About Writers in Schools

About Writers in Schools

Over the past 22 years, the Writers in Schools scheme has given more than 500,000 children the chance to work closely with writers in the classroom. Regardless of location or size of school, writers are keen to and interested in interacting with children and young people all over the island of Ireland. Since 1977 the Writers in Schools scheme has given thousands of children the opportunity to engage with accomplished writers, sparking their creativity and triggering an appreciation of language that can lasts a lifetime.

The Writers in Schools scheme part-funds visits by writers and storytellers to primary and post-primary schools in the Republic of Ireland (funded by The Arts Council) and Northern Ireland (funded by Arts Council Northern Ireland).

Writers in Schools single visits are:

• Suitable for primary and post-primary school groups
• Available with a range of artists including poets, novelists, storytellers, teen fiction writers, children’s writers, spoken word poets and screenwriters
• 2 hours with a selected writer, which can be divided into shorter sessions for different class groups (eg two/ three sessions during one visit).
• 100 paid by the school. The scheme funds the balance plus travel expenses.

B type visits (4 hours/cost €200/ £170) are reserved for special projects, with more information available upon request.

Note: We recommend that schools submit their application support as early as possible, as we generally operate on a first-come-first-served basis and unfortunately cannot accommodate every request.

For more details contact Writers in Schools Development Officer, Anna Bonner, at writersinschools@poetryireland.ie.