Poetry By Heart

@poetrybyheart

National schools poetry recitation competition, open to all schools and colleges in England, re-igniting a love of poetry.

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Poetry By Heart@poetrybyheart· Jul 17

Poetry By Heart is loved by teachers for its many benefits plus the sheer #poetry joy it brings into schools. For 2026 –2027 there's a different funding model and a new set of options to support schools to take part. Find out more & ask us about available grants poetrybyheart.org.uk/about/our-of...

Graphic explaining the flexible plans for schools offered by Poetry By Heart.

Poetry By Heart@poetrybyheart· Jul 17

📣MFL, EAL, English teachers!Bring creative translation into the classroom with @stephenspender.bsky.social Translate into English ANY poem from ANY language or a Polish poem for the Polish Spotlight. Free entry UK & Irish schools, for pupils of all ages www.stephen-spender.org/stephen-spender-prize/

Poetry By Heart@poetrybyheart· Jul 15

Here's hoping the whole of England will be over the moon tonight #worldcup Meanwhile, why not explore Speech Balloon by Imtiaz Dharker @bloodaxebooks.bsky.social poetrybyheart.org.uk/poems/speech...

A photograph of poet Imtiaz Dharker standing on the stage of the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse at Shakespeare's Globe at the launch of Poetry By Heart.

Poetry By Heart@poetrybyheart· Jul 7

Thank you to everyone who joined us at Shakespeare's Globe on 6 July to celebrate the finalists in this year's natoinal poetry speaking competition. Congratulations to everyone who took part and learned a poem by heart ❤️ #poetry #edusky Not taken part before? Register now! poetrybyheart.org.uk

A view of the Poetry By Heart Grand Finale with the audience in the galleries and in the yard of Shakespeare's Globe, watching a young woman perform a poem she has learned by heart on the stage.

Poetry By Heart@poetrybyheart· Jul 6

It's coming home (poetry that is!) To Shakespeare's Globe and the Grand Finale of Poetry By Heart, the nation's poetry speaking competition. A preview here of what's happening at this truly inspiring celebration 🔽#EduSky #KidLitUK poetrybyheart.org.uk

Cover of the programme for the 2026 Poetry By Heart Grand Finale showing young people on the stage at the Globe ready to perform poems they have learned by heart out loud.

Poetry By Heart@poetrybyheart· Jul 3

Next Generation Poets is BACK! Founded in 1994 to champion the 20 best debut UK and Irish poets of the decade. We're delighted to be a youth programme partner. Submissions are now open, closing on 14 August at 5pm. To enter, visit: www.poetrybooks.co.uk/pages/next-g... #NextGenerationPoets

Graphic advertising the Next Generation Poets initiative.

Poetry By Heart@poetrybyheart· Jul 2

Lovely BBC Look East report on the Poetry Club at St Nicholas Priory Primary School in Great Yarmouth. Members of the club & teacher Sarah Horspole will be at our Grand Finale at Shakespeare's Globe to receive a Special Award for the way they have embraced #poetry ❤️ www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/epis...

A screenshot of the BBC Look East studio bedecked with Poetry By Heart branding at the beginning of their excellent report on the Poetry Club at St Nicholas Priory Primary School Great Yarmouth.

Poetry By Heart@poetrybyheart· Jun 25

Poetry News from @poetrysociety.org.uk is always required reading. Great to be included with this item on how war poetry is proving particularly popular in this year’s competition: “an intriguing response to our times" says Julie Blake. #poetry #edusky poetrybyheart.org.uk/showcase/2

Cover and inside page of Poetry News, the newspaper of the Poetry Society.

Text of news item in Poetry News: Which reads First World War poetry proved particularly popular in this year’s Poetry By Heart competition, “an intriguing response to our times by young people” says co-director Julie Blake. Wilfred Owen's Dulce et Decorum Est always features together with The Show, Disabled and Exposure but less well-known war poems were selected too: I Sit and Sew by African-American poet Alice Dunbar Nelson, Edgell Rickward's A Soldier Addresses his Body, Sara Teasdale's There will come soft rains and Helen Mackay's poem of war partings Train.
Other classics young people chose to learn include Break of Day in the Trenches by Isaac Rosenberg, Laurence Binyon's For the Fallen, Alan Seeger's I Have a Rendezvous with Death, Strange Hells by Ivor Gurney, and Siegfried Sassoon’s Suicide in the Trenches with modern poems responding to the First World War featuring too: Andrew Motion's Death of Harry Patch, Owen Sheers's Mametz Wood, and Imtiaz Dharker's poem A Century Later, itself a response to Anthem for Doomed Youth.

