Up to 135,000 schoolchildren at more than 960 participating schools will take part in the inaugural Young Poets Week this month. Between 24 and 28 November, 60 poets will lead an England-wide network of workshops created by the National Poetry Centre and National Literacy Trust to inspire the poets of the future.
Twenty in-person events for primary and secondary school students across London will take place throughout the week – part of 120 events nationwide across England – with poets and project ambassadors including poet, author and performer Joshua Seigal. Each poet will share writing tips and expert knowledge as well as lead assemblies that will explore, read, write and perform poetry ranging from rhyming couplets and rap to sonnets and spoken word, to ignite young people’s creativity.
All 960 schools will also have the opportunity to take part in free live online masterclasses from poets including Laura Mucha (Guinness World Record holder for Largest Poetry Lesson) and Instagram poetry sensation Nikita Gill, and benefit from a specialist resource pack based on the theme ‘everyone is a poet’, developed by experts at the National Literacy Trust and National Poetry Centre.
Director of the National Poetry Centre, Nick Barley said: “Everyone can be a poet, and Young Poets Week help students find that out for themselves. Thanks to this lovely programme I hope young people will be more confident to find their voice, and teachers will feel better equipped to fit poetry into the busy curriculum.”
Jonathan Douglas CBE, Chief Executive of the National Literacy Trust, said: “Young Poets Week will give thousands of children and young people across the country exciting, inspiring and meaningful opportunities to discover and engage with poetry in all its forms. Young people tell us that when they enjoy reading, writing or performing poetry, it can spark their creativity, support wellbeing, build empathy and enhance learning. Poetry is for everyone and has the power to shape children’s lives, both in the classroom and beyond it.”
Young Poets Week also marks the beginning of the applications process for 12 young people to be selected as regional Young Poet Laureates, a programme launched in June. 120 young people from participating schools will be shortlisted from those who apply between 24 November and 19 January 2026, with the final dozen selected to be announced in June 2026.
The Young Poet Laureate programme follows a successful pilot West Yorkshire Young Poet Laureate programme, which included West Yorkshire Poetry Week and the Young Poet Laureate competition, launched in 2023 by Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin with Simon Armitage and the National Literacy Trust. The programme is supported by Arts Council England, West Yorkshire Combined Authority and the Charlotte Aitken Trust.
Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin said: “What began in West Yorkshire two years ago is now inspiring young people right across the country, and I couldn’t be prouder.
“Our region has always been bursting with creativity, and our Young Poet Laureate programme has proved that talent can be nurtured through poetry.
“Through Young Poets Week, that spark is now going national – with thousands of young people across the country getting the chance to pick up their pens, find their voices and discover the joy of words.”
