Poetry

Poetry

"May my tongue sing of your word."

Psalm 119:172

At Our Lady and St Joseph Primary School, we believe that poetry gives every child a voice. Through listening, performing, discussing and writing poetry, children learn to express their thoughts, emotions and experiences while developing a lifelong appreciation of language.

Using high-quality texts and the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE) teaching sequences, pupils explore poetry as readers, performers and writers. They discover that poems can make us laugh, think deeply, ask questions, celebrate the world around us and communicate feelings that are sometimes difficult to express in other forms of writing.

We aim for every child to leave OLSJ with confidence in reading, performing and creating poetry, recognising that everyone has something worth saying.

Our Poetry Journey

At OLSJ, every poetry unit follows a carefully planned learning journey that encourages children to become thoughtful readers and confident poets.

Learning Through CLPE

Our poetry curriculum is based on the high-quality teaching sequences developed by the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE). These carefully designed units place rich children's literature at the heart of learning and encourage children to experience poetry through reading, discussion, performance and creative writing.

Rather than teaching poetry as a collection of isolated forms, CLPE encourages children to understand how poets use language, rhythm, imagery and structure to communicate ideas and emotions. Throughout each unit, pupils revisit poems several times, deepening their understanding through discussion, performance and writing.

Becoming a Poet

From the Early Years to Year 6, children gradually develop the knowledge, skills and confidence needed to become independent poets.

As they move through the school, pupils learn to:

• enjoy listening to and reading a wide range of poems
• respond thoughtfully to poetry and discuss their interpretations
• perform poems with increasing confidence, expression and fluency
• recognise and use poetic devices such as rhyme, rhythm, repetition, imagery, similes, metaphors and personification
• experiment with different poetic forms and structures
• collect ideas and vocabulary from their own experiences
• draft, edit and improve their own writing
• develop a personal voice as a writer.

Children come to understand that poetry is not simply about rhyming words—it is about communicating ideas, emotions and experiences through carefully chosen language.

Poetry Across the Curriculum

Poetry supports learning across many areas of the curriculum. Through carefully chosen texts, children explore history, geography, science, music, art, personal experiences and wider global issues. Poetry encourages empathy, creativity and critical thinking while enriching children's vocabulary and spoken language.

Many poems also provide opportunities for meaningful discussion about emotions, identity, relationships and the wider world, helping children to develop confidence, resilience and respect for different perspectives.

Celebrating Poetry

Poetry is celebrated throughout the school community.

Children regularly:

• perform poetry in class and assemblies
• learn poems by heart
• publish their own poetry
• create classroom poetry displays
• share performances with families and peers
• celebrate national poetry events and themed weeks.

These opportunities help children develop confidence as speakers while fostering a genuine enjoyment of poetry.

Poetry at Home

Families play an important role in developing a love of poetry.

You can support your child by:

• reading poems together regularly
• encouraging them to perform favourite poems aloud
• talking about how poems make you think and feel
• exploring different poets and poetry collections
• helping them collect interesting words and ideas from everyday life
• encouraging them to write poems for enjoyment.

Sharing poetry at home helps children develop confidence, creativity and a lifelong appreciation of language.