Ark Castledown, Hastings
Tony was brilliant when he came to Castledown. His whole school assembly, year group workshops, and class activities inspired and empowered our students to write their own poems and have fun with words. There was a real buzz for World Poetry Day this year, and that is down to Tony
Deputy Head Teacher
Cookridge Primary School, Leeds
We booked Tony to help us launch a poetry competition across school and to engage and enthuse children about poems. He certainly didn't disappoint! During an interactive and inspiring whole school assembly, he got the children excited about rhyming, rhythms and vocabulary with his performance poetry. Then, when working with classes across school, he shared his knowledge and expertise with children -and staff - how to plan, write and perform poems for different purposes and audiences. Weeks after his visit, we have numerous pupils writing poems at home on weekends who then proudly perform them in class to their peers. If you wanted proof that his visit was inspirational then there it is! Thanks Tony!
Y4 Class Teacher, English Leader, Lower Key Stage 2 Leader
St Helen's Primary School, Isle of Wight
Tony’s laughter and enjoyment of poetry was captivating for every child and completely infectious. The children got stuck in and began to pull silly faces and chant when asked to. We didn’t quite know what to expect, but it was perfect. The children were caught by every story Tony told with his wonderful words. Fits of giggles and excitement filled our classroom workshop and he was being begged by the whole class for more. We didn't want it to end as it was just so much fun. I also don’t think I’ve ever seen my class click so well with working with rhyming couplets. What an engaging and wonderful concept, thank you for visiting our school Tony Peek.
Y1/2 Teacher
St Finbar's Catholic Primary School, Liverpool
Tony visited St Finbar’s with a request to help foster a love of poetry, he certainly achieved this. Our little learners thoroughly enjoyed listening to a variety of poems and began to write their own. Teachers are constantly being asked to share more of Tony’s fabulous poetry. Thank you
Y4 Teacher, Literacy Leed
Gatten & Lake Primary School Isle of Wight
Tony engaged, excited and captivated the children's imaginations right from the start of the day. They loved his whole school assembly and all enjoyed his story telling and poetry recitals in each of his workshops. Laughter could be heard in each and every classroom and children from reception to year 6 were inspired by Tony's fantastic poems and amusing delivery.
Deputy headteacher
Listerdale Junior Academy, Rotherham
Tony was recommended to us by another school and we quickly saw why! Tony started the day with a whole school assembly and had every single pupil (and staff!) completely captivated. His engaging, fun delivery had everyone awaiting his next word and roaring with laughter. Tony then worked throughout school delivering workshops from EYFS to upper key stage 2. The children had such a wonderful experience of hearing other poems, playing word games and writing their own poetry- they have been left with a love for poetry and inspired to create more! It has been really lovely to see so many children reading Tony’ s book throughout school and hearing discussions with their peers on which is their favourite poem and why. We can’t thank Tony enough for the sprinkle of poetry magic he has left on our school!
Year 5 Teacher and English Lead
Danetree Primary School - Epsom, Surrey
We booked Tony for a 3-day workshop due to being such a large school and wanting to give every child the opportunity to be fully immersed in the experience. I can honestly say that both teachers and children were blown away by the experience that was offered. Tony's passion for reading and poetry in particular filled the school with such an amazing buzz and the children's faces lit up during their workshops. He was extremely patient and kind with the children and made sure every child had an opportunity to share their ideas if they wanted to. It was clear that he had carefully thought about how he could cater for the range of ages across the school so that all children were engaged and interested! A lot of our children even commented that it was one of their favourite moments of the year when writing their final report comments. I would most definitely recommend Tony for any school that is trying to promote a love of reading!
Year 4 Class Teacher and Reading Lead
Askwith Primary School - Ilkley, North Yorkshire
Tony inspired the children when he visited Askwith Primary School. His stories, poems and performances were engaging and thought-provoking for all children from age 3 to 11 (and staff!). The KS2 children wrote some wonderful poems with Tony’s help and performed them to the whole school. The children were talking about Tony’s visit for weeks! Thank you Tony!
- Y1/2 Teacher
MacDiarmid & Knockbreck Primary Schools - Isle of Skye
..Tony’s workshop was fantastic! All of our children were engaged and enthusiastic as they listened to and wrote poetry. Several parents have commented that their children have been interested in reading and writing poetry at home since the workshop. The children loved the variety of poetry and the exciting delivery. Thank you Tony!
- P1/3 Teacher
Stone Cross Primary School - Eastbourne, East Sussex.
