Poetry is an Unfamiliar Text: Locating Poetry in Secondary English Classrooms in New Zealand and England during a Period of Curriculum Change

Undertaken during a period when changes in the assessment of English in public examinations at 16+ were becoming embedded in classroom practice, this comparative research explores where poetry is located within the newly aligned examination assessment frameworks of New Zealand and England. It comments on how these frameworks are locally interpreted by a sample group of English teachers in two culturally diverse cities. It identifies the challenges for assessment of poetry writing and retention of poetry study at examination level that are instantiated within these contexts. In investigating poetry’s location, key issues are highlighted about teachers’ perceptions of poetry, confidence and the support needed for examination level teaching of a genre that is in danger of becoming increasingly unfamiliar to many students.