The boom in children’s poetry continues with more and more children becoming enthusiastic about poems and poets. It is lovely to share some more positive news on the subject. Today, 7th February the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE) announced the judging panel for CLIPPA, this country’s leading award for poetry published for children, together with plans for this year’s poetry celebrations. Award-winning poet Liz Berry will chair the 2024 judging panel. She is joined by teacher and writer Darren Chetty, Billie Manning of the Poetry Society, Imogen Maund, teacher and UKLA representative, and Laura Mucha, who was shortlisted for the CLiPPA in 2022. Established in 2003, the CLiPPA highlights the best new poetry for children. Past winners include Michael Rosen, John Agard, Jackie Kay, Roger McGough, Valerie Bloom and current Waterstones Children’s Laureate Joseph Coelho.
The unique CLiPPA Shadowing Scheme brings the poets and poetry on the shortlist into classrooms across the UK and encourages children to perform their favourite poems out loud. CLPE anticipate that over 40,000 children will participate in 2024. The shadowing scheme encourages schools and teachers to grow that love of poetry. Teachers are invited to choose one of the collections shortlisted for the CLiPPA and share with the children using dedicated teaching sequences produced by CLPE as well as videos of poets performing their work. Children choose a favourite poem from a shortlisted collection to work up into a performance, which is recorded and sent to a CLPE judging panel. Winning schools are invited to perform live at the award ceremony. The 2024 CLiPPA Shadowing will open on 8th May, with a live announcement beamed into schools and featuring the shortlisted poets. The award ceremony will be held at the National Theatre on Friday 12th July.
Liz Berry says, “If we’re lucky enough to meet poems when we’re children, we come to them with an open heart and never learn to feel afraid of them but to see them as companions on our journey. The best poetry meets young people where they are and then carries them off to dreams and possibilities. As a teacher, parent and a poet, I love reading and sharing poems with young people and seeing that magic happen. I’m delighted to be chairing the CLiPPA this year (honestly, what poetry job could be more joyful?) and discovering the books which will be enchanting the next generation of dreamers.”
The CLiPPA is delivered in partnership with the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS) and supported by Arts Council England. For further information about the award and the shadowing scheme please visit the website. You may also be interested in this article for the Children’s Poetry Summit website written by Charlotte Hacking from the CLPE in which she shares some of what CLPE achieved in The Big Amazing Poetry Project in partnership with Macmillan Children’s Books and the impact of the training on teachers and children.
The unique CLiPPA Shadowing Scheme brings the poets and poetry on the shortlist into classrooms across the UK and encourages children to perform their favourite poems out loud. CLPE anticipate that over 40,000 children will participate in 2024. The shadowing scheme encourages schools and teachers to grow that love of poetry. Teachers are invited to choose one of the collections shortlisted for the CLiPPA and share with the children using dedicated teaching sequences produced by CLPE as well as videos of poets performing their work. Children choose a favourite poem from a shortlisted collection to work up into a performance, which is recorded and sent to a CLPE judging panel. Winning schools are invited to perform live at the award ceremony. The 2024 CLiPPA Shadowing will open on 8th May, with a live announcement beamed into schools and featuring the shortlisted poets. The award ceremony will be held at the National Theatre on Friday 12th July.
Liz Berry says, “If we’re lucky enough to meet poems when we’re children, we come to them with an open heart and never learn to feel afraid of them but to see them as companions on our journey. The best poetry meets young people where they are and then carries them off to dreams and possibilities. As a teacher, parent and a poet, I love reading and sharing poems with young people and seeing that magic happen. I’m delighted to be chairing the CLiPPA this year (honestly, what poetry job could be more joyful?) and discovering the books which will be enchanting the next generation of dreamers.”
The CLiPPA is delivered in partnership with the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS) and supported by Arts Council England. For further information about the award and the shadowing scheme please visit the website. You may also be interested in this article for the Children’s Poetry Summit website written by Charlotte Hacking from the CLPE in which she shares some of what CLPE achieved in The Big Amazing Poetry Project in partnership with Macmillan Children’s Books and the impact of the training on teachers and children.