ABSTRACT

Story or narrative poems, and ballads too, appeal to the over eights because of their drama, pace and rhythm. Classic poems and poems from other cultures also have a well-deserved place in the primary school collection. Both of these were mentioned in a recent Ofsted report, Poetry in Schools, as being underrepresented in the primary English classroom and it is hoped the analysis and suggestions here will be helpful. (Ofsted, 2007). Just as Chapter 16 leant towards the under eights, so this chapter is particularly relevant to those who teach the eights and over. The length and complexity of some story and classic poems make them more appropriate for the older primary classes. However, neither Chapter 16 nor this chapter homes in on one age group exclusively.