In recent years slam poetry has become the pop art event of literary festivals up and down the country and this week a Swindon school is jumping on board with a contest to encourage youngsters to take an interest in poems.

Kingsdown School is hoping budding poets from three schools will enter the poetry slam competition on Thursday.

The event is for 50 of the year 8 students, and takes place at the Stratton St Margaret school. In the morning students will be attending two poetry workshops run by Spiel Unlimited.

In the afternoon there will be the grand slam competition where teams perform their own works composed in the workshops and are then judged by their peers.

Students from Headlands and Warneford schools have also been invited.

Teacher, Russell Sander-son said: "This should be a very exciting event and well worth a visit, especially for the performances."