ON Thursday 6th October, as part of our National Poetry Day celebrations, author Ray Star came to speak to pupils and run workshops around this year’s theme of the environment. Speaking to Years 10 and 11 in assembly, Ray shared her story of becoming a novelist after a career in PR and how she came to be so interested in writing about environmental issues and the climate crisis in her works. Pupils were enlightened to her inspirations and were able to see how career paths are not fixed, but may change as priorities change, too.

Ray later ran workshops with groups of pupils writing their own poems to address environmental issues that matter to them. Topics ranged from addressing ocean pollution to mass extinction and littering to deforestation, with pupils channeling their voices to make their opinions on these matters heard. Across the English department, pupils looked at both contemporary and romantic poems as an inspiration for their own poetic commentaries on climate issues. The day provided a real opportunity for pupils to consider the world around them and share their perspectives.