Poetry can be very challenging for a lot of children, and for some teachers, and it can be tricky to produce work that is fun and also of a good standard. Tony not only enthused my class with his own poetry - which was performed brilliantly - but gave them the ideas to create their own.
My Year 6 class were fascinated by his presence. The class instantly wanted to start work and create poetry and when the lesson ended they were all very vocal about not stopping! We then spent the following day continuing where Tony left off and the children then had a 'Pop In and See' morning for their parents, where they all showcased their poetry to the families.
Thank you Tony. Eagerly awaiting your next visit.
- Y6 Class Teacher
Lowedges Junior Academy, Sheffield
We booked Tony for a full day of fun! Poetry can sometimes be an achilles heel for staff who feel less confident so we wanted an expert in to come and inject some fun and some confidence with poetry! Tony started with an engaging whole class assembly that had the children (and staff) belly-laughing! We then split the day into year group workshops where each cohort listened to, participated in and wrote some poetry. Tony has a lovely, engaging manner with the children. This was thoroughly enjoyed by all and the children left buzzing about poetry. After speaking to staff, they fed back that they felt more confident and that poetry didn't need to be so set and structured. I would highly recommend (and in fact already have!) Tony for any school that wants to develop their poetry curriculum and enjoy a special day.
- Assistant Vice Principal & Early Reading Lead
Noss Primary Schools - Wick, Nr John O'Groats
...the children all thoroughly enjoyed his visit and enjoyed his funny poems. It has been reported that their favourite poem was one about teachers... We would like to thank Tony for coming all the way up to Wick it certainly added to his mileage on his tour of Scotland.
- Head Teacher.
Harrietsham Primary - Kent
Mrs Waller Davies (Deputy Head) asked children for their comments about your visit. They said:
Children in all year groups talked about your humour - "He was extremely funny." & "Tony is a really cool poet."
"He told us a poem and his grandma ate everything - even the house!" (Yr 1)
"I liked the way he said his poems, it was like they had just happened." (Yr 4)
"He was a good performance poet: some bits he made really dramatic." (Yr 6)
"I found the poems about his childhood really interesting." (Yr 6)
Victoria Primary - Edinburgh
It was a pleasure to have Mr Peek in our classroom. He enthused all the children and entertained them with his poems. All of our children were engaged and enjoying listening to poetry.
He inspired us to write our own 'Doctor Doctor' poems and gave us some wonderful ideas.
- Year 2/3 teacher
Just So Festival - Rode Hall, Congleton, Stoke-on-Trent
...We saw you yesterday at Just So, my eldest son took part, and my younger son who was feeling under the weather watched on. I just wanted to say that they have both said that your workshop was their favourite thing about the festival (apart, I’m afraid, from the old-fashioned sweet shop, but hey, anything would come second to that!). We bought your books and my youngest son, who is 5 and feeling much better, has not put down Volume 1. He has read it cover-to-cover. Thanks for making it so engaging!
- Workshops participant at Just So Festival
Hawthorn Primary - Newcastle
Teacher: “I thought the session for younger children was engaging, interesting and had the children hooked from the offset. Mr Peek inspired the children and promoted a love of reading poetry. As a teacher, I gained ideas on how to bring poetry to life and how to thread it in to the curriculum in a fun and creative way!”
Pupil: “I laughed so much, Mr Peek was so funny. I liked the poem about the teacher’s hat the best.”
- Head Teacher
Kingsnorth CEP - Ashford
Mr Peek engaged the children massively, through his quirky sense of humour and extensive knowledge of poetry. He was able to make us laugh but also had poems for the older audiences which were deep and meaningful. Children created a range of excellent poems from his teaching- some rhyming, others not! We had an excellent time with him and we hope he will come back soon! - Thank you Mr Peek!
- Year 5 Class Teacher
Little Arts Festival - Rushlake Green
Mr Peek kindly attended our community family day, part of The Little Arts Festival. He performed a series of poems and then held a workshop with the families. He is brilliant! In an age of iPads and Pokemon to be able to engage an audience of 2-year-olds to 70 plus is an amazing skill. His passion for poetry, combined with his experience and knowledge as an educator, mixed with his engaging personality makes him a unique talent.
If you are a school, or running an event, I highly recommend him, and hope that he will consider working with us in the future.
- Sophie Douglas
Artistic Director, The Little Arts Festival.
St James' Infant School - Tunbridge Wells
...such a big hit with the children and you have really inspired them with your poetry. I have been booking visitors to support literacy learning for over ten years now and it's always difficult to find people who can really engage with such small children - but you clearly have the gift!
