A showcase of creativity, teamwork and confidence took centre stage at Hounslow Council’s annual Poetry Slam final this week.
Published: Friday, 27th June 2025
As Year 7 pupils from six local secondary schools came together to perform original poetry in front of a live audience and judging panel, which included Cllr Salman Shaheen, Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure and Public Spaces, and author.
Held at St Mark’s Catholic School in Hounslow, this year’s Poetry Slam brought together more than 60 pupils from The Green School for Girls, The Green School for Boys, Brentford School for Girls, Kew House School, Isleworth & Syon School for Boys and the host school, St Mark’s.
Now in its 12th year, the Poetry Slam is coordinated by Hounslow Council’s Schools Library Service and is open to Year 7 pupils from a number of schools across the borough. The initiative aims to inspire confidence and creativity through performance poetry and is supported with funding from Arts Council England.
Over the course of three sessions, students worked with professional poets in school-based workshops to develop their writing, performance and collaboration skills. In the run-up to the final, each participating school formed two poetry groups who then wrote, rehearsed and refined their original pieces in preparation for the main event.
Also on the judging panel were local poet, Anna Crawford and Helen Lancashire, from the Council’s Schools Library Service. She introduced the workshops and the final event.
Adam Kammerling is the lead poet for the event. He and five other poets worked with and championed the children in workshop sessions. Adam praised the young poets and the spirit of the day, he said: “It’s always a joy to work with these talented and courageous students. The transformation from the first workshop to final performance is amazing – such a range of young people step into the spotlight and own it. That’s the power of poetry."
On the day of the final, pupils had a final rehearsal in the morning, working alongside their poets to fine-tune their performances. The live Slam kicked off at 1pm, with 12 teams taking to the stage in a vibrant celebration of spoken word and group performance.
The performances were scored on content, delivery, and impact. At the end of the event, Cllr Shaheen announced the winner and presented the Poetry Slam Cup to ‘Team Awareness’ from the Green School for Girls.
Cllr Shaheen said:
Congratulations to Team Awareness from the Green School for Girls on winning Hounslow’s Poetry Slam 2025. I was moved by the poignancy of your piece and the weighty issues it tackled in such a creative and expressive way.
But the Poetry Slam isn’t just about the team who lifts the trophy, or even about the poems they perform. It's about building confidence, encouraging teamwork, and giving young people a platform to express themselves. We’re proud to support this initiative and grateful to the poets, schools and pupils who make it such a success every year.
As a young student, winning Suffolk County Council’s National Poetry Day Competition back in 2002 gave me the confidence to pursue writing in my career. Whichever path these talented pupils follow, I know from what I saw today that they have a bright future ahead of them.
We’re committed to delivering education and activities for young people in Hounslow and seeing young people perform with such passion, energy and confidence was truly inspiring. Initiatives like our Poetry Slam show the power of creativity in education and the impact of nurturing young voices.
Hounslow Council offers local families free, dedicated children's libraries and books for young adults, within each of its 11 libraries, located across the borough.