Poetry By Heart@poetrybyheart· Jun 16

📣 MFL, EAL, English teachers! Bring creative #translation into the classroom this summer term with the Stephen Spender Prize. Translate ANY poem from ANY language or a Polish poem for the Polish Spotlight. Free for all UK & Irish schools! Details: www.stephen-spender.org/stephen-spen...

Graphic advertising the Stephen Spender Poetry Prize 2026. Text reads We harness the power of language and translation to celebrate heritage, unlock creative and educational potential, and inspire communities.

Poetry By Heart@poetrybyheart· Jun 14

Explore the NEW Poetry By Heart poem of the week, the beautiful Waterfall's Song by Zaro Weil. There are tips to help you create a sparkling performance & Word of the Week too, which is 'bonanza'. (Did you know it's a borrowing from Spanish?) #edusky #poetry www.poetrybyheart.org.uk/poems/waterf...

Graphic advertising the new Poetry By Heart Poem of the Week which is Waterfall's Song by Zaro Weil.

Poetry By Heart@poetrybyheart· Jun 12

A reminder that our new 4+ Timeline features poems by @jamescarterpoet.bsky.social, @joshuaseigal.bsky.social @coralrumble.bsky.social & many more plus classics, including 'Charm' by Ben Jonson & hidden gems eg 'The Strawberry' by Mary Effie Lee Newsome #poetry poetrybyheart.org.uk/timeline/4plus

Image representing the new Poetry By Heart 4+ Timeline with photos of some of the poets featured.

Poetry By Heart@poetrybyheart· Jun 9

Our #Poetry Forum is an informal drop-in session, created for educators, which runs Wednesdays after school in term-time & provides opportunities to develop rich pedagogical practices for poetry teaching. Come along! #EduSky Contact us now to secure your spot: poetrybyheart.org.uk/contact

Graphic advertising the Poetry By Heart Poetry Forum. Text reads:
An informal drop in session.
Get tips and advice from the Poetry By Heart team
Pick up ideas and inspiration from other teachers
All Poetry By Heart school organisers welcome - though if you're just thinking of taking part, you're welcome too.

Poetry By Heart@poetrybyheart· Jun 4

We can't wait for the #PoetryByHeart Grand Finale at Shakespeare's Globe on 6 July. We'll be celebrating the achievements of our finalists and of everyone who took part this year. Inspired to give it a go? Find out more and sign up for 2027! ❤️ #poetry #EduSky poetrybyheart.org.uk/about

Poetry By Heart@poetrybyheart· May 28

The Poetry By Heart Poem of the Week is a perfect way to discover new poems to enjoy together especially as they offer fun ways of sharing them out loud and by heart. Find out more and sign up 🔻 #Poetry #EduSky poetrybyheart.org.uk/poem-of-the-...

Graphic to advertise the Poetry By Heart Poem of the Week with text: Discover new poems to enjoy together every week in your email.

Poetry By Heart@poetrybyheart· May 21

Recommended halfterm reading, the new issue of Teach Reading & Writing. It includes 10 #poetry collections to read & share aloud, chosen by @mwhelanwrites.bsky.social & featured on our NEW 4+ Timeline. Lovely cover too @otterbarrybooks.bsky.social #BookSky #EduSky cdn.artichokehq.com/teachwire/Te...

The cover of Teach Reading & Writing with headlines Play your way to early literacy and Real-world oracy. It features in illustration from Big Red Dragon, a poetry collection for the very young by Jane Newberry, illustration by Carolina Rabei.

Poetry By Heart@poetrybyheart· May 18

💥75 finalists 7 - 18yrs performing #poetry by heart Grand Finale Shakespeare’s Globe 6 July 💥NEW People’s Choice Awards for Freestyle performances 💥Special Awards for schools overcoming particular challenges 💥Guests Alice Oswald, Matt Goodfellow, Kate Wakeling poetrybyheart.org.uk/the-competit...

Poetry By Heart@poetrybyheart· Apr 21

It's great to see the #CLiPPA Poetry Award shortlist! It's the UK's leading prize for poetry for children, highlighting brilliant new collections for the young 📖 Congratulations to all the @theclpe.bsky.social shortlisted poets 🌟 More for schools here: r1.dotdigital-pages.com/p/1RW5-1LFF/...

