Poetry Live! Trip 31st January 2019 16th November 2018 Dear Parents/Carers,

As part of the process of supporting revision for key sections of the literature exam, we are delighted to announce the Poetry Live! Trip to Cambridge Corn Exchange on 31st January 2019.

This is an all day trip and would require students to be ready to leave SWA by 08:20 and return by 16:30. Students will need to bring a packed lunch with them. The total payment to secure a place on this trip is £18 which needs to be paid by 4th December 2018. I have been able to provisionally book tickets for every member of Year 11 and it would be excellent to see you all there. We have an incredible itinerary which includes:

. He is one of Britain’s best poets, with a superb ear for language. This is a great opportunity to hear the Oxford Professor of Poetry read his work from the anthology.  and Gillian Clarke will give an exhilarating joint reading. Their session is one of the most illuminating parts of the day for students.  Carol Ann Duffy is one of the most read, studied and loved of today’s poets and such an inspired choice for the role of Poet Laureate. Her poems are sharp, funny and contemporary, and also full of a literary past, whether from mythology, or Shakespeare.  gives one of the most exciting performances in contemporary poetry, not only in the way he delivers his poems, but also in how he talks about them, combining historical awareness, cultural insight and extraordinary humour.  , Maura Dooley, , Owen Sheers and Grace Nichols will read their work.  Poets will respond to student questions and discuss how poems connect to and influence other poems  In the examiner sessions our highly experienced Chief Examiners will deal with two skills vital for success in the GCSE English Literature examinations.  The first session will look at how students might deal with unseen poems in the exam, both how to think about them and how to write for the best possible results.  The second session will look at comparing poems, whether they are studied poems or unseen, and how to write most effectively in either situation.  These sessions have proved invaluable to students’ thinking and are an outstandingly successful aspect of GCSE Poetry Live!

As mentioned previously, this is currently a proposal and we would need to receive a sufficient number of payments for the trip to go ahead. Once a students’ place is allocated, these payments become non-refundable.

Those interested in this trip should fill out the slip below, and pay the balance of £18 on the school Parent Pay system before 4th December 2018. Please note, that if you are unable to utilise Parent Pay, you must contact our school finance department to discuss options.

If you have any questions or queries, please do not hesitate to contact me via email [email protected] or phone.

Kind regards

Charlotte Boother Head of English

Poetry Live! Trip Permission Slip

Student’s name:______Form group:______

 Deposit Payment of £18 has been made on Parent Pay

Signed (parent/carer):______Date:______