Portsmouth Pupil Poet Laureate
I am proud to have worked with Portsmouth Education Partnership (PEP) for two years in a row, as part of their Pupil Poet Laureate project from 2023 - 2025. This role was funded by PEP .
This year's ambitious programme sought to engage schools across Portsmouth through a series of vlogs and online resources, bringing the Portsmouth Pupil Poet Laureate Project to all schools within the Portsmouth area.
During this project we explored Portsmouth and its landscapes of sea, city and green space, and in doing so encourage KS2 & KS3 aged pupils to explore poetry, poetic language, themes and techniques in order to produce their own poetry, nurture a love of the spoken word and develop oracy skills.
The project culminated in a celebratory podcast. which you can find below:
Portsmouth Pupil Poet Laureate 2024/2025
words from the sea
The theme for the autumn term was Words From The Sea and pupils focused on how to gather resources in order to inspire their own work.
The first vlog looked at The Mary Rose, Tudor poetry, sea shanties and sailing superstitions.
words from the city
The theme for the spring term was Words from The City and focused on the use of language in poetry, the rhythms used and how pupils can hone their words to create powerful messages.
The second vlog looked at the birth place of Charles Dickens', explored his poetry, discovered kennings in Portsmouth city and created maps with poetry
words from the green spaces
The theme for the summer term was Words from The Green Spaces and focused on pupils growing their confidence by learning performance skills in order to share their poetry with others.
The final vlog explored the poetry of the South Downs, Anglo Saxon narrative charms and the poetry that can be found in birdsong.
Portsmouth Pupil Poet Laureate 2023/2024
TESTIMONIALS
Some highlights from the feedback so far for the Poet Laureate Programme has shown that pupils have expressed the following:
An increased enjoyment and enthusiasm for writing
A sense of being rewarded through being given an opportunity to be involved
Improved confidence in reading and writing
Improved confidence in interacting with people outside of the normal school setting
A new/improved interest in Literature
Feedback from Portsmouth Education Partnership
Storyteller Dawn Nelson has worked an indescribable magic from Year R all the way up to Y12. From Norse and Greek myths, to local tales and folklore from the land, I have had the genuine joy of watching the children listen, sing and join in with call and response (as if they all knew beforehand that they had a part to play!).
Young people's ability to focus for long periods is often underestimated because of increasing reliance on technology. What today proved to me is that if you put a brilliant storyteller in front of them with a hoard of fantastic stories, they will listen, they will stop fidgeting, they do fall into the depths of the narrative to emerge triumphant at the other side.
'Dawn Nelson created a wonderfully safe space for pupils to learn how to perform poetry, something that the overloaded curriculum doesn't have much time for.'
Bryony Hart, Teacher Of English & Whole School Literacy, Portsmouth Grammar School
'The pleasure and power of story! During Lit Soc hearing a sixth former join you in singing each refrain of the chorus was delightful'
Dr Carol Webb, Head Librarian, Portsmouth Grammar School
'What a fantastic day. Pupil’s were still sharing their experiences on Friday. Thank you for your visit and the inspiration for our young people.'
Alice Reader, Learning Support, Portsmouth Grammar School
