The Poetry School
The Poetry School is a UK registered charity and the country's largest provider of poetry education, founded in 1997. It serves adult learners, postgraduate students, and community poets through in-person, online, video, and downloadable courses, an accredited MA in Writing Poetry with Newcastle University, and the CAMPUS social learning network.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What The Poetry School does
The Poetry School is a UK registered charity (charitable company limited by guarantee, Charity Number 1069314) founded in 1997 by poets Mimi Khalvati, Jane Duran, and Pascale Petit, operating as the UK's largest provider of poetry education. The organization delivers structured poetry learning through multiple formats: in-person courses at teaching centres across England (London, Leeds, Bradford, Bridport, Cambridge, Exeter, Hereford, Norfolk, York, and others), fully online video courses via Zoom, downloadable DIY e-book style courses (approximately 30 pages each, bundled with exclusive CAMPUS group access), monthly seminar groups, and personalised 1-2-1 tutoring. Its flagship postgraduate offering is an accredited MA in Writing Poetry delivered in collaboration with Newcastle University in London and Newcastle.
The organization's central technology platform is CAMPUS, a social learning network described as the world's largest social network dedicated exclusively to poetry. CAMPUS hosts free resources, essays, interviews, blogs, podcasts, interactive events, and course-specific discussion groups, and is freely accessible to anyone with an online account, providing both a community hub and an online learning management layer. The Poetry School also runs the annual Laurel Prize ceremony, the Poet in the World residency initiative, and projects such as Stanzas for Ukraine (with PEN International) and the Primers mentoring scheme (with Nine Arches Press).
The revenue model is a hybrid charity-and-course-fee structure: direct course and workshop fees at £45-£135 per course, downloadable course sales, MA tuition fees, monthly and one-off donations (£5/month recurring option), and core funding from Arts Council England as a National Portfolio Organisation, supplemented by trust and foundation support (Paul Hamlyn Foundation, Kamini and Vindi Banga Family Trust, British Land). Customer segments are individual adult learners (beginner to advanced), postgraduate MA students, and free community members; financial accessibility is delivered through hardship bursaries (up to 75% of course cost), concessionary rates, and payment plans. The registered office is in Leeds, with the primary teaching hub at Somerset House Exchange in London.
The Poetry School firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Poetry School
- Legal name
- THE POETRY SCHOOL
- Website
- https://poetryschool.com
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- The Poetry School is a UK registered charity and the country's largest provider of poetry education, founded in 1997. It serves adult learners, postgraduate students, and community poets through in-person, online, video, and downloadable courses, an accredited MA in Writing Poetry with Newcastle University, and the CAMPUS social learning network.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Poetry School industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Poetry Education
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (611710), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Poetry Workshops (EDAMAMAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- English/Language Arts Tutoring (Reading, Writing, Literature) (EDANAAAC), Language & Communication Continuing Education (EDAAAEAF)
Keywords
Where The Poetry School is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
The Poetry School business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Course and Workshop Fees: Revenue from in-person, online, video courses, seminars, and 1-2-1 tutoring sessions. Course prices range from approximately £45-£135 per course.
- Downloadable Course Sales: Sale of downloadable e-book style courses covering poetry writing techniques, verse forms, subject matter, and professional development.
- Donations and Philanthropy: Voluntary income from individual donors and charitable bodies. Monthly giving option (£5/month) or one-off gifts. Core costs supported by Arts Council England so donations focus on broadening access.
- MA Degree Programme: Accredited Master's degree in Writing Poetry delivered in collaboration with Newcastle University, available in London and Newcastle locations.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | One time/ perpetual license | Standard single course enrollment |
| Subscription | One time/ perpetual license | Hardship Bursary |
| Subscription | One time/ perpetual license | Concessionary Rates |
| Subscription | Monthly | Payment Plan Option |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels7 records
The Poetry School product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Poetry School delivers poetry education across multiple delivery formats — in-person courses at teaching centres across England, online and Zoom-based video courses, monthly seminars, and 1-2-1 tutoring — taught by professional poet tutors. It also offers an accredited MA in Writing Poetry delivered in partnership with Newcastle University, plus a downloadable library of DIY e-book style courses and free Lucky Dip Lessons. The organisation operates CAMPUS, the world's largest social learning network dedicated exclusively to poetry, providing free community, resources and peer interaction alongside paid courses.
Product overview
The Poetry School is the UK's largest provider of poetry education, offering a multi-format learning ecosystem. Its core offerings include in-person, online, video, and seminar-based poetry courses taught by professional poets, alongside an accredited MA in Writing Poetry delivered in partnership with Newcastle University. The platform operates CAMPUS, the world's largest social network dedicated to poetry, providing free community access alongside paid courses. Supplementary offerings include downloadable DIY poetry courses, free Lucky Dip Lessons, financial bursaries, and residencies through its 'Poet in the World' initiative. The organization also runs the annual Laurel Prize and hosts various poetry projects including the Stanzas for Ukraine initiative.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Poetry Courses & Workshops Multi-format poetry courses and workshops taught by professional poet tutors, delivered in-person at teaching centres across England (including London at Somerset House, Southbank Centre and The Bindery, plus Bradford, Bridport, Cambridge, Exeter, Hereford, Leeds, Norfolk and York), fully online via Zoom (online and video courses), as monthly in-person seminars around the UK, and as personalised 1-2-1 tutorials. Individual course fees range from approximately £45 (short video workshops such as First Steps) to £135 (multi-week online courses such as Fragility of the Gods).
