The Academy English Department organised the trip in order to give one hundred Year 11 students a first-hand experience of live poetry readings from the poets that feature in their GCSE AQA A syllabus.
Currently in its tenth year, Poetry Live! is a nationwide programme of events aimed at encouraging fifteen to sixteen year old GCSE students to engage with poetry through live performance.
The line-up was fast-paced and varied, with six poets in total each giving readings of their own material. The poets, who included Simon Armitage, Gillian Clarke, Carol Ann Duffy, John Agard, Imtiaz Dharker and Grace Nichols, then held a question and answer session with the students in the audience where they discussed the material.
Year 11 Head Boy, Luke Saunders, said:
‘I’ve never listened to a poetry reading before and was surprised at how good it was. The way the poets read aloud made the words they had written seem real. It was completely different from reading a poem in a book.’
To end the day, students were given advice by two seasoned AQA examiners, who gave them an idea of what skills they should display in their GCSE English examinations.
Sian Davies, Head of the English Department at Oasis Academy Brightstowe, said:
‘The students had a great day and were really lucky to have taken part in a session with the AQA examiners, who gave them some valuable hints and tips. I think they feel much better prepared for their exams in the summer and will look at poetry in a different light from now on.’
The students attended the event as part of a ‘collapsed curriculum day’, the first of its kind to take place at Oasis Academy Brightstowe. Since 2008, schools have been given greater flexibility in designing their curriculum, allowing them to integrate ‘collapsed curriculum days’ where students take part in a range of extra-curricular activities designed to build their confidence and foster an understanding of society.
Whilst Year 11 attended either Poetry Live! or GCSE revision classes, Years 7,8,9 and 10 participated in practical health and fitness sessions, workshops with the Avon & Somerset Police and an introduction to the work of Academy sponsor, the charity Oasis UK.
ENDS-
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