7 Fantastic Reasons For Inviting A Professional Poet Into Your Primary School

When poetry comes alive in the classroom, it has the power to transform how children think, speak, and write. Yet too often poetry is squeezed into a couple of weeks a year, ticked off the curriculum, and quietly forgotten. That’s a shame, because under the National Curriculum in England, poetry has never been more important. Children are expected to listen to, learn, perform, and write poems across KS1 and KS2.

So how can you turn poetry from something that feels like a box-ticking exercise into something unforgettable? One of the best ways is to invite a professional children’s poet into school.

Having worked with thousands of schools, libraries, and festivals over the last 25 years, I’ve seen first-hand the incredible effect a poetry day can have. From tiny rural primaries with just 20 children to large urban schools and independents, the response is always the same: children buzzing with creativity, teachers inspired with fresh ideas, and poetry taking centre stage.

Here are just some of the reasons why a poet visit could be the perfect addition to your school calendar:

👉 In my Poetry Days in primary schools across the UK I work hard to get the children excited about writing and performing their own poems. I visit over 100 schools every year and I’d love to work with your children and teachers.

📅 You can book me for:

In-person Poetry Days across the UK
Online Poetry Workshops (affordable and flexible)

➡ Secure your date here: Poets in Schools – Ian Bland

Great for teachers looking to save time!

1. The Buzz of Anticipation

The magic starts before the poet even arrives. Schools that prepare in advance by sharing poems, displaying posters, or reading the poet’s work create a genuine sense of excitement. Imagine the thrill for a child walking into assembly knowing they’re about to meet a real live poet! Suddenly, poetry isn’t abstract or old-fashioned—it’s living, breathing, and waiting to be discovered.

👉 You could start by sharing some of these Best Poems for KS2 Children to Learn and Perform.

2. Poetry That Has Real Impact

A skilled performance poet brings poetry to life with humour, rhythm, rhyme, metaphor, and drama. The best poets make children part of the show—joining in with choruses, actions, sound effects, and laughter. Teachers often tell me they’ve never seen their class so engaged in a literacy activity. And when teachers join in too, the whole school community shares in the fun.

👉 See how it works in practice: Performance Poetry in Primary Schools.

3. Creativity and Momentum

After the performance, children can’t wait to pick up a pen themselves. In workshops, I provide simple but flexible frameworks that let them experiment with ideas while keeping structure. Suddenly, hesitant writers find their voice, while confident ones soar. Even reluctant readers are desperate to perform their new creations. Poetry becomes a rollercoaster of rhythm, imagination, and self-expression.

👉 Try my free resource: 10 Fun Poetry Activities for KS2 Classrooms.

4. Professional Development for Teachers

Many teachers admit that poetry is an area where they feel less confident. A poet visit is not just for children—it’s CPD in action. Teachers get to see practical strategies, engaging frameworks, and fresh approaches that can be used long after the visit. I also offer targeted CPD sessions showing how poetry can enhance the wider curriculum across KS1 and KS2. Teachers leave feeling inspired, equipped, and ready to put poetry at the heart of their literacy teaching.

👉 Find out more about my Poetry CPD Training for Primary Schools.

5. A Lasting Legacy

The benefits don’t stop at home time. After a poetry day, children often keep writing and performing their own work weeks later. Many schools create anthologies, host assemblies, or share poems on their websites. I also encourage schools to keep the dialogue going through my poetry blog, where children post their own poems and receive personal replies. The profile of poetry is raised across the whole school—and sometimes across the whole community.

6. Building Confidence and Speaking Skills

In a world where oracy and self-expression are increasingly valued, poetry is a natural way to build confidence. Performing poems helps children with fluency, tone, and projection. Even the quietest child can discover their voice and be celebrated for it. These are skills that stretch far beyond English lessons—boosting confidence for presentations, debates, and assemblies.

👉 For a fun way to do this, read How to Run a Poetry Slam in Your Primary School.

7. Enrichment and Cultural Capital

Ofsted now places real emphasis on cultural capital—giving children rich, memorable experiences beyond the classroom. A visit from a professional poet is exactly that. It shows children that writing isn’t just something you do for a test—it’s something people do as a career, as a passion, and as a way of connecting with others.

👉 Discover more ideas in How to Use Poetry Across the Curriculum in Primary Schools.