STUDENTS in Year 7, 8 and 9 at Sir Frederick Gibberd College, in Harlow, entered the Empowered poetry competition for Young Writers.

Some wrote poems during their poetry lessons, while others wrote them at home to celebrate National Poetry Day before performing them to their classmates.

The 18 writers had their work selected for publication in an anthology later this year.

Mizgin Koker, English Key Stage 3 co-ordinator, said: “All poems were thoughtfully written and explored a wide range of important themes, such as climate change, anti-bullying, equality and growth. One student even used her study of Jane Eyre as inspiration and wrote about the struggles faced by the young, orphaned protagonist.

“It is really important for students to be given opportunities to get involved in projects like this as it offers them a platform to express their own thoughts and feelings on subjects they are passionate about. We are hoping this will give our students a boost in their confidence levels and enable them to become even better at self-expression.

“We are so proud of our poets and their fantastic skills.”