When we consider the pleasure that poetry can bring into our lives, and the things that it can teach us about the world we live in, we must ask ourselves why it is that the English education system no longer places any value on writing it.

The key stage 3 national curriculum explicitly states that “pupils should be taught to write for a wide range of purposes and audiences, including…poetry”. However, when we look at the key stage 4 national curriculum, poetry writing vanishes completely. Why is this? Why is one of the oldest art forms not rewarded through formal examinations?

Is it too hard to judge good-quality poetry? Is that why we don’t assess it? This can’t be the case because poetry writing is tested elsewhere. In Scotland, poetry can be submitted as part of a student’s folio of creative writing, and at A level in England, poetry writing can also be assessed.

I suspect that this misguided removal of poetry writing from the KS4 curriculum could mean that many schools are prioritising the teaching of skills that are tested in formal examinations over things that are not - such as writing poetry and play scripts. After all, when schools are held to account for students’ attainment at the end of GCSE, every second spent on exam skills counts.

An additional problem may be that many teachers will have gone through formal education without being tested on poetry writing themselves. It also isn’t covered as standard in many English degrees. For this reason, many lack confidence teaching it to students. There are so many variations in form, structure, rhythm and language. Where should teachers start?

Start we must, though. Writing poetry is not only profoundly comforting and great for wellbeing, it also allows students to find their voice. They can express ideas about themselves, reflect on the nature of the world they live in, and explore the conditions of their existence without fear of judgement. For students with poor literacy or difficulties with the English language, poetry offers the perfect form for expression.

Writing poetry also undoubtedly goes some way towards helping students to read it - something they are assessed on in English literature. Playing with poetic forms, structures and language choices, etc, can help students to understand how and why a poet might use these in their own work.

So, let’s be proactive. Let’s get poetry writing back where it belongs: in the hands of young people with plenty to say.

This article originally appeared in the 26 June 2020 issue under the headline “Your students could be poets but will they ever know it?”