In a special assembly, nine short-listed pupils took to the stage to perform their poems in front of fellow classmates, staff, and a panel of esteemed judges — Mrs Chaplin, Mr Lawman and Mr Dove.

Each poem was read aloud by its young author, showcasing not only their writing talents but also their confidence and performance skills. The standard of entries this year was incredibly high, making the judging process a challenging one. After much deliberation, the judges selected the following winners:

Year 1/2

• The Children’s Prayer – Rose M

• Autumn Greeting – Bessie D

• Lucy’s Marvellous Medicine – Lucy B

Year 3/4

• Wishes – Nellie D

• The Traveller From an Antique Land – Arthur P

• A Pirate’s Life – Harvey M

Year 5/6

• I Am – Ella P

• The Mouse & The Bunny Rabbit – Sophie C

• This Or That – Darcy C

The Magpie Poetry Competition takes its name from the idea that magpies are known for collecting shiny treasures — in this case, pupils are encouraged to ‘steal’ ideas from published poems to spark their own creative writing. Whether it’s a theme, title, structure, or tone, pupils use this inspiration as a springboard to develop their own original poetic masterpieces.

This popular competition is one of the highlights of the Junior School calendar and creates a wonderful atmosphere of good-natured competition, literary exploration, and creative expression. Every pupil in the Junior School takes part, with teachers selecting the standout entries from each year group to be shortlisted for the final.

Our winners each received a book, a special certificate, and a coveted magpie badge in recognition of their achievements.

A huge well done to all the Junior pupils who submitted poems this year — your creativity, imagination, and enthusiasm were on full display. And a special congratulations to our 2025 winners!