Poetry by Heart is a national poetry speaking competition for schools in England. It is open to young people in Key Stages 2-5. Pupils choose a poem, learn it by heart, and perform it. 3 classes at Almond Hill took part in the competition and received certificates for their entries. 

Comments from the judges: 

To achieve this in a national competition is something you can be very proud of. To help take your poetry performance further, the judges have offered this advice, just for you: 

5C - Endandgered (John Mole) - Highly Commended
Well done for learning this poem so well and contributing to a strong performance. We loved the actions, but make sure the words are not lost - you can afford to slow down a little, and vary the emphasis in the lines. 

3A - From A Railway Carriage (Robert Louis Stevenson) - Commended
It is lovely to see that you all made such an effort to learn this poem together, and perform it so confidently. You worked well to express the poem's rhythm but see if you can vary this a little bit in places.

6S - Invictus (W.E Henley)  - Commended 
We found this moving, especially the way your performance emphasises the power of the final line. This would be even more effective if you could vary the pace and emphasis within lines.