Model to the children with shared writing the kind of question you think works best, and ask them to suggest them to you.

Anyone who is currently in school, or has ever been in school, will see something of themselves in at least one of these poems.Due to oversaturation, it is not my favourite of the collection, but I do think this whole book is filled with very clever observations of the absurdities of both children and teachers and creates a lot of nostalgia. Inspired by a visit the 60-year-old Yeats made to a convent school in Ireland, ‘Among School Children’ is considered one of his finest late poems. Hiding in in your clothes is not that unusual but swallowing it could actually kill you, so why are we not reacting to a teacher suggesting THAT?

However, I shouldn’t have worried - it is still the most perfect book of poems about being in primary school and being a kid. I like the way it is easy to read as a verse and by adding a touch of humour to a subject all children can relate to gives added interest to the listener.It’s also worth noting that all the odd-numbered stanzas and even-numbered stanzas follow a simple line structure. There isalso a selection of poems for you to try and read aloud and perform for your friends and family. Children of all ages can relate to the various aspects of school life such as friendship, breaking up and making up, misbehaving and getting into trouble, and mean and unsympathetic teachers. This acknowledgment of what brings them together, but also what marks them out as different, underpins this poem.

I remembered reading it as a young child, and was certainly a fan of Ahlberg's other books so was pleased to revisit this one. The bestselling and much-loved children's poetry classic, Please Mrs Butler by Allan Ahlberg is celebrating its 30th anniversary! The book can be used to provide children with short poems read aloud when there is spare time within the school day and as an introduction into reading and writing poetry.

According to a list I saw the other day, Please Mrs Butler is one of the top ten favourite children's poems in the UK. He has published over 100 children's books and, with his late wife Janet, created such award-winning picture books as Each Peach Pear Plum and The Jolly Christmas Postman - both winners of the Greenaway Medal. These are likely incidents all children have experienced while in school which makes it relevant to them. Then do a class reading of Michael Rosen's poem, 'Chivvy', which is a list of statements made by 'grown-ups'.