- Deputy Head Teacher
Silverdale Primary Academy - St Leonards-on-Sea
What an amazing day we had the day that Mr Peek visited our Year 2's to inspire poetry and fun within our classrooms. Arriving armed with poems written especially with our Dinosaur topic in mind the children were enthralled and instantly captured in a world of rhythm, rhyme and laughter! The level of expectancy was high and the children were keen to express themselves and please our new poet in residence, I was no longer needed! That's one of the things that's so remarkable about Mr Peek. He demonstrates not only mastery for his core role, but also the ability to take on the leading role within the workshop. The words highly recommended cannot be shared enough.
- The Assistant Principal
Dartford Bridge Community Primary School - Kent
The workshop was great. Mr Peek was an engaging and fun facilitator and the children enjoyed the activities. They have created a range of lines / short stanzas using alliterations, similes and metaphors. It was a pity that the session was only an hour long.
- Y1 Class Teacher
The session I observed was brilliant. Mr Peek's ability to tell a story and get the children inspired was outstanding. The poetry itself was thought-provoking and exciting and kept the class focused and engaged. The work the children did was good. I would definitely recommend him to other schools.
-Y5 Class Teacher
Mr Peek was a fantastic guest and his ability to work with any age group was clearly demonstrated in assembly, where he was able to entertain children in Year 1 right up to Year 6. All the children that worked with him were buzzing with excitement and thoroughly enjoyed writing their own poetry. Thank you again!
- Literacy Coordinator
Challock Primary School - Ashford
During our book week one of the main highlights was a day of poetry workshops led by the talented Mr Peek. With well-prepared topic related sessions, including readings from his own impressive poetry, he inspired our junior children to read and write poems. The children were certainly excited by the sessions and enjoyed reading and performing their own poetry the next day!
School Literacy Co-ordinator
Northiam Primary School - East Sussex
Recently, Mr Peek came to visit my mixed Reception/Year 1 class as part of our literacy work on Nonsense Rhymes. He started the day with some fantastic quick-fire rhyming activities, which led to the children helping to compose some silly poems based on their own suggestions. The children were enthralled by his ability to create poems ‘from his head,’ and their enthusiasm was palpable! He also shared some of his own poetry, which was very entertaining.
I particularly liked the fact that all the material was age appropriate and engaging, with some new vocabulary thrown in for extra challenge. Every child was able to participate at their own level and the session inspired them in their own poetry writing. Mr Peek was lucky the children actually let him leave!
I would highly recommend a poetry session with Mr Peek, especially for those who find it hard to engage with poetry and rhyme.
Head of EYFS/KS1, Literacy Leader
Brede Primary School - East Sussex
Tony Peek came to Brede School in January 2015 and delivered a really enjoyable hour long introduction to the world of poetry for our Year One and Year Two class.
In preparation he sent a selection of his poems to enable the teachers to choose an appropriate range. Tony also offered a selection of learning intentions for the session.
The session started with a simple phonics yes or no question. Tony then posed a series of questions such as “ Can a shark jump in a tree?”. From here he took the children on a journey where sharks could and did jump in trees. Each new poem was incorporated into a tale of some distant relative and given context. By doing this the poems were easily understood avoiding the need for further explanations or analysis.
Tony showed the children a method of creating a poem by choosing a single word. He modelled the process using prompts from the children and at timely intervals they were given time, in groups, to create their own poems which they performed with great confidence and enthusiasm.
The session emphasised the power of poetry to both staff and children and made it feel accessible to all. The session was hugely enjoyed by both children and staff.
We hope to welcome Tony back sometime soon to give a workshop to Key Stage Two. I would thoroughly recommend his workshops.
- The Head Teacher
Pebsham Primary Academy - East Sussex
I decided the children should probably help write the testimonial so this is what they have come up with! You have obviously inspired them!!
"Thank you for a wonderful day, the children loved your workshops and you have inspired them so much they have written you a poem to show their gratitude. Ella Roberts (Deputy Headteacher)"
A poet came to our school
His name is Mr Peek
He’s very, very funny
And certainly unique
He read his famous poems
We all had a laugh
Key Stage One to Key Stage Two and…
Even the staff!
He made us think of rhyming words
He also let us SHOUT
Onomatopoeic words
Check us out!
We really enjoyed him coming
We want him to come again!
He wrote us our own poem
With his poet’s pen .
- By Year 4
