Eastside Educational Trust

What a heartwarming poem by Finn in Year 7!

Spoken Word Power gives young people across the country the chance to write and perform poetry on themes that matter to them.

Pupils work with professional spoken word artists to develop their ideas, build confidence and find their own voice, culminating in our annual anthology.

If your school wants pupils to have that same experience, Spoken Word Power Live is completely free and open to schools nationwide. It’s a digital version of the full programme, bringing professional spoken word artists directly into your classroom to inspire the next generation of writers and performers.

🔗 Sign up through the link in our bio to get involved this year and give your pupils the chance to explore spoken word for themselves.

Black History Month is just around the corner, and we’ve got a creative opportunity for you and your students to celebrate diversity and deepen understanding of Black history and culture.

Throughout this term, we’re offering affordable, artist-led Celebrating Diversity workshops for schools across London. Sessions are available from EYFS to KS3 and can be adapted for SEND groups.

Students explore Black history and culture through drama, storytelling and spoken word poetry, building confidence, vocabulary, oracy, speaking and listening skills.

🔗 Find out more and enquire now through the link in our bio.

BFI FILM ACADEMY 🎬

Applications are now open for Eastside’s BFI Film Academy Introductory Course!

We’re looking for 16-19 year olds with a passion for film and TV to join us on an exciting journey into filmmaking. Over the course you’ll get hands-on experience across every stage of production, from developing and pitching original ideas to directing, camera operating and editing, guided by professional filmmakers working in the industry.

On completing the course you’ll receive a BFI accreditation and have your film screened to an audience of friends, family and industry professionals in London.

📍Based at Eastside in Shoreditch, with sessions on location in Newham and Enfield

🔗 Find out more and apply via the link in bio

Applications close on 19th October 2026

We particularly encourage applications from 16-19 year olds based in Newham and Enfield. 

This course is one of four short courses being delivered by the BFI Film Academy London Hub across London between November 2026 and February 2027. We encourage you to apply for the course closest to where you live to make travel and access easier. That said, you’re absolutely welcome to choose the course provider you’d prefer to work with.

📣 We are so excited to announce our theme for Spoken Word Power 2026-27…

“Beneath the Surface”

This theme invites young people to move beyond first impressions and look deeper, exploring the stories, emotions and experiences that shape who we are.

‘Beneath the Surface’ empowers students to express their authentic voice, build empathy through listening, and recognise the richness in every individual.

🔗 Find out more about Spoken Word Power and how to get involved through the link in our bio.

Creativity Live: Celebrating Diversity Livestream

Join Eastside for a FREE 50-minute interactive livestream workshop celebrating Black History Month, produced in partnership with the -Apartheid Legacy Centre.

Using drama, movement and music, we’ll explore the experiences and courage of the young people who took part in the Soweto Uprising 50 years ago this year.

Participants will consider what led young people to protest, the impact of their actions, and how their voices can inspire us to stand up for fairness and change today.

This livestream is a thoughtful way to mark Black History Month while supporting learning around equality, diversity and inclusion for your students.

📅 Thursday 15th October 2026

 ⏰ 11.00 - 11.50am

🔗 Sign up now through the link in Eastside’s bio

Happy International Literacy Day!📝

As part of Spoken Word Power 2026, Layan, a year 5 student wrote this wonderful poem.

Spoken Word Power gives young people across the country the chance to write and perform poetry on themes that matter to them.

Pupils work with professional spoken word artists to develop their ideas, build confidence and find their own voice, culminating in our annual anthology.

If your school wants pupils to have that same experience, Spoken Word Power Live is completely free and open to schools nationwide. It’s a digital version of the full programme, bringing professional spoken word artists directly into your classroom to inspire the next generation of writers and performers.

🔗 Sign up through the link in our bio to get involved this year and give your pupils the chance to explore spoken word for themselves.

Welcome back to another school year!

This autumn term, we’ve got some exciting opportunities lined up for schools across the country:

⭐️ Celebrating Diversity workshops for Black History Month, bringing drama, storytelling and spoken word poetry to EYFS to KS3 students (SEND friendly options also available)

⭐️ FREE Creativity Live livestream on 15th October, produced with Anti-Apartheid Legacy

⭐️ Spoken Word Power Live is back, making poetry engaging, relevant and fun for your students. Participating classes will become published poets in our annual anthology, and have the chance to perform in London’s West End!

🔗 Find out more about all the above programmes through the link in our bio

Such a beautiful poem by Abigail in Year 9!

Spoken Word Power gives young people across the country the chance to write and perform poetry on themes that matter to them.

Pupils work with professional spoken word artists to develop their ideas, build confidence and find their own voice, culminating in our annual anthology.

If your school wants pupils to have that same experience, Spoken Word Power Live is completely free and open to schools nationwide. It’s a digital version of the full programme, bringing professional spoken word artists directly into your classroom to inspire the next generation of writers and performers.

🔗 Sign up through the link in our bio to get involved this year and give your pupils the chance to explore spoken word for themselves.

Desk space available at Eastside!

If you’re a mission-led organisation looking for a new home, come and join us at Perseverance Works, right in the heart of Shoreditch.

Our newly renovated office has 30+ desks across 4,610 sq ft over two floors, with private offices and co-working desks on offer. Every desk leaser gets free access to our workshop, meeting, and event spaces, along with flexible contracts, high-speed WiFi, on-site support, and unlimited tea, coffee and snacks.

Every pound of building income goes directly towards our work, delivering creative education programmes for disadvantaged young people in schools across the UK.

Thinking about a change of workspace? Come in for a coffee and a tour.

✉️ Email [email protected] to arrange a visit

The summer holidays are here, which means the Eastside team is taking a moment to catch our breath, reflect on another incredible year, and start looking ahead to what’s next!

In the last academic year, we delivered 2,047 workshops, reaching over 50,700 young people across London and beyond. We watched 103 students take to the stage at the Criterion Theatre for Spoken Word Power, published an anthology of 101 poems from 23 schools, and reached over 27,000 children through our Creativity Live livestreams. Nine schools joined us for Artists in Residence projects, and 400 pupils helped bring a mural to life at Stratford Junction as part of our Street Art Project 🎨

None of it would have been possible without the teachers, artists, funders and young people who make up our community, so thank you for being part of it.

We’re already looking ahead to 2026-2027, with plans to grow our reach even further across Tower Hamlets, Hackney, Newham and Barking and Dagenham.

🌟 Follow along to get involved!