- MA in Writing Poetry Accredited Master's degree in Writing Poetry delivered in collaboration with Newcastle University, available in both London and Newcastle locations, providing formal postgraduate qualification in poetry writing for advanced poets.
- CAMPUS Social Learning Network Free-to-join social learning network dedicated exclusively to poetry, hosting thousands of active poet members globally with free resources, essays, interviews, blogs, podcasts and interactive events; accessible automatically to anyone with a Poetry School online account and serves as both community hub and online learning management system.
- Downloadable DIY Courses Digital e-book style poetry courses in PDF format (around 30 pages each), broken into ten or more lessons with exercises and coursework, sold as a one-time download from poetryschool.com; each order includes a unique CAMPUS group for peer interaction.
- Lucky Dip Lessons Free archive of short downloadable lessons (typically one or two pages) from creative tutors, providing concentrated advice on particular areas of poetic craft or inspiration.
Quantifiable outcome
- Bursary awards nearly quadrupled in recent years
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use The Poetry School
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
The Poetry School technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
The Poetry School partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Newcastle UniversitycoreCollaboration with Newcastle University to deliver an accredited Master's degree in Writing Poetry. The MA programme is delivered in both London and Newcastle locations, providing formal academic accreditation for poetry writing studies.
- Nine Arches PressminorPartnership for the Primers mentoring and publication scheme, providing mentorship and publication opportunities for debut poets shortlisted through Poetry School.
- PEN InternationalminorPartnered with Poetry School for the Stanzas for Ukraine project, publishing blogs by Ukrainian poets and supporting international poetry community engagement.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Poetry School competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- The Poetry Foundation: US-based poetry publisher and educator behind Poetry magazine and a large online poetry resource. Comparable mission of broadening poetry engagement and operating the largest dedicated poetry digital footprint outside CAMPUS.
- Spread the Word: London-based writers' development agency running development programmes, events, and resources for emerging writers. Directly comparable London focus and mission-driven creative-writing support.
- Faber Academy: The literary publisher's training arm, offering UK-based creative writing and poetry courses. Directly comparable in product format (short courses, longer programmes) and customer segment (aspiring and developing writers).
- Arvon: UK creative writing charity offering residential and online courses in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. Closest mission-aligned competitor with overlapping tutor and learner pools.
- Curtis Brown Creative: Writing school operated by the literary agency, running six-week online courses in fiction and narrative non-fiction. Comparable target learner (aspiring published writers) and structured online cohort model.
Regional players
- Bloodaxe Books: Major UK poetry publisher running author events, workshops, and prize partnerships. Comparable because it operates at the intersection of poetry publishing, education, and community engagement, but primarily as a publisher rather than tuition provider.
Broad incumbents
- MasterClass: Streaming platform offering celebrity-taught courses across many crafts including writing and poetry. Comparable in delivering recorded online creative-writing instruction at scale, but as a broad incumbent rather than a poetry specialist.
- The Open University: UK distance-learning university offering accredited creative writing modules at scale. Comparable in providing online, accredited creative-writing education to a national audience and serving as the type of institution that could partner or compete with the MA programme.
Others
- Nine Arches Press: UK poetry publisher already partnered with The Poetry School on the Primers mentoring and publication scheme. Comparable in mission and audience, and a direct ecosystem collaborator rather than a tuition competitor.
- The London Library: Historic London literary membership institution supporting writers through collections, events, and bursaries. Comparable as a UK writer-serving institution with overlapping audience, but adjacent rather than a tuition provider.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Poetry School social profiles
Digital presenceThe Poetry School financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Poetry School leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
The Poetry School funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Poetry School M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Poetry School
What does The Poetry School do?
The Poetry School delivers poetry education across multiple delivery formats — in-person courses at teaching centres across England, online and Zoom-based video courses, monthly seminars, and 1-2-1 tutoring — taught by professional poet tutors. It also offers an accredited MA in Writing Poetry delivered in partnership with Newcastle University, plus a downloadable library of DIY e-book style courses and free Lucky Dip Lessons. The organisation operates CAMPUS, the world's largest social learning network dedicated exclusively to poetry, providing free community, resources and peer interaction alongside paid courses.
Is The Poetry School a public or private company?
The Poetry School is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The Poetry School founded?
The Poetry School was founded in -1.
Where is The Poetry School based?
The Poetry School is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does The Poetry School make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Course and Workshop Fees are the primary driver. The others are downloadable Course Sales, donations and Philanthropy and MA Degree Programme.
Who are The Poetry School's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are The Poetry Foundation, Spread the Word, Faber Academy, Arvon and Curtis Brown Creative. Bloodaxe Books is listed as a regional player. Broad incumbents are MasterClass and The Open University. Others are Nine Arches Press and The London Library.
Does The Poetry School have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Poetry School.
What industry is The Poetry School in?
The Poetry School's product category is Poetry Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAMAMAB, Poetry Workshops, with a secondary code of EDANAAAC, English/Language Arts Tutoring (Reading, Writing, Literature). Its NAICS code is 611710 and its SIC code is 8200.