Leading with Poetry: Mona Arshi

Posted: 8th September 2017

Poems on the Underground

The launch of the St Augustine’s Priory Association on Wednesday (see separate article) re-emphasised that St Augustine’s Priory is a community, made up of current and past pupils, parents and staff.  With that in mind we are pleased to let you know the latest news of Mona Arshi, award-winning poet and Augustinian parent.

The poem ‘This Morning’ by Mona Arshi is featured in the Poems on the Underground’s second set of poems for 2017 which celebrates Indian poetry in this seventieth anniversary year of Indian independence.  It is one of the six Indian Poems on the Underground which are being displayed in trains from 14th August for four weeks.  The Poems on the Underground website says, ‘The distinguished contemporary Indian poets featured represent a broad range of voices from India herself and the huge Indian diaspora.  Three poems – Pilgrim, This Morning, and Approaching Fifty – include illustrations taken from David Gentleman’s India, by kind permission of David Gentleman.’

The Poems on the Underground website has this to say about ‘This Morning’ and Ms Arshi:  ‘’This Morning’ by Mona Arshi, the youngest poet featured, Arshi is a London child’s perception of her Indian mother’s very different world.  Born in 1970 to Punjabi Sikh parents in West London and grew up in Hounslow. She worked for a decade as a lawyer for the human rights charity Liberty UK.  Her book Small Hands won the Forward Prize for best First Collection.’

We all use the London Underground, whether in the rush hour, or at a more leisurely pace at the weekends and over the years we will all have read the Poems on the Underground, a venture launched in 1986 ‘following an idea from the American writer Judith Chernaik, to bring poetry to a wider audience’ (Poems on the Underground website).

The website goes on to say, ‘Poems on the Underground highlights classical, contemporary and international work, by both famous and relatively unknown poets. It has been a great success and has inspired similar schemes in cities around the world, from New York to Shanghai. It’s proved to be a great way of introducing the public to poetry, with passengers often wanting to read more.’

The poems are available from the Poetry Society and London Transport Museum and to discover more about the series of poems celebrating Indian poetry, please go to:

https://literature.britishcouncil.org/blog/2017/indian-poems-on-the-underground/

Categories: Junior Nursery Prep Senior Sixth Form The Association 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