Celebrating National Poetry Day

From sensory walks around the school grounds to creative writing in the classroom, boys across the Foundation celebrated National Poetry Day last week, exploring the theme of Wonder and discovering the power of poetry to express ideas, share experiences and see the world in new ways. 

Marked on Thursday 1 October, National Poetry Day is an annual celebration of poetry, encouraging people of all ages to read, write, perform and enjoy it. This year’s theme invited pupils to embrace curiosity, reflect on the world around them and find wonder in the everyday. 

At the heart of the Foundation’s celebrations was Wonder in Every Voice, a collaborative project bringing students together to create one poem, with every student contributing a line of their own. 

Poetry at the Foundation 

Poetry plays an important role in the English curriculum, helping develop vocabulary, explore language, recognise literary techniques and appreciate how words can communicate meaning, emotion and ideas. But its value extends well beyond the classroom. 

Through reading, discussing and creating poetry, students are encouraged to develop their imagination, reflect on their experiences and find their own voices. Poetry offers an accessible way to explore feelings, identity the world around them, while building confidence in both written and spoken expression. 

Research from the National Literacy Trust also highlights the wider benefits. Its 2026 research found that children and young people who write poetry are more likely to enjoy writing more generally, reinforcing the value of giving opportunities to experiment with words and express themselves creatively. 

The Foundation’s celebrations embraced this approach, demonstrating that poetry does not have to rhyme, follow a set structure or be lengthy to be meaningful.  Throughout the week, learning groups explored a variety of poetry activities, each offering a different starting point for creativity. 

How we celebrated 

Some students took part in sensory walks around the school grounds, using what they could see, hear, and experience to spark ideas and inspire their writing.  

In the classroom, boys experimented with different poetic forms and techniques, including acrostic poems and kennings - a traditional form of figurative expression that describes something through a creative combination of words. Others explored poetry through the five-clue rule, developing their ability to communicate ideas in imaginative and carefully chosen language. 

One school. One poem. Many voices

The centrepiece of this year’s celebrations was Wonder in Every Voice, a Foundation-wide project inspired by the theme of Wonder and this term’s value of Close Collaboration. 

Rather than asking every student to write an entire poem independently, the project invited each student to contribute just one line. These individual contributions were then brought together to create a collective poem (below), reflecting the different ideas, interests, experiences, hopes and questions of students across the Foundation.

A specially created piece of artwork acts as a beautiful visual to support the project, which gave the boys a shared opportunity to display the written word creatively. 

The artwork was inspired by the poem and demonstrates how our students looked beyond the obvious, followed their curiosity and translated the words into their own creative interpretations.  

Keeping poetry alive beyond the day 

While National Poetry Day provided a focal point for the celebrations, the hope is that the students’ engagement with poetry will continue long after the event itself. 

By introducing poetry through a wide range of forms, subjects and activities, the Foundation aims to show that it can be enjoyable, relevant and accessible to everyone. 

From exploring established poets and performing work aloud to writing about personal interests or taking inspiration from the natural world, there are countless ways for students to continue developing their creativity and confidence. 

Ultimately, Wonder in Every Voice celebrates more than poetry alone. It recognises the importance of giving every student an opportunity to express themselves, to appreciate the perspectives of others and to contribute to something shared. 

One line at a time, the students have demonstrated that poetry can bring a community together.