World Book Day, March 7th 2013 A day of poetry at Northlands Primary School, Rugby

A big thank you to Northlands Primary School, Rugby for delaying World Book Day by 24 hours. Car trouble prevented me from getting there for the official event and, just like that, the school happily moved my visit to the following day.

As the photograph illustrates, on a snowy day the welcome couldn’t have been warmer.

I worked with all age groups and we had a brilliant get together before school ended to listen to new poems written and performed by the children. It was fantastic that we were joined by many parents for that.

Thanks again to the school for looking after me so well and producing some great poems.

National Poetry Day 4th October 2012

An enthusiastic poet in the classroom has a tremendous effect, inspiring children and teachers to write and read poetry long after the poet has left. Have you planned what you are doing for National Poetry Day this year?

Bernard Young performing at Filey Primary School

A Performance Poet In Your School?

Well why not. The right poet (I mean me! but there are lots of us) can offer an exciting start to your school day (I include guitar and just enough joining in during my morning assembly performances). The children head off to classes with loads of writing ideas already in their heads and I then work with all ages throughout the day.

Teachers tell me that having an enthusiastic practitioner of the art in the classroom has a tremendous effect on them and the children. Together (teachers, children, poet) we produce fantastic new poems and usually share them before home time. After that we do all go home (apart from the teachers who have yet another after school meeting to attend).

A poet in your school? Why not?

World Poetry Day 21st March 2012

March 21st is
World Poetry Day
which must mean
everyone will be
reading, writing, performing,
listening to

poetry

all

day

on this day.

Won’t they?

World Book Day 1 March 2012

I had a brilliant day in Chester at Oldfield Primary School who invited me to work with them on a special poetry day for World Book Day. After a very early start and long drive the warm welcome I received was, itself, welcome.

I saw lots of Wallys and discovered that Snow White teaches there. The staff (as you’ll see from the photo) were a colourful crowd and the kids were equally impressive.

They were great to perform to and the workshops produced some wonderful work which was shared at the end of the day.

James Read (y4 I think) wrote a poem in my honour. Although modesty forbids me from publishing the whole thing it ends like this…

Read his poems on Friday and you’ll be glad.

Read his poems on Saturday, then repeat them to your dad.

Read them on Sunday and you won’t feel low.

Then rush around and tell everyone you know

Bernard Young, Bernard Young

He writes great poems, does Bernard Young

Highcliffe Primary, Guisborough 31st October & 1st November

Thanks for making me welcome. I enjoyed my two day visit very much.

Day one started off in the hall with a performance to the whole school. Great joining in on Brilliant and Ref Rap kids. Loads of poems were written. Individual and group ones. And a few class ones (with added guitar) when I worked with Reception and Yr 1 & 2.

Great to start with Reception on the morning of day 2 and finish the day with a yr 6 session. There were poems about pirates, swimming, dancing, teachers, football (of course) and a lump in the throat one about a soldier going to war.

Days like these remind me why I love being a poet who visits schools.

Bernard Young

Bernard is a guitar playing poet and has been writing poems and ‘songs’ since his early teens i.e. for ages! These days it’s still what he loves to do, but now he does it for a living. So he considers himself to be a very lucky man indeed.

Performances have been given in a variety of settings (from prisons to pubs, leisure centres to libraries, as well as colleges, schools, playgroups and supermarkets!). He has performed at many literary festivals including Hull, Ilkley, Lancaster and the Young Readers Birmingham Festival.

His poems feature in numerous anthologies of poetry for young readers (including The Works, The Poetry Store, Wizard Poems, Pet Poems, Family Poems, Space Poems, Spectacular Schools, How To Survive School, The Secret Life of Pants!) and have been broadcast on local and national radio and on BBC’s The One Show.

For more information about Bernard see: http://bernardyoung.wordpress.com/about/