National Poetry Day is a UK-wide celebration of poetry taking place every October. Each year there is a different theme and in 2022 the theme was The Environment.
Canford pupils and staff celebrated the day with ‘Pop Up Poetry’, with poems placed around the school site for all to read, and poetry was incorporated into lessons. We were delighted to welcome Poet, Writer, Facilitator, Journalist and Editor, Carinya Sharples, to Canford as part of our celebrations. Carinya ran poetry workshops with all year groups and hosted a drop-in session for pupils to share their poetry with her. National Poetry Day also provided the opportunity to launch Canford’s House Poetry competition, and share the fantastic news of Lower Sixth pupil, Jasmine, winning the U18 category in the Hengistbury Head Writing Competition. Congratulations Jasmine! Jasmine’s poem, ‘Nature’s Symphony’ can be read here: Nature's Symphony
Jennifer Plater, Acting Head of English, was delighted with the enthusiasm for poetry across the school:
The response this year from the whole school was excellent: I had Biology teachers sending me elegies to larvae and Economics teachers sharing how poems track issues of the economy. All pupils really engaged with Carinya Sharples, creating poetry on the environment that was then developed in class. Carinya’s message was a key one: poetry is not some decorative art form that is inaccessible to most. Poetry is integral; poetry is necessary.