Over the last two terms, Year 7 learners have been involved in an exciting project in collaboration with the Comino Foundation and Manchester Poetry Library to create their own poetry. The class welcomed a resident poet – John Greenwood – who worked with them on a weekly basis to develop their creative writing skills, explore different styles of poetry and then craft their own poems.  One popular activity was when learners used the names of paint sample cards to spark some ideas for poems. “Mayan Fizz” and “Smoking Charcoal” became titles or lines of poetry and learners had great fun finding creative ways to weave them in to their writing.

During the project we also had an opportunity to visit the Science and Industry Museum – our partner centre – where learners used a variety of artefacts and information to generate curiosity. The Mill Clock brought much discussion about who controls our time and having an opportunity to see the old steam engines and trains led us to reflect on our journeys – both physical and metaphorical – and what has led us to this place in time.

The final poems for publication were on a theme of “The Space Between”. Interpretation of this theme was varied, with learners exploring ideas of belonging, identity, community and space, to provide a selection of creative and thoughtful poems then have now been published in an anthology. Each learner received a copy of the book as a memento of their hard work.

The final part of the project was to design and create our own flags on which to display our poems. Reflecting on existing flags from different countries and organisations, learners then used their own symbolism to design a flag to represent themselves.  These flags were then printed onto recycled cotton and the poems printed onto the back, ready for display.

We would like to thank everyone involved in the project, with special thanks to John Greenwood and Faith Yanni for the constant enthusiasm and inspiration they offered to the class.

The flag poems from our class can now be seen on display, alongside 7 other schools who participated, in an exhibition in the Manchester Poetry Library which is free to visit over the summer. The class warmly invite you to visit and see their work during the holidays!