NATE is running an exciting new project exploring creative approaches to teaching poetry at Key Stage 3, supported by funding from Tower Poetry.
On Friday 4th December, Creative Approaches to Teaching Poetry will bring together English teachers, mentors, trainee teachers and early career teachers at Sheffield Hallam University to explore how poetry can be taught in ways that encourage creativity, curiosity and imaginative engagement.
At the heart of the project is a commitment to creating space for rich and exploratory experiences of poetry, away from the immediate pressures of GCSE assessment. Through professional development, collaborative planning and classroom experimentation, participating teachers will explore approaches that foreground reading as writers, writing as readers, discussion, performance and creative expression.
A highlight of the project will be a full-day conference at Sheffield Hallam University on Friday 4th December 2026, bringing together an exciting range of poets, performers, creative practitioners and teachers. Acclaimed poet Luke Wright will deliver the keynote speech. Known for his energy and compelling live performances, Luke will offer an inspiring perspective on poetry as something to be heard, experienced and shared.
The conference will also feature workshops led by Jo Clement, poet, writer and creative writing lecturer, whose work explores Gypsy, Roma and Traveller heritage, identity and place; Becca Drake, poet, researcher and printmaker, whose interdisciplinary practice explores connections between poetry, landscape and artistic expression.
RADA trained actor Tom Davey of Bright Torches will bring professional theatre techniques and drama-based approaches to teaching poetry and literature and James Durran, experienced English teacher and local authority adviser, will share practical approaches to developing pupils’ engagement with poetry and language.
Together, the keynote and workshops will encourage teachers to explore new possibilities for poetry in the classroom, combining creative approaches with thoughtful consideration of how pupils encounter, interpret and respond to poems.
CPD to classroom practice
The project extends beyond the conference itself. Participating schools will work in small teams, bringing together experienced mentors with trainee teachers and Early Career Teachers to design and teach a short sequence of Key Stage 3 poetry lessons.
Built around a paired-poem focus, these sequences will encourage pupils to make connections between reading and writing, explore language through talk and performance, and develop their own creative responses to poetry.
Following an online launch in November and the December conference, teachers will put their ideas into practice during February and March 2027, supported by collaborative observation and reflection.
The project will culminate in a sharing event at the University of Sheffield, where participating schools will reflect on their experiences, share examples of pupils’ work and consider the principles that might inform creative poetry teaching more widely. There will also be opportunities to share the project’s findings and celebrate the work of participating schools at the NATE Conference in summer 2027.
Funding is available to support participating schools with release time, planning, observation and agreed project activities, helping teachers engage fully in the project.
Supporting creativity in English education
The project reflects NATE’s wider commitment to championing English teaching that is creative, ambitious and responsive to the needs of young people.
By bringing together the expertise of poets, universities, experienced teachers and those entering the profession, Creative Approaches to Teaching Poetry aims to generate fresh thinking about how poetry is experienced and taught in secondary classrooms.
Crucially, the project will give teachers the opportunity not simply to hear about innovative approaches, but to develop, test and reflect on them in their own classrooms, contributing to a wider professional conversation about the place of poetry in English education.