At West Didsbury, we are extremely passionate about poetry and exposing our children to a variety of genres and poets, both classic and contemporary. We read poetry for enjoyment regularly and we have carefully selected poetry to perform, study and inspire writing in class. We have an annual visit from a poet each January where the whole school is immersed in performing and writing poetry which is a highlight of the academic year.

Children focus on poetry on a termly basis in guided reading. This is recorded as part of the carousel or whole class reading and is appropriate for the year group.

The reading spine in each year group has a selection of poetry books that are read to the children for pleasure.

The below poems are studied in class and are used for a performance focus or to inspire writing and each year group also has a genre of poetry to focus in on.

Reception's Nursery Rhymes

In Reception, children will be taught a wide range of nursery rhymes in order to support early literacy skills, communication and language, development of numeracy skills, and learning within understanding the world.

By the end of Reception, we aim for all children to know 20 nursery rhymes by heart. Nursery rhymes have been selected to cover a wide range of skills.

You can find videos of these nursery rhymes by following the link  Nursery Rhymes and Songs - A to Z - BBC Teach