Performance poetry perfection for Bispham pupils

Montgomery Academy in All Hallows Road, Bispham welcomed poet Paul Cookson to share some of his participatory poems with Year Eight pupils.

The sessions were arranged to provide a fun end to the school year, particularly after the challenges schools have faced during the pandemic with remote learning and bubble closures.

Paul, who is originally from Preston but now lives in Nottinghamshire, is famed for his ukulele and poetry combinations, which aim to get children involved in writing and reciting their own performance poems.

He said: "I really enjoyed the visit with the Year Eight classes. It was great to have a live audience who were receptive and appreciative and interacted well with the poems.

"The poems ranged from football to families, to Covid and dreams and aspirations. Having worked with Montgomery before it was great to have the opportunity to continue the relationship."

Estelle Bellamy, director of English for FCAT, which runs the school, said: "Paul shared some of his recent poems which included a poem a day written through the Euros, several of which appeared on national radio, including the Zoe Ball breakfast show.

"He has also been writing a poem every day since lockdown and is now on poem 506. Paul works all over the county and is the poet in residence for the National Football Museum."

John Topping from FCAT added: "It is always a joy to have well known poets and authors visit our FCAT schools. Our FCAT vision is based upon curriculum delivery that is literacy rich, impactful, engaging and enjoyable.

"The contribution that Paul made during his poetry sessions at Montgomery certainly captured all these facets of our curriculum vision and we look forward to Paul leading future literacy sessions at some of our other schools."