A borough-wide poetry project for primary schools in Wandsworth, delivered in partnership with Apples & Snakes
During Autumn 2025, Apples and Snakes will be delivering a performance poetry project, led by experienced professional poets.
This project will work with Year 5 children and teachers, focusing on developing oracy and literacy skills as well as developing confidence in performance, working collaboratively and taking creative risks.
This project was aimed at Year 5 students, if a fully funded project and open to all non-fee paying primary schools across Wandsworth. It was part of London Borough of Culture.
How it works
An experienced poet will work with one class of students and their teacher over 6 sessions empowering them to write both individual and team poems which will be shared to the rest of the school and parents.
One or two teams from each class will also be invited to a finale event at the Civic Suite, where they will participate in workshops and share their poems with the other participating schools as well as family and invited guests. This will take place in November 2025.
What will each school do?
In-school activity includes
– 6x half-day workshops in school during autumn term
– Final session includes performance by participating pupils of their original poems
– Teacher support/continued engagement between workshops
– Max. class size 32
Additional activity
– Poetry Festival 18th-19th November
– Up to 12 pupils invited from each participating school to attend and perform their poetry in front of their peers, other schools and professional poets
– Final showcase where each team showcases their achievements to all participants, professional poets including Joseph Coelho – previous Children’s Laureate, friends and family and the general public.
Who are the poets?
I blow minds with rhymes, that’s why they call me BREiS
Flow like the Nile or better yet the seven seas
i can show you how to make your rhymes sound nice
And taste delicious like spicy jollof rice
Hi, I’m Desree! I use poems to share big ideas in small, sparkly ways. My favourite thing about being a poet is it lets me turn feelings and ideas into something I can share with others. My favourite word is flabbergasted! It’s like a surprise party in your mouth.
My name is Kat Francois. I am a poet and a writer
My favourite colour is blue and I have a pet rabbit called Hopsy.
My favourite thing about poetry is that I get to have fun with words.
Paul Lyalls has had some great poetry adventures, he was the Poet for the Roald Dahl family & museum & worked with Arsenal FC. Paul likes football, poetry, chocolate & Stitch!
Hello, My name is Shagufta K Iqbal, I am a dyslexic writer, whose favourite word is ONOMATOPOEIA! I write poems about Ninja cats, wrestling matches between chilis, and how to stand up to bullies. She is the author of Bibi and Rumi, and The Spelling Bee. She has a new children’s poetry collection coming out in 2026, called Everything In-Between.
Hi my name is Zohab, my friends call me Zee. My favourite word is discombobulate and if I could have any superpower it would be to pause time so I’m not always in a rush.
Hi! I’m Cherry (like the fruit) and my favourite colour is red (also like the fruit). I think poetry is a superpower for the way you can completely transform the world around you with nothing but words. My favourite word is ‘shenanigan’
My name is Arji Manuelpillai I like poems. I read a lot of poems. I write a lot of poems and I try to convince other people to write poems too.
SPIN Show
On Wednesday 19 November, 3 SPIN shows for Years 1, 2 and 3 (6-10) year olds will be held at the Civic Centre. These events are not open to the public, but children from the schools will be invited with an expectation of around 100 children per event.
Poet Zohab Zee Khan, storyteller Pomme and a special guest from the Beatbox academy will hold a fun-filled spoken word poetry show. This is an interactive show where guarantee the audience will want to be up on thier feet, dancing and singing along.
SPIN Poets
Joseph Coelho OBE. Best-selling, multi-award-winning children’s author. His YA novels have received international acclaim. He has written plays for all the top London children’s theatres amongst others. He is two-time winner of the Indie Book Awards Picture Book Category. He won the 2024 Carnegie Medal for writing with The Boy Lost In The Maze (illu. Kate Milner) and was Waterstones Children’s Laureate 2022 – 2024.
Sally Pomme Clayton (do call her Pomme!) is a pioneering storyteller and writer who creates performances, books and plays, and has played a pivotal role in the UK storytelling revival. She creates magical work for theatres and museums, gardens and galleries, festivals and broadcast across the UK and beyond. Her ground-breaking shows focus on powerful female protagonists, such as ‘The Frog Princess Punked’ a hybrid performance with girl punk band and live projections. She author of 16 books. Find out more: www.sallypommeclayton.com
Zohab Zee Khan has conducted over a thousand poetry and self-development workshops across the globe. He was crowned the National Poetry Slam Champion of Australia and co-founded The Pakistan Poetry Slam in 2015. Zohab uses his knowledge as an educator and life coach to curate spaces that maximise growth, learning and overall wellness of all participants. Zohab has performed his poetry at some of the world’s premier writers’ festivals. As a 4th generation Australian of Pakistani heritage, Zohab has channelled his distinct life experiences into stories with the intent to educate. He is a performance poet, educator, and certified Life Coach.
With thanks to funding from Arts Council England and Welcome to Wandsworth London Borough of Culture.
London Borough of Culture is a Mayor of London Initiative
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