Schools Poetry Competition Entries - Age 9 to 11
Poems by junior school children about the joys, trials and tribulations of school, which were submitted as entries to our 2015 poetry competition for your writers from around the world.
My important decision by Nathan
The final poem by Nathan (I put them up in reverse chronological order, which can be confusing) relates the anxieties he's going through choosing his High School. While all three poems touch on the sometimes difficult transition from primary to secondary school, this is a poem of great maturity which captures beautifully the uncertainties which surround this important decision. Congratulations Nathan on three really excellent poems.
Author
Nathan
Age
10
From
Snarestone in Derbyshire
I’m in year 6 and I wrote this poem about how I feel about choosing my High School. It’s my important decision. Mum and Dad have been great helping me choose the right school for me but it really made us all feel anxious when we completed the form. By the 1st of March I’ll be a wreck waiting for that long to find out if I got in to my school choice! . It’s such a long time to wait and not even Mum and Dad can do anything about the decision. It helped me to write about it in a poem because I felt a bit calmer after I’d written about it. It only took about 10 minutes to write because I just needed to get how I felt written down. I showed it to Mum and Dad and they said they felt the same as me.
My important decision
I have an important decision,
That I’m making with precision.
Which secondary school to choose?
On that I cannot loose!
I’ve visited three schools you see.
One definitely wasn’t for me!
I’ve made an important decision,
The school choice was a given.
Then my decision became official
On application my choice was initial.
The decision is out of my hands
Oh I hope they agree with my plans!
Until March I have to wait,
By then I’ll be quite a state!
So I hope that the authorities
Will agree with my priorities.
Oh I hope there’s enough provision
To agree my important decision!
Mrs Wild by Nathan
A second poem by Nathan which focuses on his head teacher, Mrs Wild. Belying her name, Mrs Wild is a paragon of virtue who wants the best for all the pupils in her care.
Author
Nathan
Age
10
From
Snarestone in Derbyshire
I have attached the poem I’ve written about my Head teacher, Mrs Wild for the poetry competition. She’s a really cool Head teacher and a nice person. When we do something well she praises us to the heavens and if we do something bad she certainly doesn’t! She even let me have time off to be filmed for CBBC WILD! I like Mrs Wild lots so I wrote this poem to make into a card to give it to her when I leave. It took a while to write my poem because she’s not a very straightforward person and I wanted to try to include lots of things about her. Mrs Wild does so much for the children at my school so I hope that she likes my poem and I hope that you do too. I’ve shown my mum my poem but not Mrs Wild because it’s a surprise. I can’t show it to my teacher in case he tells Mrs Wild. I quite enjoyed writing this poem but it was quite difficult to try to include everything I wanted to.
Mrs Wild
As Head you pretend to be strict,
But that’s where most people are tricked.
I’ve seen you laugh, I’ve seen you cross,
I’ve even seen you at a loss!
You nurture pupils in your care,
Though some must make you want to swear!
You’re patient, fair and tolerant,
For me you’re just an aspirant.
You want us all to be our best,
And daily that’s put to the test.
You shower praise when we succeed
And that’s a rare triumph indeed!
You’re always very creative,
Supporting and innovative.
Always striving for excellence,
Though not at St Leonards expense.
Your aim is to be outstanding,
Your school to be the one landing
OFSTED inspector’s accolades.
Then you’ll be the one getting praise!
Your door is always open wide,
Pupils seek good advice inside.
You put aside great files of work,
To help us feel less like a burke!
One thing you’ve instilled, I concede.
Focus on work makes me succeed,
You constantly supported me,
Even letting me on TV!
You really are one of a kind
I’ll be sad to leave you behind
Thanks for all the support and fun
Now my time at this school is done.
My teacher, Mr B by Nathan
The first of Nathan's three poems is about his teacher Mr B. As the poem progresses, we discover that Mr B is one of those cruel to be kind teachers who always puts his pupils' best interests first. As he nears the end of his time at Primary School, he grows to respect Mr B and his teaching methods. .
