National Poetry Day is is held on the first Thursday of October. This year, National Poetry Day is on Thursday 3 October 2024 and the theme is COUNTING.
Every year World Book Day is the first Thursday in March – this year the date is Thursday 7th March. There are lots of resources for primary schools on the UK World Book Day website here: https://www.worldbookday.com/resources/primary/
I’m already booked for one day that week, so if you are thinking you might like a poet to come into your school to liven things up, please do contact me early to avoid disappointment.
Well the Summer is almost over and teachers will be thinking about going back to work. Already planning a few lessons, probably. I hope you will be thinking about some poetry orientated lessons for National Poetry Day, which is coming up on Thursday 5th October. If you need a little help, there are some FREE LESSON PLANS and other resources for National Poetry Day on the NPD website: https://nationalpoetryday.co.uk/resources/
The theme this year is REFUGE, which is a great one for our current times. There are some poems on that theme on the NPD website here: https://nationalpoetryday.co.uk/poems/
I still have some availability that week, if you want me to come to your school to perform and run workshops, but please contact me soon to avoid disappointment.
There was a warm welcome from the outset for me and my guitar, when I visited St Mary’s C of E Primary School, Stoke on Trent, on Tuesday. I led poetry workshops with years 2, 3 and 5. A highlight was working with year 5 to compose a class poem (with guitar accompaniment) about Macbeth, which they have been studying. The weather was an added bonus, meaning we could have my poetry performance outside for the Reception children. We ended the day with a whole school assembly, and each class presented a selection of the poems that they had produced during the day. Then I rounded things off with a performance of some of my own poems. Thanks everyone for a great day.
Every year World Book Day is the first Thursday in March – this year the date is Thursday 5th March. There are lots of resources for primary schools on the UK World Book Day website here: https://www.worldbookday.com/resources/primary/
I’ve already had enquiries about that week, so if you are thinking you might like a poet to come into your school to liven things up, please do contact me early to avoid disappointment.
I had a brilliant time at Greenfield Primary in Hyde celebrating World Book Day. It’s always great to see teachers and kids dressed up as their favourite book characters. We kicked off, as I usually do, with a performance to the whole school. There was plenty of enthusiastic participation from pupils and staff in the hall. Through the day I did eight class workshops. Each class, from Early Years to Year 6, produced a class poem (with guitar accompaniment) of excellent standard. Subjects covered included football, their school, friendships and music.
Thank you to Mrs Stokes who was inspired to write a little verse about my visit:
Bernard Young, Bernard Young,
We really loved the songs you’ve sung.
Thank you for travelling all this way
To Greenfield Primary School today.
On 22nd May, the anniversary of the Manchester Arena attack, I am looking forward to a day of creativity with E-ACT Blackley Academy to celebrate everything great about Manchester.
I’ll be performing some of my poetry to the whole school at the start of the day, then working with Reception children to compose poems celebrating Manchester.
In the afternoon I will be with a group of KS2 children and the plan is to write a school poem celebrating Blackley Academy itself.
Our thoughts will, of course, be with all of those who were affected by that awful event.
Well the country has had a challenging week with the snow and wind, accidents on the roads, people trapped on trains for hours, emergency services stretched to the limit and lots of schools closed. But I would like to thank all of the wonderful staff and pupils of the schools that I have visited this week for such a great time reading, performing and writing poetry.
I had a terrible journey from Manchester to Uttoxeter on Monday for my visit to St Mary’s C of E First School. It should have been less than 2 hours. I set off at 6:30am. I arrived at 11am! There was an accident on the M6 and the traffic just didn’t move at all for 1 hour 45 minutes. But at least I wasn’t stuck in a snow drift. Guess which of my poems I started with when I finally arrived.
Luckily, despite the weather, and having to get up early and clear the snow off my car, I made it to all of my other schools early for the rest of the week and they were open.
On Tuesday I was in Radcliffe-on-Trent Infants and Nursery School, and it was well worth the stay in the hotel just 7 miles away from them. I had a lovely email this morning as feedback from that visit that I would like to share with you.
“Thank you for your visit on Tuesday. I am glad you got home safely. We had snow days Thursday and Friday. The children and staff have been left really enthused by your visit. I had a couple of parents asking on Wednesday too about books so you may have had even more emails! I had a lovely email sent by a parent to the Head and Deputy Head so I thought you might like to read it…
Just wanted to a say a big thank you for organising the Bernard Young poet visit and the interactive sessions with him. Both my kids have been so inspired by him and poetry isn’t something we or they have read much of so been great to show them how poetry can work. Lucy has read every poem to us out the book she bought and loves the fact that it has been signed by him especially for her. Really lovely to see them so excited about it. Thank you, great idea. Please pass onto any other staff who have been involved in making it happen.”
I had great visits too with Bridgewater Primary, Little Hulton, Salford, St Joseph’s Catholic School, Winsford, and my 3rd visit to Summerville Primary School as their Patron of Reading, which I will write about in a separate post.
So all round a great week of poetry in schools and I also sold a good number of my new book, which was only published on 23rd February.
I’m delighted to announce that it has been confirmed today that I am Patron of Reading for Oldham Hulme Grammar School. We have some exciting things planned for my first visit on 12th September.
This is the second school that I am working with as Patron of Reading. The other is Summerville Primary School, Salford, where I have had one visit so far in May.
“A Patron of Reading is a school’s special children’s author, poet, storyteller or illustrator. The school and their patron develop a relationship over a period of time. Everything the patron does is related to helping encourage and develop a reading for pleasure culture in the school.” Read more about the scheme on the Patron of Reading website.
Bernard Young Poet 