4th March 2020
The Manor Poetry Festival, which takes place every two years, is a wonderful opportunity for all pupils to engage with poetry. Every child in the school learns a poem by heart, starting with a celebration of nursery rhymes for the youngest pupils. In Years 1 to 6 we were treated to a fantastic range of poems, from Michael Rosen’s tales of being the youngest in the family, various comic animals including James Carter’s Woolly Mammoth and a centipede who needs new shoes (50 pairs!), to old favourites like Christina Rossetti’s Remember and TS Eliot’s Macavity the Mystery Cat, finishing with a performance of Marriott Edgar’s comic tale of Albert and the Lion.
The best performers recite their poems again in front of their peers and invited guests. Year 1 and 2 welcomed back former Manor teacher, Sue Lucas, as their special guest, while Year 3 to 6 welcomed the poet Andrew Jamison (who also teaches English at Abingdon School). Andrew entertained us afterwards with a couple of his own poems and his guide to a Poet’s Toolkit. His three key tools? Reading other books for inspiration; time, time and more time to think and write; and a willingness to try again and again to make it just right…
All the pupils performed brilliantly and can be very proud of their achievements!
Mrs Fiona Lewis
Head of English
