The prizes are non-transferable and there are no cash alternatives, and are subject to availability. The Promoter reserves the right to amend the specification of the prize or offer an alternative prize. In exceptional circumstances, the Promoter reserves the right to foreclose the competition without notice. Matt’s performances and workshops were fantastic! His humour and warmth inspired boys and girls across both Key Stages. We look forward to his next visit!" - Susie Hornby, Teacher, Altrincham CE Primary School The outcome of the sessions will be children will have memorised and performed their own version of one of Matt’s poems – everything that the new National Curriculum expects your children to be able to do!! These sessions are also great for schools to continue to develop their performance poetry by setting up termly Poetry Assemblies where each year group performs their poems, allowing children to demonstrate their learning! From the minute Matt walked into our school there was a buzz of excitement. He engaged every single pupil in the workshops and encouraged them all to step into the fascinating world of poetry. Pupils and staff loved the day and were left with great ideas, inspiration and a real feel good factor. When your ‘hard to reach’ boys are searching for Matt, notebooks in hand, to show him their poetry compositions, you know he’s getting something right. Matt’s poetry and personal anecdotes make for an inspirational day!

The Promoter accepts no responsibility for entries that are incomplete, illegible, incorrect, corrupted or fail to reach the Promoter by the closing date for any reason. Automatically generated entries or entries via third parties are invalid and shall not be considered. The techniques that Matt teaches during the writing sessions are adaptable, and means that children (and teachers!) will be able to apply the skills learnt to any topic they are studying – cross-curricular writing is easy with poetry! Details Preferred age range: Prizes are sent to winners prior to publication and so the cover may differ from the image shown, and may be an uncorrected proof copy.Author Anna Kemp introduces The Hollow Hills, the sequel to her dark magical tale, Into Goblyn Wood. Matt Goodfellow's poetry collection is one to lose yourself in, one to share. * Armadillo Magazine * Matt engaged the children brilliantly with his lively poetry and wit. He is both entertaining and inspiring. Children from Foundation Stage to Year 6 loved working with him and teachers were left buzzing with ideas about how to deliver poetry in exciting ways. PRAISE FOR BRIGHT BURSTS OF COLOUR: Matt Goodfellow is a fresh voice on the children's poetry scene. * Pie Corbett *

In this story of hope and endurance, we follow a scientist and her team during their search for the elusive 'Giant Arctic Jellyfish'. Matt’s sessions really enthused the children and gave them the confidence to perform (even in a whole school assembly!) All children were able to succeed." - , Michelle Rogers, Deputy Head, All Saints Primary School, Gorton, Manchester x 30min writing workshops across both key stages with a class-sized group and the class teacher presentI think children need to be exposed to poetry in school on a daily basis. This allows them to understand that poetry does an infinite amount of things - and one of the brilliant things poets can do is tell their story in their own voice. Children need to know that they can do the same; they can be proud of their accents and the way they talk; they can write about their own life - and celebrate it, for all the happiness, sadness and strangeness this world brings. And they can do it with the words already in their heads. Can you tell us about your new collection, Let's Chase Stars Together? Why did you want to write a collection for older children?

The topics reflect what it means to be young in the world today, making space for vulnerability and strength. I spin the wheel of worry every day, one poem notes, but another cautions: don't mess with this battle-scarred child. Nature, school and family feature in these accessible poems. * The Irish Times * I wanted to write an older collection for a number of reasons: I never want to write the same book twice, and my other solo collections have been KS1 and KS2 books; also, my kids are now 12 and 17, and their experiences of the journey through high school began to colour my world and made me think of my own experiences; also, I've done a lot more work in high schools over the past few years, so it seemed like a natural progression for me - and a good way to expand as a writer. Poet Matt Goodfellow is a passionate advocate of introducing poetry to children and young people and here, he talks about the experiences that made him a poet and introduces his new collection, Let's Chase Stars Together. Often it's reading; reading generally starts the fires of thought burning in my head and then it's just a case of getting those ideas down and seeing where they end up.Matt will perform some of his poems and discuss with children the techniques needed to create successful performances. Matt begins sessions by playing warm up games that get children into a ‘poetic frame of mind.’ The children will write a class poem together and will then go on to innovate on a model poem which Matt provides, ending the session with brand-new piece of writing that can continue to be developed with the class teacher. As the sessions progress, Matt will provide the teacher with hints and tips as to how to integrate poetry into the classroom in an interesting and engaging way. Children will have the chance to perform their work at the end of the session.