The poem “Peace” was written by a Year 3 class of seven-year-olds at Keresley Grange Academy. Each child wrote one verse of this poem which was one of the two joint-winners of Coventry Peace Poem in 2018-19.

Teacher Katie Vaughan said “At Keresley Grange, reading and the development of rich vocabulary are of the highest priority and children here use an incredible range of words, which means that their writing is superb. This is reflected in their award winning Peace Poem. Here they wrote about showing respect and kindness for each other and all for member of the global community. This value is lived every day at Keresley Grange as part of the school’s RESPECT value. The children loved writing their poem and everyone at Keresley Grange is delighted that their writing talent has been recognised as one of the winners of the Coventry Children’s Peace Poem Competition.”

About this poem the judges said “it was great as it flowed and had a good pace to it. It talked about issues that affect the everyday lives of children in our city: putting litter in a bin; including others in their games. It makes some really lovely, basic suggestions about how the world would be a happier and more peaceful place if we followed their advice such as making friends wherever you go, making someone smile every day, feeling comfortable to sometimes say no. These points can also be applied to us adults too!”

“Peace”

By a year 3 class of seven-year-olds at Keresley Grange Academy

Peace makes your life better,
And always believing in yourself.
The dream is everyone showing respect for each other,
The poor laughing with the wealth.

Older children playing games with younger children,
Can be lots of fun to do.
Putting litter in the bin,
Sharing a smile or maybe two!

Accepting people who are different to you,
Friends of different race playing with each other.
Forgiving wrongs and compromising,
Respecting your father and mother.

Different religions dancing together,
Children walking with the old.
Helping animals and looking after plants,
In the warm, wind, snow or cold.

Being calm and positive,
And being content with what you’ve got.
Accepting apologies and forgiving,
Remembering soldiers that others forgot.

Including people that are different,
Making friends wherever you go.
Making someone smile every day,
Feeling comfortable to sometimes say no.

Everyone being nice to each other,
No matter their shape or colour or size.
Giving a hug when someone is sad,
Never telling lies.

Being grateful for what you have,
Your friends, family, food and toys.
Think about those who don’t have as much,
Those families, girls and boys.

And if there is a problem,
Forgiving and saying you’re sorry.
Having empathy for your friends,
And listening to their worries.

Peace is about showing love and compassion,
Having good manners like thank you and please.
Holding doors and saying hi,
Saying bless you when you hear someone sneeze.

What a world it would be,
If everyone could send peace and love to all.
We are here to support each other,
And stand together so we don’t fall.