insideKENT Magazine Issue 41 - August 2015 | Page 156

EDUCATION

Primary school poets showcase their way with words
Pupils proved they had a winning way with words at a school event dedicated to the power of poetry.

Maddy from
Joy Lane School

Joe McLean and Harry Collier from Briary

Youngsters from Briary Primary School in
Greenhill, Swalecliffe Primary School, Joy Lane
Primary School in Whitstable, and Whitstable
Junior School joined students from Herne Bay
High School for the first ever Slam by the Sea –
a showcase of the coastal towns’ creative talents.
The celebration this July culminated in a final
featuring nine solo, paired or group performances
of work written by the young poets themselves.
A panel of Herne Bay High School students
scored each and chose the Poetry Brothers from
Briary as the winners, with Hollie Lobban from
Swalecliffe as runner-up.
Poetry slam organiser, Laura Vass, head of Key
Stage 3 English at Herne Bay High, said the
standard had been incredibly high: “I was really
impressed, and it’s a cliché but all the performers

Briary Poetry Brothers

were winners. There was some fantastic work
and really confident performances, and I think
we achieved our aim of showing that poetry is
anything but boring.”
Poet, Dan Simpson, who was the district’s Poet
Laureate last year, worked with the pupils and
also compered the event. He told the children of
a phrase credited to poet Marc Smith, who staged
the first ever poetry slam, that the points were
not the point but the poem was the point.
The Briary Poetry Brothers team, made up of
Year 6 pupils Bradley Payne, Elliot Webster,
Jamie Jones and Danny Gardener, performed a
piece written by Bradley on the theme 'I come
from…'. Their initial performance earned standing
ovations from two of the judges, who praised
their confidence and original ideas.

Holly won praise for her pas sionate performance,
which connected with the judges as well as her
use of imagery in her poem. A Briary duo, Harry
Collier and Joe McLean, were awarded third
place after impressing with their props, high
standard of performance and hard work in
preparing their piece.
Year 10 pupil, Katie Ashenden, who judged the
finalists alongside Charlotte Evans, Liam Rider
and Aodhan Dunican, said it had been a difficult
decision. She added: “We marked each performer
out of 10 but they were all outstanding, and it
was very hard to separate them.
“I really enjoyed being part of the event and I was
so impressed with what each group achieved.”

New multi-academy trust,
Education for the 21st Century (e21c), launched
A new multi-academy trust, known as Education for the 21st Century (E21C), launched this summer across
the South East. With current member schools based in Bromley, Beckenham and London, the academy
Trust is an exciting new schooling project for Kent and the surrounding areas.
Since it was
established in
2011, the trust has
continued to
develop and grow
and now has four
member schools –
The Ravensbourne
School, Scotts
Park Primary
School, the new
and yet-to-be-built,
Beckenham
Academy and Mottingham Primary School – working under the E21C brand.
Its aim is to continue to grow and develop by attracting other new member
schools from in and around the area. The trust has almost reached its 2016

target of five member schools in a
matter of a few months and is now
due to raise this target before the
year is out.
The trust’s innovative core
philosophy is the importance of the
‘whole child’ in education: their skills
and development rather than just
academic achievement. The schools
already involved with the trust all
share the same ethos. Seeking to
provide a high-quality education
focussed on developing the gifts
and talents of all learners within the
Trust, E21C, develops young people

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with the qualifications, as well as the
knowledge and personal skills they
need, beyond the classroom, so
they become highly employable in
the future.
As the job market continues to
become a challenging place for
young people, E21C understands
just how important it is to provide
all of its students with the
opportunities they need to succeed.
www.e21c.co.uk
@e21ctrust