Bring poetry into the heart of your school this National Year of Reading

By Fiona Kirk

Until recently I was the school librarian of an academy in east London, and I have been involved with Poetry by Heart, the national poetry speaking competition, from its inception in the academic year 2012/13. The competition was then open to students aged 14 to 18 years. They had to choose two poems to learn, one published before 1914 and another published post 1914, what is now known as the Classic competition. In 2018 the age range for students opened up to include those aged 7 to 13 years old and the Freestyle option of reciting one poem became available.

Running a Poetry by Heart competition is such a rewarding project to be involved in if you are passionate about the power of the spoken word and share a love of poetry. Poetry by Heart has been a highlight in my calendar and it has always been a joy observing students grow in confidence as they master their chosen poems. Taking part and learning a poem or two has always had a tremendous impact on the students, who often surprise themselves with their achievement. Coaching students who take part has always been a rewarding experience.

I remember attending a training event in 2013 at the National Portrait Gallery in London at which some of the finalists performed. Kaiti, the first ever champion, recited Sir Gawain and the Green Knight using the original text in the Northwest Midland dialect of Middle English. I had never heard the like before, such an impressive and unforgettable performance: a very well-deserved winner. You can listen to it still.

In the first three years of the competition local county heats were held in person. I remember a fantastic event held at Clapham Library in 2013 with Sir Andrew Motion as one of the judges. In 2014 the heat was held in the Soho Theatre, London – another exciting trip into town. Our school contestant Mariam, a year 13 student, performed Verses on the Burning of our House by Anne Bradstreet and The Fish by Elizabeth Bishop, both very long poems. Mariam was commended for her recitations and her choices were said to be amongst the most ambitious of all the contestants. Then in 2015 there was a trip to Romford Library for the East London heat. Jay gave a stunning performance of Robert Browning’s Porphyria’s Lover, a poem he had chosen from the timeline. His passionate heartfelt performance of The Show by Wilfred Owen also greatly impressed the judges. It was a fabulous evening of poetry.

In 2014 as part of the centenary of the start of the First World War, Poetry by Heart encouraged schools to run a competition to write a ‘Letter to the Unknown Soldier.’ This was a great opportunity for me to collaborate with the history department: letters could be from the post of view of the soldier, a relative or close friend or written from the point of view of someone living in 2014 to the soldier. The judging criteria included historical knowledge, imagination, creativity and empathy.

I have run Poetry by Heart in a number of ways over the years with participation ranging from three to twenty students. The competition was always promoted in assemblies and by posters around school. The English department were also asked to encourage and suggest possible contestants. Often though I found the best way to find contestants was to approach them directly, so students I already knew as regulars in the library. Another successful tactic I used once was to target drama club students with the assistance of the drama teacher. In most years, we held an in-house competition to determine who would be put forward for the nationals. I have a vivid memory of a student giving a faultless performance of The Listeners (Walter de la Mare) and The Stretcher Bearer (Thomas Crawford) to the respect and admiration of a group of completely dumbfounded Year 9 boys. Their reaction was priceless.

Students either chose poems themselves from the website timeline or from a collection of poems including Spellbound (Emily Bronte), The Witch (Mary Elizabeth Coleridge) and Checking Out Me History (John Agard) that I pre-selected to inspire them as some students find the timeline daunting.

In 2016-17 there was a switch to submitting entries by uploading films of student recitations rather than holding in-person local heats. This change brought a few challenges but I was always lucky in having help from the school media and marketing team.

In 2021 a student from school made it through to the KS4 Classic national final at Shakespeare’s Globe. Mohammed gave a tremendous performance of The Destruction of Sennarcherib (George Gordon Byron). His other entry had been a heartfelt performance of The Shout (Simon Armitage).

The following year Mohammed again made it to the finals. This time he performed Rouen by May Wedderburn Cannon live on stage after sitting a GCSE Chemistry paper in the morning! His performance was outstanding, full of passion and verve. Afterwards he described the occasion as being ‘really empowering, fun and a cathartic experience.’ The judges said ‘it was a great pleasure to hear a poem that is rarely chosen’ and one ‘that sets you many memorisation challenges.’ His second poem that year was Sing me a song of a lad that is gone (Robert Louis Stevenson). His ability to memorise long poems word perfectly never ceased to amaze me.

The finals are held at The Globe and are such an exciting event, with a real buzz in the air. All the performers, both students and staff, are wonderful. One year when I volunteered as a prompter I was on stage and that was quite nerve-racking enough for me.

Every entrant submitted to the national competition now receives a certificate with a grade and personalised feedback from the judges which is so encouraging for the students. The Poetry By Heart website and handbook are full of inspiring ideas and contain all the information you require to run a successful school competition.

The year 2024-25 has been my last but I feel that I ended on a high with three entries to the competition. Two were entered for the Freestyle KS3 earning a Commended and a Highly Commended. Reiley in Year 11 entered the Classic KS4 category winning Best in County: East London for his recitations of Ozymandias (Percy Bysshe Shelley) and The Soldier (Rupert Brooke which the judges praised for his ‘great clarity and emotion.’

I am so proud of all the students who took part in Poetry by Heart since 2012/13. It has been such an enjoyable experience. I cannot recommend being involved highly enough.

Fiona Kirk, School Librarian, The Excelsior Academy (2008-2025)