With just a matter of days to go until the closing date of the Kidsverse competition, time is running out for schools to get their entries in for the contest.

The competition, judged by award-winning poet, Carol Ann Duffy, has caused a stir throughout the county. Many schools signing up to receive a poetry class by Daily Echo poet-in-residence Polly Clark.

When Polly Clark visits schools to give one of her Kidsverse poetry classes, she focuses on a particular poem to inspire and interest the children.

She said: "I use a poem by the Slovenian poet Tomaz Salamun, which can be read in many ways, but at its simplest level is a kind of 'Ode to himself'.

"It's a sort of boasting poem, and I encourage the children to write a similar poem, concentrating on things they think are good about themselves.

"The poem is a wonderful way of getting children to see that exaggeration is limitless in creative writing.

"There is no need to be truthful, the point is to be as grand and outrageous as possible.

"Some children really take off with the idea, finding all kinds of wild similies and metaphors to describe themselves, but even children who don't take the idea quite this far will have a list of things about themselves which they feel positive about.

"In a short class there isn't much time to explore the complexities of poetry, but what I am able to do with this class is to show that poetry can be fun, funny and uplifting.

"It's a real buzz for me when the children surprise themselves with a really stunning image, and also realise something good about themselves as well.

"I find that young children particularly do not have the shyness that sometimes afflicts teenagers - they will happily boast as much as possible!

Polly recently gave a class at Thornden Secondary School in Chandler's Ford - and the results of their efforts are published in today's Daily Echo (8 March).