Poetry By Heart has become a highly anticipated annual fixture in the Wilson’s Calendar. Each year the number of students participating grows, fired up by the successes of Pavamaan (Year 11) and Vivaan (Year 11) in the National Finals over past years. This year, over 30 students from Years 7 to 13 gathered in the JJ Hall to compete in the poetry recital competition.

Judged by Mrs Fletcher and Mr Lissimore, the Key Stage 3 category was packed with talent. Our top three performers (all in Year 8) were Adrij, with “Travel” by Edna St Vincent Millay, Vihaan S with “Thumbprint” by Eve Merriam, and Kaan, performing “Tyger” by William Blake. In places four to six were Devam, who recited “Invictus” by W.E Henley, Anirudh, with “Finding Your Stone” by Olive Senior, and Arjun, with a captivating rendition of “The Door” by Andrew Wynn Owen. Many other performers could have been shortlisted, including Aarnay (Year 7), our runner-up with “Shakespeare at School” by Wendy Cope and Reuel, (Year 9) who performed “When We Two Parted” by Byron.

Our Key Stage 4 performers were even more ambitious in their choices. Shayan was outstanding in his modulated and moving recital of “The End” by Mark Strand. Shayan has entered the competition each year and made great strides in his performance. Second and third places went to Neil, with a stirring performance of “The Immigrant’s Song” by Tishani Doshi and Gautham, another returning competitor, with a subtle performance of “I Remember, I Remember” by Thomas Hood. Places four to six included Aryaman, performing “Composed on Westminster Bridge”, Pavamaan, returning to the competition with “Shake My Future” by Dorothea Smartt, and Laxmi, a first-time entrant from Year 10 who gave a heartfelt performance of “A Poison Tree” by William Blake. Vignesh (Year Ten) was runner-up with “The Man He Killed”.

Shuayb (Year 13) gave a nuanced reading of “The Good Morrow” by John Donne, supported, no doubt, by his analysis of the poem in A Level English lessons!

It is quite a feat to learn a poem and recite it to your peers and to teachers on stage. The pupils chose their own texts; both Mrs Fletcher and Mr Lissimore greatly enjoyed the rich variety of texts selected. Every year the competition introduces pupils to new poetry, to the richness of language, to the confidence gained from performing. Vihaan commented that “it’s the competition where you can choose most for yourself”, highlighting the inclusivity and creativity which Poetry by Heart enables.

All our winners are now busily preparing their videos for the National Competition. We hope that, for the third year in a row, a Wilson’s student will perform on stage at the Globe Theatre!