We would like to extend our congratulations to Albert Campling (11F), who this week has qualified for the national stage of the Poetry by Heart competition, beating out thousands of other entrants to earn this prestigious honour. The school has entered this competition for the last five years, and this is the first time that one of our students has made it into the National Finals, which take place in central London on Thursday 19 March.
Poetry by Heart is a fantastic initiative which encourages creativity and a love of poetry in students across the country. Students have to learn poems ‘by heart’, and then recite them in front of their peers. Not easy by any stretch, but each year the level of commitment from Isleworth & Syon students is impressive. There were two school rounds, with two winners – Oliver Gilmour (7Am) and Albert – submitting poems for the regional round. You can see Albert’s submissions embedded at the top of this page. A panel of twelve poetry and education specialists judged each recitation for accuracy and quality of performance.
Albert’s work was deemed worthy of special recognition, so he has been selected for the Key Stage 4 final in Central London on Thursday 19 March. Indeed, he is the only representative from a London school, therefore making him the top school poet in London! We are very proud of his achievement and wish him well in next week’s finals. Keep an eye on our Twitter page for updates.
Activities like this are extremely important for us in school, as previous years have demonstrated that participation causes a marked increase in students’ confidence and written literacy. This, in conjunction with our expectation of at least 20 minutes of reading every night and investment in the Accelerated Reader programme, show that the school is committed to creating a culture of reading amongst all students.