Author
Nathan
Age
10
From
Snarestone in Derbyshire
I wrote this poem about my teacher because I’d had loads of home learning to complete from him in one weekend and I wasn’t very impressed with Mr B! Then the next week I received Star Learner of the Day twice in a row and also lots of merits so I realised he wasn’t that bad. I visited a High School Open Evening and I realised Mr B was just doing his best to make sure we were ready to go to high school. I think he’s a pretty OK teacher so I decided to write a poem about him. It didn’t take that long to write. I showed the poem to my Mum and she said I should send it in for a competition and I found your competition on the internet. So I’m applying!
My teacher, Mr B
There’s loads of word to describe Mr B.,
He’s always quite soft-spoken you see,
He’s fun, he’s strict, he’s hard to please!
Sometimes he’s even the bees’ knees!
He tells us to focus and work hard,
Sometimes he can be quite a card!
He’ll laugh with the class and praise us all,
But tells us off if our standards fall!
Mr B won’t tolerate defiance!
His favourite lessons are maths and science,
Daily Star Learner Award he announces out loud,
When you receive it you feel really proud!
Expecting us to work hard for a merit
Mr B goes through our books like a ferret!
He likes us to be creative, encouraging us to think,
Then marks home-learning before you can blink!
Mr B’s test mad, good results make him happy,
Tables and spellings need to be snappy,
He’s very supportive and wants to find,
The things he teaches expand our minds.
For High School he wants us to prepare,
To help us look forward to going there,
He tries to make us the best we can be,
When I leave primary school, I’ll miss Mr B!
I Love My School by Austin
Short and sweet, Austin's poem looks towards an educational fantasy which is sadly unlikely to become a reality. Great poem Austin and keep your fingers crossed!!
Author
Austin
Age
10
From
China, Hong Kong
I made this poem because I really want that to happen.
I Love My School
I love my school,
because it is good,
and always cool!
we only have one homework
and ten hours break!
The Dog Ate My Homework! by Gregory
Gregory has managed to produce a poem which employs an incredibly effective rhyme scheme, contains subtle humour and demonstrates wonderful imagination. I am a particular fan of the title, which utilises perhaps the most common schoolboy excuse. If only all journeys to school were so interesting! Excellent work, Gregory.
Author
Gregory
Age
11
From
Orpington, Kent, UK
I wrote this poem because most of my homework is either late or I just don’t give it in. I give a different excuse to my teachers every day. All of my classmates laugh.
The Dog Ate My Homework!
Teacher, Teacher there’s something I need to tell you,
a dog ate my homework on my way here to Belleview.
But why don’t I just tell you my whole journey to school,
as it was extremely peculiar after all.
I strolled down the path humming merrily,
then all of a sudden a pterodactyl zoomed down angrily.
It grabbed my bag and tried to fly away,
but I clinched on tight and darted a stray.
When I was running I jumped in a puddle,
and a shark leaped out to cause lots of trouble.
It grappled my work with its powerful jaws,
but I clutched on tight so not a lot of trouble the shark caused.
I finally got to school with I sigh of relief,
but from the corner sprung a dog trying to cause more grief.
It snatched my homework and scrambled afar,
trust me, it’s true but it might sound quite bizarre.
Next time I’ll try to keep my homework safe in my bag,
but I don’t know, weird things happen, instead of a dog, it might be a… stag
Summertime rap by Jamie
Unfortunately, Jamie's poem winged into my in box while I was away on holiday, so it's taken rather longer to appear on the site than it should have done. It's been well worth the wait, as Summertime rap is a fabulous poem about the summer holidays. Jamie pulls off a tricky internal rhyme in the third line of each verse with great mastery. Congratulations, I enjoyed it enormously.
Author
Jamie
Age
11 years old
From
Lichfield, England, UK
I enjoyed writing this poem and also I thought a poem about the summer holidays was original but brilliant
Thanks a lot and I hope you enjoy it!
