On Tuesday, 30th January, sixty Year 11 students went to the Opera House in Manchester to attend GCSE Poetry live - a nationwide tour giving students the chance to see and hear some of Britain’s most awarded poets.

Our students had the privilege to listen to Poet Laureate, Simon Armitage, one of Britain’s best poets, with a superb ear for language. This was a great opportunity to hear Simon read his work from the anthology.

Carol Ann Duffy was an inspiring and transformational Poet Laureate from 2009 to 2019. Her sharp, funny poems were full of a literary past, whether from mythology, or Shakespeare.

John Agard gave one of the most exciting performances in contemporary poetry, not only in the way he delivered his poems, but also in how he talked about them, combining historical awareness, cultural insight and extraordinary humour.

Students also listened to readings from award-winning poets Imtiaz Dharker and Daljit Nagra. The students also gained top tips from a chief examiner and were given a programme of events that had past questions on it and examiners tips.