my visit to st. aidan's by dr Peter sansom

Such a pleasure to be in St Aidan's again, running workshops with Year 7 (and one or two extra-keen Year 8s).  The atmosphere in school, as you may know, is great - so warm and friendly, and the level of commitment from the students means right from the off I knew the sessions were going to be a success.  What was more surprising to me was a hall full of Year 11s  pedalling round their ears while they chorused 'On my bike, on my bike, I go riding where I like'.  Also, finding myself alongside Mr Pickford at lunchtime reciting to students (as they tried to eat) like a violinist at table.  The students were good natured, and occasionally appreciative - well, it was World Book Day after all.

As I noticed from the Thursday staff briefings, there's a lot of talent in a lot of areas in St Aidan's.  But surely no area more so than English, and specifically in creative writing.  Having a real live poet like Mr P on the staff makes a huge difference, and the fact that the Department has lunchtime Writing Clubs (even for the Sixth Form), and that it invites writers in, and takes a group each year to Arvon or Ty Newydd.  All of that is important:  to students' poetry, yes, but I believe it must make a difference to English in general and in some cases other disciplines too.  Because poetry more than any other of the verbal arts really has an effect on us - just the writing of it, undergoing the process of writing ...  

Well, better finish before I get up on that hobbyhorse.  So, thanks to the school for asking me in, and to the EXCELLENT students, who were great to work with and wrote really well - and above all to the staff who came and joined in the writing.  Also, not least to Mr Crane who told me about playing darts on the radio in Antarctica (I've already started the poem!).