New Poet Laureates - Henrietta Barnett School

Home / New Poet Laureates

The English Department is delighted to announce the appointment of our new Poet Laureates for the 2025–26 academic year. After submitting outstanding entries to the National Poetry Day competition, three students were selected to represent each key stage. Kyara (Year 9) will serve as our Key Stage 3 Poet Laureate, Nidu (Year 11) will represent Key Stage 4, and Tvisha (Year 13) will be the Poet Laureate for Key Stage 5.

All three Laureates have already embraced their new roles with great enthusiasm. They have written their first poem of the year on the theme “Autumn at HBS” (see below), capturing the colours, atmosphere and spirit of the season within our school community. In addition, they have begun delivering assemblies to different year groups, sharing both their work and their passion for poetry. By the end of the academic year, each year group will have had the opportunity to meet them and hear their creative reflections.

Throughout the year, our Poet Laureates will write a new poem every half-term to mark significant moments in the school calendar, helping to celebrate, commemorate and enrich the life of the school through their writing. They also have the chance to wear the famous laurel wreath associated with the role!

Please see below for introductions written by each of our new Poet Laureates, followed by their first poems of the year.

I applied to be poet laureate because I love creative writing in general, and I thought being poet laureate would be a nice way to explore and develop my passion for this. I love writing about things that I have some sort of emotional connection to, because I feel it makes my poems a lot better and a lot more authentic. By being laureate I hope to gain more experience, but I also hope to inspire others while doing something I love.

I applied to be Poet Laureate because I’ve always loved how poetry captures emotions that ordinary words can’t – it’s a way to give voice to thoughts that often go unspoken. I’m especially inspired by poets like Carol Ann Duffy for her thought-provoking voice, and Pablo Neruda for his rich, romantic imagery. In my poems, I enjoy writing about the poetry woven into everyday life, and to find meaning in the unnoticed. As Poet Laureate, I hope to share that passion with others – bringing poetry into unexpected places, encouraging people to express themselves creatively, and personally, pushing myself as a writer by experimenting with new styles and themes.

I enjoy writing poetry because it is a powerful way to express my emotions, thoughts and experiences. I applied to be poet laureate as I wished to be part of something creative and celebrate the power of words in bringing people together. I’m still figuring out what kind of poetry I like but I’ve come across a few poems by Rainer Maria Rilke, Hermann Hesse, Maya Angelou, Elizabeth Barrett Browning and William Wordsworth that have stood out to me. I hope this role encourages me to write more frequently and explore new ideas through poetry.

A Brand New Start by Kyara

The clocks turn back and the air goes still,
leaves gather in a pile at the hill.
They swirl and settle by the door,
a golden carpet on the floor.

New books are opened, pages neat and white,
new lessons glow in the morning light.
Fresh faces in the halls appear,
the Year Sevens start to find their way around here.

New classes twist, new timetables turn,
new teachers’ names we start to learn.
Then Halloween, with shadowed light,
brings pumpkins and ghosts into the night.

Soon diwali’s glow will stream.
A festival about light and dreams.
It’s bright colours dance through every hall,
bringing happiness and hope to all.

And as December time softly calls,
the spirit of Christmas decks the halls.
The hallways are filled with songs once more,
carols drifting from every door.

Through autumn days, through festive cheer,
we learn and grow with each new year.
At Henrietta Barnett’s heart,
each autumn is a brand new start.

45 Minutes by Nidu

My hands fidget with my skirt as I wait in silence.
The fabric crumples, then I smooth it out,
again, again,
until the lines that refuse to fade whisper like lifelines,
my palms spilling their secrets onto cloth.
My eyes find the clock. Forty-five minutes, I remind myself-
long enough to map a life,
too short to live one.
I decide to ask the air what my future holds,
but it only shivers through the branches,
and the question tumbles, weightless, rolled
like a leaf caught in a swirl of wind.
Perhaps the future is shy today.

I imagine myself as one of the leaves,
one with the wind, hesitant to land,
hesitant to take root and stand.
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
I am left with the quiet
of my own palms,
the spaces between their lines.

Autumn by Tvisha

Autumn arrives before summer could bid farewell.
It greets us with a chill in the air
The trees change costume though leaves still dwell
Scarves instead of sunscreen we wear.

Under the weather, we all feel it now
The cold is here and has made its mark.
Despite the sore throats, we still learn somehow
And keep going though it quickly turns dark.

Tables filled with coffee and cake.
Macmillan Coffee Morning never fails to delight.
We share the treats we have lovingly baked.
With every donation given, we choose to unite.

Unsteady steps but they’re finding their way:
New year 7s begin their story strong.
Enjoyment grows with each passing day
As they find their place to belong.

Making lanterns, we celebrate Diwali’s cheer.
The halls are decorated with colour and light.
Eating sweets with those we hold dear,
The school’s glow is warm and bright.

November means autumn is coming to a close.
Temporary is this golden spell.
It fades away as winter’s frosty presence grows.
Not goodbye, just farewell.

Kyara (Y9)

Key Stage 3

Nidu (Y11)

Key Stage 4

Tvisha (Y13)

Key Stage 5