their poetry, and to be published in an anthology
- A free Audible account providing great audiobooks to inspire your students
To register your interest please email Francesca Bonafede
Participant information
This area is for schools involved in the Young City Poets (London) project and downloads on this page are restricted to programme participants.
Any resources for your pre-visit or follow-up activities can be downloaded from this page. This area also includes a skeleton scheme of work and a copy of the handbook.
The project
Through a visit to an iconic London venue, including the Tower of London, the Barbican and St Paul's Cathedral, Young City Poets helps to inspire pupils to write poetry of their own. In 2020/21 we will be working with 45 schools and nine cultural venues across London.
Following the visit to a cultural venue, schools taking part in the project receive a workshop with a poet or spoken word artist to help the pupils shape and develop their poems. Teachers taking part in the project reported improvements in their pupils' attitudes to writing and attainment.
This project is aimed at groups of reluctant writers in Years 5 to 9 from state schools with over 25% of pupils receiving free school meals.
If you have any questions please contact francesca.bonafede@literacytrust.org.uk
Schools will receive
- A teacher CPD focusing on using a memorable experience to inspire reluctant writers
- A memorable experience for students (this could involve a visit to a cultural venue or a socially distanced alternative)
- An online or in person visit from a poet to work with the class on editing and performing their poems
- Membership of the National Literacy Trust worth £100, with access to courses and resources to support literacy teaching in school
- The opportunity for students to perform their poetry either online or in person (TBC)
- A free Audible account full of great audiobooks to inspire your students
- A chance for students to be published in an anthology.
We ask
- That you deliver at least five lessons with your class, using the venue workshop as inspiration for their poetry writing
- That you nominate and ensure the inclusion of your students in the performance and publishing opportunities
- That you and your students complete the post-project evaluation survey
- That you complete all visits and workshops by the end of spring term 2020
- That you copy francesca.bonafede@literacytrust.org.uk into all emails with cultural venues and poets
Timeline
- Autumn term 2020: training sessions
- January/February 2021: working with your allocated cultural venue
- February/March 2021: a workshop from your allocated professional poet
Follow-up activities include the publication of an anthology of students' poetry, and performance opportunities
Our cultural partners
- Barbican
- Keats House
- London Metropolitan Archives
- Museum of London
- Tower Bridge
- The London Mithraeum
- St Paul's Cathedral
- Guildhall Art Gallery
The resources
(Download from the right hand section of the page)
Mini unit of work
This resource has been created to support learning for pupils in Years 5 to 9 who are participating in the Young City Poets project. The resource includes a series of lessons that explore the different forms of poetry being taught as part of this project. It offers a range of activities that have been designed to develop pupils’ poetry writing skills and prepare them for a performance of their poems. It also includes a detailed list of poems that can be used as models throughout the project.
Please note schools doing the in-class sessions with the Barbican Centre or Guildhall Art Gallery will be getting their own scheme of work shortly.
Membership resource pack
A detailed overview of the workshop students will participate in with their allocated cultural venue.
This includes:
- Some suggested pre-workshop activities
- Homework tasks to complement each venue’s workshop.
Each workshop focuses on a different poetic form. Teachers, librarians and literacy coordinators can also use these resources to help plan future cultural visits, and to support the teaching and learning of poetry in their school.
Slides from the CPD and Soirée
CPD slides: These outline the structure of the project and its main aims and objectives of the project. They also highlight the main findings of the most recent Young City Poets evaluation report, which explains the effect of using a memorable experience and working with a real writer on young people’s attitudes to writing.
Soirée slides: these outline our research around poetry and using audio in the classroom. They also include a list of amazing poetry resources which are well worth having a look at.