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Saturday Poetry Classes for Young People
A creative weekend space for young minds aged 6–11
Welcome to Young Bards, Surrey Poet Laureateship’s brand-new Saturday School designed to help children explore their creativity, emotions, and confidence through the magic of poetry.
Each week, children step into a warm, imaginative environment where they can express themselves, play with language, build emotional literacy, and grow their writing skills - all through fun, age-appropriate activities and a structured progression pathway.
Our mission is simple:
to help young people find their voice, understand their feelings, and discover joy in the written and spoken word.
All teachers are fully DBS-checked, trained in child-centred creative facilitation, and passionate about fostering a safe, supportive space for young writers.
What to Expect
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Weekly 1-hour classes every Saturday
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Small groups (max 20 children), led by two facilitators
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A structured 6-level learning journey, from emotional expression to imagery, rhyme, techniques, and analysis
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A focus on creativity, confidence, wellbeing, and self-expression
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A joyful, encouraging atmosphere where every child is celebrated
Children who complete all six levels join our Young Bards Enrichment Stream - a weekly creativity club filled with writing games, challenges, and mentoring opportunities
Payment Options
We offer flexible, family-friendly pricing to make the programme as accessible as possible:
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£10 per class pay as you go (card payments only)
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Monthly memberships:
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£29.75/month – 1 class per week
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£52/month – 2 siblings (1 class/week)
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£64.50/month – 3 siblings (1 class/week)
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FIRST CLASS FREE!
Scholarships are available for families experiencing financial hardship - offered discreetly and compassionately through our community fund and local donors. Contact us for more information.
Classes
Egham
Egham Literary Instiute
51 High St, Egham TW20 9EW
Saturdays, 10am-11am
Why Poetry?
Poetry helps young people:
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Build emotional awareness
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Strengthen reading & writing skills
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Boost confidence
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Develop imagination
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Learn to express difficult feelings safely
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Have fun exploring language and identity
In a world where emotional wellbeing matters more than ever, Young Bards offers children a powerful outlet for expression and growth.
Progression Pathway
At Young Bards, students progress through a carefully designed learning journey that builds their understanding of poetry step by step. Throughout their time with us, children explore all aspects of the craft. From imagination and emotional expression to language, imagery, sound, and structure, ensuring a well-rounded creative foundation. Our progression system allows each child to grow at their own pace, encouraging confidence, curiosity, and creativity in a supportive, pressure-free environment.
As students progress, they earn achievement patches that mark their development, proudly sewn onto their uniform sleeves as a visible celebration of their creative journey.
Expression is the foundation of everything we do. At the Surrey Poet Laureateship, we believe poetry begins not with rules or techniques, but with learning how to express what we feel inside. Before structure, rhyme, or form, comes the courage to put emotion into words, which is why Expression is our first achievement and the cornerstone upon which all other poetic skills are built.
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Rhyme introduces students to the musical side of poetry. At this stage, young poets learn three foundational rhyme schemes and explore the different ways rhyme can be used within a poem to create rhythm, emphasise meaning, add playfulness, or bring structure to their writing. Rather than treating rhyme as a rule, students discover it as a creative tool they can choose when it serves their voice. Progress at this level is recognised with a Rhyme achievement patch.
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Metaphor is where students learn to say more by saying something different. At this stage, young poets explore metaphor and simile, discovering how comparison can turn thoughts, feelings, and experiences into vivid images. They learn how figurative language allows poems to communicate meaning in deeper, more imaginative ways, helping readers see, feel, and understand something beyond the literal.
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Inspiration is where young poets learn to look outward as well as inward. At this stage, students explore how poems can grow from the world around them, from nature and friendships to everyday moments and meaningful events. They learn that inspiration isn’t something you wait for, but something you notice, collect, and respond to. This achievement helps students understand how poetry can capture lived experience, and their progress is marked with an Inspiration patch, earned and proudly sewn onto their uniform sleeve.
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Language is where students begin to shape how their poems sound and feel. At this stage, young poets explore techniques such as alliteration, assonance, and consonance, learning how carefully chosen words can create texture, rhythm, and mood. By playing with sound and repetition, students discover how language itself can heighten meaning and bring their poems to life beyond the page.
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Analysis encourages students to slow down and look more closely at poetry. At this stage, young poets learn how to explore poems beyond the surface, noticing language choices, imagery, structure, and meaning. Through gentle discussion and reflection, students begin to understand how poems work and how different techniques shape a reader’s experience, strengthening both their reading skills and their own writing.
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