Slam poetry is a, exciting, high-energy form of performance poetry, designed to be spoken aloud rather than read from a page. It combines writing, theatrical delivery and audience interaction.

In June, a group of Key Stage 3 students took part in a series of workshops with Stephs Poetry Space and the Poetry Foundation,

which culminated with them performing their poems at the end. The project is named after British poet, Steph Lampl who passed away in 2022 at the age of just 21. The series of three workshops were designed to build confidence and promote a sense of wellbeing in students taking part through self-expression and creativity. Workshops were delivered by Andy Willoughby, a well-established poet, dramatist, publisher and producer who has collaborated extensively with writers and musicians in Finland and

Estonia since the early 2000s. He has written a number of books and had work published in numerous anthologies.

English Teacher, Miss Gowland who organised the workshops said, “Many young people have a pre-conceived notion that poetry is boring, but these workshops were so much fun that pupils were inspired to explore it outside of school. That was the main aim so I’m delighted that it worked as planned. Participants even received three poetry books to keep.”