In May and June 2021, we held a Poetry Slam competition across the whole school, involving poetry writing and performance. Everyone had the opportunity to perform either their own poem or a poem of their choice (or both) in the class semi-finals. The 31 finalists then went forward for the Grand Slam Final, performing live (via Zoom) for our illustrious panel of judges. 

Andy Tooze - Poet from the Peaks - was impressed with the range of poems on offer and mentioned that the poems written by the children were equally as good as the ones written by famous people; you couldn't tell them apart!

English Lead at St Michael's High School, Melissa Magdi, loved the effort each finalist had put into the delivery and was inspired by the different styles of poems showcased.

Head judge and Chair of Governors, Karen Pemberton was blown away by the children being able to recite their poems off-by-heart and the confidence the children oozed!

Sam, Officer at Chorley Library, expressed how pleased she was with the actions and detail that had gone into preparing the poems so they could be enjoyed by the audience.

Before the judges deliberation, Andy tantalised our tastebuds by performing some of his poems, encouraging us to join in and perform them as well as inspiring us to write more poetry! The judges had a tough decision to make as all the finalists were incredible and should be proud of their achievements.

The winners were:

KS1 Performance Category - Joshua Y1

KS2 Performance Category - Ava-Lily and Martha Y3

KS1 Poems Written by Me Category - Jessica Y1

KS2 Poems Written by Me - Katie Y5

We would like to thank all our judges for supporting this event and all the children who took part in the Semi-Finals and Finals. A huge well done!  We have all gained so much from our poetry experiences!