Attended workshop with poet and performer Jasmine Cooray

Pupils at Derwentwater write poetry during the workshop

Pupils from Derwentwater Primary School in Acton recently had the unique opportunity to write and recite poetry at a workshop with Jasmine Cooray, a London-based poet and spoken word performer. The workshop took place on January 17 at leading international arts centre the Barbican, which was used as the source of inspiration for the pupils.

The event was part of the National Literacy Trust’s Young City Poets programme, in which Derwentwater is one of 35 schools across London taking part. The programme, supported by the Man Charitable Trust, looks to improve the writing skills of pupils in Year 5 to Year 8 by inspiring them through visits to places of cultural significance in the City of London. Now in its second year, the programme improves pupils’ writing, as well as their enjoyment of poetry.

Year 5 pupils from Derwentwater Primary School completed The Big Barbican Adventure, a fact-finding treasure hunt around the arts centre, run by Barbican Guildhall Creative Learning, and used their observations to create descriptive phrases which formed the first draft of their own poems. Jasmine supported them in this process, encouraging them to use their imagination and supporting them to perform their work at the end of the day. After the visit, their teachers used lesson plans provided by the Young City Poets programme to encourage pupils to translate their new experiences in to different forms of poetry.

Jasmine Cooray, a London poet, facilitator and counsellor sai,: “Working with pupils writing poems about The Big Barbican Adventure was great fun and highlighted how any public space can provide rich creative pickings for the imagination.”

February 2, 2017