Children from the UK and around the world have broken a Guinness World Record for the Largest Poetry Lesson (Multi-Venue).
A total of 43,516 students from 500 schools officially participated in the record-setting event. While over 125,000 children from 1,000 schools joined in, only those who met Guinness World Records’ strict guidelines were counted.
The event took place in October 2024 as part of National Poetry Day celebrations. Leading the lesson was poet Laura Mucha, who also helped set another record—the Largest Poetry Lesson (Single Venue)—with 341 students at Langstone Primary School in Portsmouth. Children from the UK, Spain, Nigeria, and The Philippines joined the event, making it a truly global celebration of poetry.
After the event, Laura Mucha shared her excitement, saying, “I’m thrilled to have brought together so many young people to do and create something so valuable.” She also thanked teachers and librarians for following the strict rules needed to make the record official.
During the lesson, Laura and the children worked together to write a special poem about “what counts.”
