Cinnamon Press Poetry Prize

Posted: 16th March 2017

Debut Poetry Collection Prize 2016

Congratulations to Mr Neil Elder, English Department, who is joint winner of the Cinnamon Press Debut Poetry Collection Prize 2016. Mr Elder organises the Tom Warner and Holly Hopkins poetry workshops at St Augustine’s Priory and edits ‘Poems from the Priory’, our annual booklet of pupils’ poetry from these workshops.

Cinnamon Press writes of the five finalists for this prize:

“The quality of these finalists was so high that the decision was almost impossible. We finally wrestled five very fine submissions down to two, and there we got stuck. Two very distinct and separate voices: Neil Elder’s work is layered, sometimes quirky, always has a lot going on under the surface, is invariably fresh in perspective and remains wonderfully accessible; Patricia Helen Wooldridge has a beautifully modulated voice, uses beautiful sounds patterns, keeps every piece taut, lyrical and original. How to choose between two such accomplished writers? Of course, we couldn’t, so for this competition we have joint winners.

Huge congratulations to Neil Elder with ‘The Space Between Us’ and Patricia Helen Wooldridge with ‘Sea Poetics’. Look out for their collections in the 2018 summer and autumn lists.”

For more information, please go to Cinnamon Press’s website at: http://www.cinnamonpress.com/images/downloads/2017_poetry_award.pdf

To read some of Mr Elder’s poetry, please go to https://abegailmorley.wordpress.com/

Last year, 2016, Mr Elder’s pamphlet ‘Codes of Conduct’ was published by Cinnamon Press and subsequently shortlisted for a Saboteur Award. We look forward to seeing his new collection next year!

Categories: Junior Nursery Prep Senior Sixth Form Whole School
Strengthening Our Community: The Return of Boys to our Preps and Pre-Preps

We are excited to share that, from September 2026, boys will begin moving up from our Nursery into Reception, marking the gradual reintroduction of boys into our Prep and Pre-Prep School.

This step reflects growing interest from families who value our strong holistic ethos and unique grounds and setting and would like their sons and daughters to share their educational journey together.

At St Augustine’s, our strong sense of community, academic excellence, and deep care for each individual child remain at the heart of everything we do. This is a natural evolution of our school rather than a change to who we are, building on our strengths and allowing us to offer the same joyful, inspiring education to even more children.

Interested in learning more about our school?
Join us for one of our upcoming Open Days! You can book your visit via the Admissions section of our website.

  • Prep & Pre-Preps Open Day – School in Action (Nursery to Year 6)
    Tuesday, 23rd September
    10:00 AM – 12:00 PM

  • Senior School Open Day (Year 7 and above)
    Saturday, 20th September
    10:00 AM – 12:00 PM