Congratulations to all the winners of the BDAT Big Read Poetry Competition, and a huge thank you and well done to everybody that entered. The judges had a very difficult time shortlisting and selecting the winners from all the wonderful entries.
A special “Thank you” to AIT, Advanced IT Services for their generous donation of a Kindle for the overall winner.
The winners are:
The Primary Competition:
1st Place: Lyra from Wycliffe CE Primary
2nd Place: Ronnie from St John’s CE Primary
3rd Place: Ismaeel from Baildon Primary
The Secondary Competition:
1st Place: Fasanya from Belle Vue Girls’ Academy
2nd Place: Aiza from Bradford Girls’ Grammar School
3rd Place: Tilly from Immanuel College
With the Overall Winner being Fasanya from Belle Vue Girls’ Academy.
Huge Congratulations Fasanya!
Please see all the winning poems below…
1st Place Primary: Lyra from Wycliffe CE Primary
Moving Home
Shirts and jeans and toys and books,
There’s so much here to pack
Fill a bag and hop in the truck
Sit quietly in the back
Say goodbye to your house,
Your friends and the things you adore,
Say hello to your new life,
New faces and places to explore
Across the ocean, across the land
We stop.
Knowing soon again we will be moving,
Always strange words and rules to learn
Everything is so confusing
I’ve learned no mater where we stay and live,
Wherever we may roam,
It’s not a building or a place,
But it’s my family that’s my HOME!!
2nd Place Primary: Ronnie from St John’s CE Primary
On stage
With backstage nerves my heart races
As I peek through the curtains a crowd of unknown faces
The mic awaits loud and ready
I start to sing my voice unsteady
I close my eyes everyone disappears
Away go my nerves and so do my fears
I open my eyes to the crowd cheering
I made it to the end
But this is only the beginning.
3rd Place Primary: Ismaeel from Baildon Primary
I have a dream
I have a dream that the world is kind
Where friends help friends and no one’s left behind
I have a dream that the sky stays blue
And every child has a dream come true
I have a dream we can laugh and play
Where worries and fears all fade away
I have a dream of a bright new start
With love and hope in every heart
I have a dream of a bright new start
With love and hope in every heart
I have a dream of a world that’s fair
Where people are gentle and always care
I have a dream of a school so bright
Where everyone’s welcome and smiles feel right
I have a dream that no one is sad
That life is joyful and hearts are glad
I have a dream we can all stand tall
With peace and friendship shared by all
1st Place Secondary: Fasanya from Belle Vue Girls’ Academy
And Overall Winner of the Competition
The World Can Wait.
We carry weight that no one can see
Like invisible backpacks on our shoulders
Full of unfinished conversations
Regrets folded into corners
And promises we made to ourselves but forgot
Well-being isn’t a hashtag
It isn’t a checklist on your phone
It’s the quiet question you ask yourself in the shower
It’s the pause before you answer the world
It’s noticing your own skin without trying to change it
Some days your mind will shout
And the world will push harder
But there is power in the small things
A cup of water before the chaos
The music that makes your chest lift
The walk that reminds your legs they are alive
We are allowed to retreat
To close doors softly
To step back from people who take more than they give
To choose sunlight over noise
To pick yourself up before anyone else
Well-being is messy
It’s the kind of courage that doesn’t need applause
It’s learning your own rhythms
Your own breathing
Your own quiet rebellion against exhaustion
So today,
Sit for a moment
Feel your shoulders drop
Watch your thoughts pass like clouds
And remember
You are not broken
You are unfolding
And the world can wait
2nd Place Secondary: Aiza from Bradford Girls’ Grammar School
Kindness in Virtue
In the halls of learning, where we grow and strive,
A simple act of kindness keeps us all alive.
A hand to help, a word of cheer,
Turns any doubt or worry into clear.
In classrooms bustling, where thoughts collide,
A kind word offered can turn the tide.
A smile to brighten a weary face,
Brings warmth and light to every place.
On the playground, where friendships bloom,
A helping hand can chase away gloom.
In every act, big or small,
Kindness makes the world feel whole.
In every neighbourhood, where neighbours meet,
A kind deed makes life sweet.
A door held open, a greeting warm,
Builds trust and breaks down any storm.
In moments of doubt, when spirits fall,
A listening ear can heal it all.
Kindness is the thread that binds us tight,
Turning darkness into a light.
Let’s walk together, let’s lift each other,
For kindness is the bond that makes us stronger.
In every act, in every day,
Kindness leads the way.
So let us be the light in the dark,
Let kindness guide every single heart.
For in each gesture, pure and true,
We build a world that’s bright anew.
3rd Place Secondary: Tilly from Immanuel College
My Best Self
My best self
Is when I have good mental health,
I like people being kind,
It helps when I lose my mind,
however hope is not lost,
When my mind is tossed
My worst self
Isn’t when I have good mental health,
It’s when I struggle,
and need a cuddle
The days feel like forever,
I’m always at the end of my tether
My mind is broken
my family is the token,
Like I say hope isn’t lost,
When my mind I tossed,
All I have to do, is call you,
and the piece of me is found,
and I’ve calmed down.