Poetry has for Putney students always held a special allure—perhaps an antidote to a world of fleeting and often less edifying digital content. Packed with meaning and emotion, it can be a way of bringing ideas to life, engaging with different experiences. Importantly, it is a way of thinking differently that not only has value in itself but that has an impact far beyond the creative arts.

Poems can really pack a punch, but as an artform, what is their appeal?

Freedom plays a part, as poetry offers a literary outlet unrestrained by rules or convention. A poem offers boundless opportunities; the release of something previously unknown. Where an essay or other forms of writing—academic papers, analysis, even journalism—are generally restricted by the need to capture and comprehend something known, a poem can be idiosyncratic, a flight of fancy of the author’s choosing, the expression of abstract thoughts and ideas through words and rhythm.

Freedom, imagination, creativity, even risk-taking, these typify so much of the Putney experience; in the creative arts of course, but more widely, in the kind of mindset Putney High School seeks to build.

The courage to think differently, push boundaries and take the road untrodden is an attitude of mind we very much encourage, and which is borne out every day, not just in English classes and art studios, but in design thinking, debating, PPE (Philosophy, Politics and Economics) and the many challenging academic interests our students pursue.

This year we have seen record number of applications for Arkwright scholarships. A career in engineering is on the wish list of increasing numbers of girls and every day they hone their skills in the Innovation Hub and Product Design room, researching and refining their ideas, developing prototypes and finding imaginative ways to problem-solve. Creative thinking takes so many forms and when encouraged, unrestricted, the possibilities seem endless.