National Poetry Day 2026
Hot Poets Take Over
Thanks to the Scottish Power Foundation and Arts Council England – National Poetry Day is teaming up with Hot Poets & Michael Rosen to bring poetry, climate science and creativity into schools across the UK..
Ask a young person what they think about climate change, and there’s a decent chance that anxiety comes up before action. That’s not surprising: the news tends to lead with what’s going wrong, not what’s possible. We think poetry can change that.
“Children and young people are experiencing considerable climate anxiety – starting their adult life with a sense of existential threat and a perception that it’s too late. It’s simply not true, but the current requirements of the national curriculum are focused on problems rather than solutions. Teachers want better information and different ways to teach it.” — Chris Redmond, Director, Hot Poets
That’s why National Poetry Day and Hot Poets are joining forces this year, on the NPD theme of ‘Wonder’, on a programme that puts creativity, hope and science side by side in classrooms. It’s not about pretending the climate crisis isn’t serious. It’s about giving children the words, the stories and the confidence to be part of what comes next.
“Children need to be equipped with knowledge and skills but they also need to be inspired, and to feel a sense of agency and excitement about the future they will shape. I am proud to be an ambassador for Hot Poets – who seek to do exactly that.” — Michael Rosen
The aim is to ignite a sense of wonder about our natural world and the urgent need to protect it, individually and collectively. This is an exercise in changing the story, from all that is wrong, to all that is still to play for.
“Poetry has always been about how we make sense of the things that matter most to us. Right now, for millions of young people, the environment is one of those things, and too often it’s a source of dread rather than wonder. That’s what we want to change. Working with Hot Poets, we can reach every school in the UK and give children a creative language for what they’re feeling, and for what’s possible.” — Jay Bhadricha, National Poetry Day / Forward Arts Foundation
Supported by Arts Council England and the ScottishPower Foundation across a two year programme.
Ways you can get involved
We’re delivering activities across 2026 and 2027, including:
- Free teaching resources: developed with leading climate and education experts, including the University of Oxford’s Centre for Climate Research and UCL’s Centre for Climate Change and Sustainability Education, these resources are designed to work across English, Science and Geography!
- Hot Poets in Schools: We are sending 20+ trained poet-facilitators into schools across the country — running one-day workshops and three-day residencies.
- Teacher CPD & Video Lessons with Michael Rosen: Professional development sessions led by Michael Rosen – offered to more than 400 schools at a 75% subsidised rate, equipping educators with creative approaches to teaching climate.
- Wonder, Thunder, Blunder – a new children’s anthology: A specially commissioned collection of 50 poems from 22 leading children’s poets and spoken word artists – including Michael Rosen, Valerie Bloom, Joseph Coelho and Christian Foley – each responding to a real-world climate innovation or natural wonder.
Who it’s for
Any school in the UK can take part. The teaching resources are free for everyone. And thanks to funding from the ScottishPower Foundation and Arts Council England, we’re also offering fully funded and subsidised opportunities for real life Hot Poet workshops – for schools that need them most.
The big picture
Over the course of this programme, we want 1.2 million children to leave National Poetry Day feeling less afraid and more curious. To discover that the world is strange, and urgent, and worth fighting for.
That feels like a pretty cool thing that poetry can do.
Book a Hot Poet for your school, or explore subsidy options, at hotpoets.org or by emailing katy@hotpoets.org
