Preparing for your poet visit

If you’re thinking about booking a poet to visit your school, you might want to take some time to consider the following factors and discuss them with your colleagues first.

When would you like the visit to take place?

Will it be a one-off full day in the summer term, a half-day on a Monday morning, a regular after school club? A lot will depend on your budget but you might also have specific goals you’d like a poet to work towards with the pupils. Bear in mind that poets often get booked up around events such as National Poetry Day and World Book Day, so it’s useful to be flexible too.

Which year group(s) would you want the poet to work with?

It is unlikely the poet will be able to cover every class in one day! Most poets are happy to do an introductory reading/assembly and then work in small workshop groups. The benefit to pupils is greatest when the poet is able to work with a group over a longer period; we strongly recommend that, where possible, the poet is able to spend a full morning/afternoon with each group.

How many pupils do you envisage being in a workshop with the poet at one time?

We recommend not more than 25-30 pupils in one workshop. If it is possible to lower the numbers to 15-20, this ensures each pupil is able to feel the full benefits of a poet visit.

Is there a particular theme that you would like to cover, or specific areas of learning you’d like the poet to address? What do you hope to get out of the visit?

Is the poet’s visit leading up to the pupils’ exams; if so, can it be a different way to approach topics or texts on the syllabus? Do you want a mixture of reading and writing? Perhaps you want a performance element (by the poet or the pupils!). Do you want the poet to focus on wellbeing, teamwork, or the pure enjoyment of poetry? Poets can be flexible if you tell them what you need.

Could a digital Poets in Schools visit be an option, either as a first-choice or as a back-up (e.g. in case a poet contracts Covid-19 but is well enough to deliver a workshop online, etc.)?

Consider that digital visits will need to be structured differently from in-person visits, to allow for different attention spans and the tech set up in the classroom. You might need to take a more active role as the poet will not be in the same room, and you’ll need to communicate to the poet in advance about which platforms you use to connect, and any safeguarding implications.

Once you’ve thought about all the above, get in touch with us and we’ll help find you a poet!

Before the visit

• Agree the schedule for the day with the poet. It can be tempting to try and squeeze in as many workshops as possible but it is important to make sure pupils have enough time to work meaningfully with the poet. One reading (perhaps in assembly) and two or three workshops with small groups is a realistic maximum.

• To get the most from the visit, be clear about what you want well in advance. The poet will also have experience of what has worked for them in the past so feel free to ask them.

• Make sure you are aware of the poet’s published work. Make the poet’s collections available to pupils, possibly on display, and/or share performances of the poet’s work before the visit.

• Let pupils prepare some questions they would like to ask.

Ask the poet

• How they would like to be introduced and how they would like the children to address them.

• If they have any dietary, access or other needs.

Send the poet

• Details on how to find you and what lunch arrangements have been made.

• A timetable for the day, showing break times, assemblies, workshops and readings. Include information about group sizes and ages.

• Information on what kind of texts pupils have been reading and writing recently.

• The name of the key teacher who is organising the day, and who they can turn to if they need any further information or support.

During the visit

Ensure there is a member of staff in the room at all times who is aware of this guidance and the terms of agreement. Where possible, we recommend that teachers and teaching assistants take part in the writing activities themselves.

After the visit

• Make sure the pupils have time to finish off writing tasks they began with the writer.

• Display the pupils’ finished work, make a school anthology, or prepare a reading for parents.

• Writers of all ages are motivated by the possibility of publication.

Perhaps your local paper would feature a story?

• Stay in touch with The Poetry Society to find out about future opportunities and competitions where your pupils can share their work. You might consider becoming a Poetry Society school member: your school will benefit from free access to our Poets in

Schools placement service, books, posters and more.