EDUCATION

Written by

“A contemporary spoken soul breathing new life into performance poetry for children”
Eastfield Primary Academy, Grimsby

“What a wonderful event!  Matt hit the perfect tone for our students and dispelled some of those poet visit clichés perfectly. Sometimes students perceive poets to just be about nature and love and not about ‘real life’ but Matt helped our students to connect and engage immediately. His down to earth presentation and open honesty helped them to see that poets are indeed just like them. Engaging, funny and warm, he made our students at ease and confident to ask questions – they were hooked! We’ve already discussed running a Matt Abbott scheme of learning for next year!”
Sherburn High School, Sherburn-in-Elmet

Matt Abbott’s poem ‘Push’

since 2013, i’ve been delivering a range of spoken word and poetry workshops for both formal and non-formal learning groups, from primary school pupils through to pensioners.

i’ve worked for a range of organisations including museums and galleries; educational organisations; arts and music festivals; and community groups and charities. i’m able to tailor sessions to a variety of desired outcomes and objectives.

Matt Abbott Poet | Lea Forest Primary
Matt Abbott Poet | Blue Peter

my main strengths are my enthusiasm and confidence building, and my ability to articulate to specific groups and individuals as required. i have no formal teaching experience or qualifications; i simply have a passion for words and poetry.

in terms of formal education work, as well as the standard set-up i’ve also worked with GCSE pupils that were flagged up as struggling in English, pupils who have been excluded from mainstream education, and voluntary after-school groups. this includes SEMH schools and PRUs.

Matt Abbott ‘Remarkable Lives’ poem for Academies Enterprise Trust

in summer 2017, i was appointed as an ambassador for Eureka! The National Children’s Museum with this poem. in late 2018, i was commissioned to write ‘Remarkable Lives‘ for AET – the largest schools group in England – and this has since been incorporated into their core identity.

Remarkable Lives pupil poems at Unity City Academy (February 2019)Download

my début collection for kids ‘A Hurricane in my Head’ was published by Bloomsbury Education in July, and signed copies are available to purchase here. it’s targeted at kids aged 10-14 but is suitable for 8+. it was a National Poetry Day selected title in 2019 and led to a live appearance on Blue Peter.

Matt Abbott Poet | A Hurricane in my Head
Matt Abbott Poet | North Cornwall Book Festival 2021

outside of formal education, i’ve worked with refugees and asylum seekers, youth offending teams, homeless charities and NEETs, as well as adults that have signed up for writing and/or performance workshops through festivals and events.

i have an Enhanced DBS certificate from September 2022 and i drive. i’m based in Leeds but regularly work around the UK and am happy to travel, depending on my availability. as well as booking me directly, you’ll also find me on the books of leading national organisations including The Poetry Society, Authors Abroad, Arvon, and the National Literacy Trust.

Matt Abbott Poet | School bookings 2022/23
Matt Abbott poetry visits in schools for the 2022/23 academic year