Poetry By Heart@poetrybyheart· Apr 10

Our April calendar poems are 'Eletelephony' by Laura Richards and 'Equilibrium' by Theresa Lola 🗓️❤️ head to our website for special recordings by Erica Hesketh and Theresa Lola plus extra resources for teachers! 🗓️ poetrybyheart.org.uk/poems/equili... 🗓️ poetrybyheart.org.uk/poems/eletel...

Poetry By Heart@poetrybyheart· Mar 30

Want to lift poetry off the page so that it can be spoken, heard and enjoyed? Try the activities that come with our Poem of the Week! This week's poem is 'Eletelephony' by Laura Richards ❤️ Explore more here: poetrybyheart.org.uk/poems/eletel...

Poetry By Heart@poetrybyheart· Mar 30

Happy to see a shout-out to our brand new #PoetryByHeart 4+ timeline anthology in The Poetry Society's Poetry News! These new materials will help young school pupils discover the joy of speaking poetry out loud ❤️ poetrybyheart.org.uk/timeline/4plus

Poetry By Heart@poetrybyheart· Mar 30

For #WorldBookNight, Poetry By Heart is encouraging everyone to join in the special #ReadingHour from 7-8pm on 23 April. Want to include poetry? Host a poem swap: find your favourite poems on the #PoetryByHeart website and exchange favourites with friends or colleagues! 📖❤️ poetrybyheart.org.uk

Poetry By Heart@poetrybyheart· Mar 2

Enjoy an article by Poetry By Heart co-director Julie Blake for Right Start Online on why children benefit so much from poetry, with top tips for finding and sharing poems with children! You'll find plenty of ideas on our brand-new 4+ timeline ❤️ www.rightstartonline.co.uk/features/poe...

Poetry By Heart@poetrybyheart· Mar 2

We're delighted to share two special recordings by poets Jessica Mookherjee and Kayo Chingonyi of our primary and secondary calendar poems for March - 'The Door' by Miroslav Holub and 'Humming-Bird' by D. H. Lawrence 🗓️❤️ poetrybyheart.org.uk/poems/hummin... poetrybyheart.org.uk/poems/the-do...

Poetry By Heart@poetrybyheart· Feb 10

How wonderful to see this by Junior Journalists celebrating the opening of the brand-new Benjamin Zephaniah Library at William Murdoch Primary School! After speeches students performed Zephaniah's poems aloud - good practice for taking part in the #PoetryByHeart competition! 📚✨

Poetry By Heart@poetrybyheart· Jan 30

We’re delighted to share our BRAND NEW timeline of poems to help the youngest school pupils discover the joy of poetry and speaking it aloud! Coinciding with the National Year of Reading, each poem will be accompanied by special notes to help explore the poem ❤️ poetrybyheart.org.uk/timeline/4plus

Poetry By Heart@poetrybyheart· Jan 19

Thank you @booksforkeeps.bsky.social for a marvellous article on #PoetryByHeart's national poetry speaking competition by former school librarian Fiona Kirk! Discover Fiona's thoughts on recruiting contestants and seeing students grown in confidence ❤️ booksforkeeps.co.uk/article/brin...

Poetry By Heart@poetrybyheart· Dec 31

Listen out for the 'tinkle, tinkle, tinkle' of bells in Edgar Allen Poe's poem 'The Bells' for the #PoetryByHeart Festive Showcase today! 🔔 The poem is packed full of sounds that bring the wintry scene to life. Can you play around with voicing the repeated words? poetrybyheart.org.uk/poems/the-be...

Poetry By Heart@poetrybyheart· Dec 29

Enjoy this short and playful poem as part of #PoetryByHeart's Festive Showcase ❄️ ❄️ ❄️ ❄️ ❄️ 'Go Snow Go!' by Simon Mole is full of whoops, hoots, and howls - see if you can bring them out in a performance! Visit our website for more tips ✨ poetrybyheart.org.uk/poems/go-sno...!

Poetry By Heart@poetrybyheart· Dec 26

'Sitting under the mistletoe . . . One last candle burning low' - enjoy Walter de la Mare's poem 'Mistletoe' as a Boxing Day treat on the #PoetryByHeart Festive Showcase! Discover how all the associations of mistletoe mingle in this marvellous poem 🌿❄️ 🌟 poetrybyheart.org.uk/poems/mistle...

Poetry By Heart@poetrybyheart· Dec 25

Merry Christmas from #PoetryByHeart! It's time for the Festive Showcase reveal - our Christmas Day poem is Langston Hughes's 'On a Pallet of Straw', which imagines the very first Christmas 🌟 ❄️ Experiment with performing the repeated lines in different ways! poetrybyheart.org.uk/poems/on-a-p...