Poets in Schools

Inviting a poet into your school supports teaching of both reading and writing; it is exciting for pupils and teachers and encourages pupils to write and to see writing as worthwhile. It also has dividends right across the curriculum particularly in terms of planning, drafting and revising work. A visit from a poet encourages awareness of styles, imagery, structure and audience whilst promoting the sharing of ideas and approaches. 

The Poetry Society has been organising poet placements in schools for over 30 years. 

How do I begin organising
 a poet visit?

Before finding a poet to bring into your school, it's important that you have some idea of what you're looking for in a poet, and what you would like your students to gain from their visit. Do you want a one day visit, a regular creative writing club, or a year long residency?

Using your answers to our questions on the Poet in School Form (below) we will draw up a list of poets in your area, using our nationwide database of education poets. We will cherry-pick the poets who are most suited to your requirements and who we think would work best with your school. You can choose freely from this list of poets (we supply biographies as well so you can browse through specialised areas, keystages and work experience) and we will then contact the poets on your behalf to check their availability. Once we are able to confirm this, we can put you directly in touch with the poet so you can set dates/times and plan further details.   

Poet in School Questionnaire

 Any further questions please email or phone 0207 420 9897