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Colorful children's scene with a giant golden 'Poetry' title, surrounded by animals, a girl in blue, dragon, castle, train, and an open book.

Poetry

How do we explore poetry at St Stephen’s?

Poetry has a special place at St Stephen’s.

Children experience poems that make them laugh, wonder, imagine, question and think. They listen to poetry, explore language and meaning, learn poems by heart and enjoy bringing poems to life through performance.

Read it. Hear it. Explore it. Perform it. Remember it.

What does poetry look like at St Stephen’s?

Read Children encounter carefully chosen poems and poets throughout their time at St Stephen’s.
Hear Children listen to poetry being read and performed so that they can hear rhythm, expression, pace and the musical qualities of language.
Explore Children talk about words, images, patterns, meanings and ideas, developing vocabulary and confidence in discussing poetry.
Perform Children rehearse, recite and perform poems individually and together.
Remember Children learn poems and favourite lines by heart, building a growing bank of poetry they can carry with them.

 

What is our school poem?

Our school poem brings our whole community together through shared words, rhythm and performance, giving every child a poem to know, enjoy and remember.

What is our Poetry Spine?

Our Poetry Spine takes children from Nursery to Year 6 through a carefully chosen range of poems, poets, forms, voices and traditions.

Choose a year group to discover the poems children explore.

Nursery →
Reception →
Year 1 →
Year 2 →
Year 3 →
Year 4 →
Year 5 →
Year 6 →

Colorful school schedule showing poetry books by year and term from Nursery to Year 6, with each cell title and author.

Which poets will children meet?

Children meet poets from different periods, backgrounds and traditions.

Through their poems, children discover distinctive voices, memorable language and different ways of seeing the world.

Colorful school poster showing poets by year and term, with rows from Nursery to Year 6 and columns Autumn 1 to Summer 2, including small portrait illustrations and 'Traditional' label for each cell.

How can pupils explore poetry?

Our pupil poetry pages are designed for children to listen, join in, perform, remember and play with language.

Children can:

  • watch and listen to poetry performances
  • read along with poems
  • practise performing poetry
  • explore interesting words and phrases
  • try poetry challenges
  • discover different kinds of poems
  • create and share their own poetry

How can families enjoy poetry together?

Poetry at home can be simple, enjoyable and informal.

Families can find:

  • poems to read and perform together
  • ideas for talking about poetry
  • simple poetry activities
  • recommended poetry books
  • guidance for reluctant readers and writers
  • ideas for sharing poetry in home languages
  • family poetry challenges

You do not need to be a poetry expert. Sharing and enjoying the words together is what matters.

 

How do teachers teach poetry at St Stephen’s?

Our teacher poetry area brings together the resources and guidance needed to teach our Poetry Spine effectively.

Teachers can access:

  • the complete Poetry Spine
  • individual poetry unit guides
  • Essential Teacher Knowledge
  • lesson sequences
  • performance and oracy guidance
  • vocabulary support
  • SEND and EAL adaptations
  • assessment and reflection materials

What poetry are we celebrating this month?

Watch performances, discover pupils’ poetry and see how poetry is being celebrated across our school.

Visit Our Poetry Gallery →

Where can I start exploring poetry?

Choose the route that is right for you.

I am a pupil →
Listen, perform, play with language and discover new poems.

I am a parent or carer →
Share poetry at home and find ideas, books and activities.

I am a teacher →
Access the Poetry Spine, unit guides and teaching resources.

I want to explore the poems →
Browse every poem from Nursery to Year 6.