Previous clients

Harrogate International Festivals | Matt Abbott Poet
Headfield Junior School | Matt Abbott Poet
The Hepworth Wakefield | Matt Abbott Poet
Holmfirth Arts Festival | Matt Abbott Poet
Horbury Academy | Matt Abbott Poet
Leeds Art Gallery | Matt Abbott Poet
Leeds Waterfront Festival | Matt Abbott Poet
Long Division Festival | Matt Abbott Poet
Love Music Hate Racism | Matt Abbott Poet
Meeting Point Leeds | Matt Abbott Poet
National Coal Mining Museum for England | Matt Abbott Poet
Ossett Academy | Matt Abbott Poet
The Poetry Takeaway | Matt Abbott Poet
Samuel Kings School | Matt Abbott Poet
St Mary's Primary School | Matt Abbott Poet
Tees Valley Arts | Matt Abbott Poet
The Hut Airedale | Matt Abbott Poet
The Poetry Society | Matt Abbott Poet
Theatre Royal Wakefield | Matt Abbott Poet
Trinity Homeless Projects | Matt Abbott Poet
Academies Enterprise Trust | Matt Abbott Poet
Appetite Stoke | Matt Abbott Poet
York Arc Light | Matt Abbott Poet
Darwen & Aldridge Community Academy | Matt Abbott Poet
Dane Royd Junior School | Matt Abbott Poet
Eastfield Primary Academy | Matt Abbott Poet
Europia | Matt Abbott Poet
Foundation Futures | Matt Abbott Poet
Grassington Arts Festival | Matt Abbott Poet
Unity Words | Matt Abbott Poet
Wakefield Lit Fest | Matt Abbott Poet
Wakefield Youth Offending Team | Matt Abbott Poet
Warwick Road Primary School | Matt Abbott Poet
We Do Creativity | Matt Abbott Poet
Winton Community Academy | Matt Abbott Poet
Word On The Street | Matt Abbott Poet
Kingsley Academy | Matt Abbott Poet
Lea Forest Primary Academy | Matt Abbott Poet
Maltings Academy | Matt Abbott Poet
Cornelius Vermuyden School | Matt Abbott Poet
Edgeland Arts | Matt Abbott Poet
Kettlethorpe High School | Matt Abbott Poet
Seaglass Collective | Matt Abbott Poet
Roundhouse London | Matt Abbott Poet
Plumberow Primary Academy | Matt Abbott Poet
Cygnet Health Hospital, Bury | Matt Abbott Poet
Matt Abbott Poet | The Ridge Academy
Matt Abbott Poet | Meadstead Primary Academy
Matt Abbott Poet | Trinity Primary Academy
Matt Abbott Poet | New Forest Academy
Matt Abbott Poet | WiseTalk
Matt Abbott Poet | Unity City Academy
Matt Abbott Poet | North Ormesby Primary Academy
Matt Abbott Poet | New Rickstones Academy
Matt Abbott Poet | The Brooksbank School
Matt Abbott Poet | Colne Valley High School
Matt Abbott Poet | Anglesey Primary Academy
Matt Abbott Poet | Ellar Carr PRU
Matt Abbott Poet | Verve Poetry Festival
Matt Abbott Poet | Hazelwood Academy
Matt Abbott Poet | Offa's Mead Academy
Matt Abbott Poet | Off The Shelf Festival 2019
Matt Abbott Poet | Mount Pellon Primary Academy
Matt Abbott Poet | The Beacon Academy
Matt Abbott Poet | Ryde Academy
Matt Abbott Poet | Emmaus C of E Catholic Primary School
Matt Abbott Poet | Wakefield Museum
Matt Abbott Poet | Wokingham Children's Book Festival
Matt Abbott Poet | Aspire Alternative Provision
Matt Abbott Poet | North Liverpool Academy
Matt Abbott Poet | Mab Lane Primary School
Matt Abbott Poet | Liverpool Children's Festival of Reading
Matt Abbott Poet | Trees In Mind
Matt Abbott Poet | Royds Hall Community School
Matt Abbott Poet | Ivydale Primary School
Matt Abbott Poet | Holy Trinity Primary School
Matt Abbott Poet | Webster Primary School
Matt Abbott Poet | Cathedral Academy
Matt Abbott Poet | Ryburn Valley High School
Matt Abbott Poet | First Story
Matt Abbott Poet | Woodside High School
Matt Abbott Poet | Earlham Primary School
Matt Abbott Poet | Dixons Trinity Chapeltown
Matt Abbott Poet | Ysgol Penrhyn Dewi
Matt Abbott Poet | Star Bereavement
Matt Abbott Poet | Springwell Leeds
Matt Abbott Poet | One to One Development Trust
Matt Abbott Poet | North Cornwall Book Festival
Matt Abbott Poet | National Literacy Trust
Matt Abbott Poet | Høng Gymnasium and HF
Matt Abbott Poet | Creative Lives
Matt Abbott Poet | Bradford Producing Hub
Matt Abbott Poet | Arvon
Matt Abbott Poet | The Anne Frank Trust UK
Matt Abbott Poet | Sunny Bank Mills
Matt Abbott Poet | Farsley Springbank Primary
Matt Abbott Poet | Co-Op Academy Leeds
Matt Abbott Poet | Trinity Academy Bradford
Matt Abbott Poet | Trinity Academy Halifax
Matt Abbott Poet | Whitcliffe Mount School
Matt Abbott Poet | Libraries Connected
Matt Abbott Poet | RLWC21
Matt Abbott Poet | Slung Low
Matt Abbott Poet | Birchwood Junior School
Matt Abbott Poet | Abbeyfield Primary Academy
Matt Abbott Poet | Authors Abroad
Matt Abbott’s Arvon poetry workshop on the transition from Y6 to Y7

Further testimonials

“Matt was excellent – thank you [The Poetry Society] for bringing us together. Best comment from a student: “I used to think poetry was crap but I like it now”. Brilliant”
The Brooksbank School, Halifax

“Matt visited some Liverpool schools as part of our Liverpool Children’s Festival of Reading and he was great! He worked with KS2 and KS3 pupils; performing some of his own work as well as supporting them in beginning to create and write their own poetry!”
Liverpool Learning Partnership

“It was fantastic having Matt in school for two days. All the children he worked with, from Years 1 to 6, were enthused by poetry as a result of his sessions. They wrote poems as individuals and classes, even wanting to carry on with them after Matt had left, and were left buzzing from the experience.”
Holy Trinity Primary, Halstead

“Matt’s poetry workshops today with our high ability students were fantastic – the ideas he provoked from within them was amazing to see. The outcomes were second to none and the students excitedly rushed to me the next day with their finished product! Thank you Matt – We will be calling on you again in the future!”

Unity City Academy, Middlesbrough

“Matt came in to work with our Y3 children; his poetry work was very engaging & allowed the children to develop their own ideas. This was clear as their work during the English poetry unit was of a very high standard. I’d recommend Matt to any teacher looking to get children interested in poetry”

Warwick Road Primary School, Dewsbury

“KS2 had a fantastic day with Matt: he really encouraged them to dig deep to discover how they could use what they know and their life experiences to form some remarkable poetry.”

North Ormesby Primary Academy, Middlesbrough

“I never liked poetry before; but now I love it”

Y8 pupil, Cornelius Vermuyden School, Canvey Island

poet, educator & activist