Summertime rap
Summers here no more tests to fear
Let's enjoy some time on the pier
I think it's time to make a good rhyme
As I finally recharge
Tired of boring teachers nagging at me
Now I can have a splash in the sea
I can travel as I finally unravel
What's beneath the sand
Summers come with a BBQ
Then along with a family dispute
Summers at its max and I can still relax
As I'm only half way through
This is my school!!! by Poppy
I was delighted to discover that the subject of Poppy's poem is the staff at her school, who she thinks are funny and always willing to go the extra mile for their pupils. I only hope she hasn't undermined her good work by revealing their lunchtime drinking habits. A quirky poem which kept me guessing. Well done, Poppy.
Author
Poppy
Age
10½
From
Leicester, England
This is my school!!!
My school is big and old,
with secret hidden gold.
Which is the amazing staff
who really make me laugh.
They will always put on a extra club
instead of going to the local pub.
My friends are always there for me,
they gather around me like a queen bee.
I have packed lunch at dinner time,
whilst the teachers are having a glass of wine.
I think that it is really cool
when you try really hard at school.
Homework by Aisling
A very funny and slightly subversive poem on the vexed subject of homework. I can see that Aisling may form a movement to improve the lot of school children. Good luck if yo decide to go on strike!
Author
Aisling
Age
11
From
Galway, Ireland
It was very fun to write and it didn't take as long as I had expected it to
Homework
Why do we have homework?
Isn't that why we have school
Why do we bring work home?
That is just plain cruel
I know some kids aren't as lucky
They don't get educated
But I don't get why we get homework
That just makes things complicated
Now I think I've gone on enough
I just have one more thing to say
We should be treated like adults
And get paid for it everyday!
A Rainy School Break by Hudi
Hudi won second prize in last year's competition for his charming poem, My sister is a cat lover. While a rainy school break may not be such an enticing subject to write about, he tackles the subject with great assurance and introducing the prospect of escaping school and migrating to somewhere sunny is an act of genius. Well done, Hudi.
Author
Hudi
Age
9
From
Birmingham, England
I wrote this poem as it was raining and it was so boring not being able to go and play outside in the garden on my break (I am home-schooled).
I imagined being somewhere really hot and sunny.
A Rainy School Break
Drip drop, pitter patter on the window pane
Wishing I was far away from the rain
I glance up amongst the dark clouds
I spy an airplane
How I wish I was on there too
Flying south like birds do
I’d sit on a beach under the sultry sun
I would sip on a drink under a shady tree
Instead of the puddles, I would splash in the sea
Drip drop, Pitter patter
On the window pane
But I’m stuck inside school
And its pouring with rain
My School Day by Tracey-kym
Our very first competition entry and it's a wonderfully composed poem about a day in Tracey-kym's school life. I'm not sure 11 year olds should be writing 'horror', but it does sound fun.
Author
Tracey-kym
Age
11
From
Kings Lynn, Norfolk, UK
My School Day
My alarm buzzes,
I turn it off and clamber down my bed,
Like a zombie I start getting dressed,
Images of yesterday swarm in my head.
Waiting for the bus,
Freezing cold in the crisp winter air,
As the green vehicle arrives,
I pay for the fare.
My friends take the seat behind,
Many things they had to tell,
When we get close to stopping in school,
Everybody runs "STAMPEDE" I yell.
I make my way to form,
And Aylin starts to chat with me.
Mrs Woods takes the register,
And we head to assembly.
Finally we get to English,
I sit down in my chair.
I was going to call my horror 'Death by Donkey',
But I didn't dare.
When I go to Drama,
For which I desperately fled.
I think of Gabby in her under wear (to calm my nerves),
Then can't get the image out of my head.
When I return home,
I sit in my comfy seat.
As I have loads of homework,
My day is on repeat.
More Entries
Have a look at the school poems written by the other age groups
