GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ x National Poetry Day

Please use this video and accompanying handout in class

The deadline to share any ideas with us has now passed. But don’t worry, you can still take part in the GWR record attempt and use these resources to get your students thinking about what counts ahead of the Largest Poetry Lesson.

This video for teachers explains how the Guinness World Records title attempt will work, and what you need to do for your students to count towards the record.

And here are some handy links:

1. a handy To do list with everything you need to do in order for your students to be counted
2. The class teacher ‘steward’ form
3. The headteacher / deputy / assistant deputy ‘witness’ form
4. The link to upload evidence

Please email me at recordbreak@lauramucha.com.

I will also be available on Zoom at the following times in case teachers or students want to ask any questions about the project. (I will share links by email.)
4-5pm Thursday 12 September
4-5pm Thursday 19 September
4-5pm Thursday 26 September
4-5pm Tuesday 1 October

Please watch the video for teachers and librarians. 

Please also make sure you have 10-11am 3 October in your diary and a phone or tablet or similar that you can film on (and a spare in case one of those isn’t working), as you will need to take two short videos and a photograph in order to satisfy Guinness World Record evidence requirements. (More detail on this below.)

Don’t worry! Your students can still attend the lesson on 3 October and count towards the Guinness World Records title break.

Unfortunately, the students won’t count towards the Guinness World Records title break BUT they will have contributed to the poem that will be displayed around the country, and Laura will send a letter by email thanking them for that.

For your students to formally count towards the Guinness World Records title break, you need to have at least 25 people attending – per school, not per class. 

This does not have to be students. Teachers that are filling out forms to confirm how many students took part cannot count towards the record break as they are verifying the numbers that took part. But anyone that is not completing one of these forms (e.g. teaching assistants, librarians, volunteers etc) can be counted as well as the students.

You are still very welcome to attend and take part if you have fewer students / people than this, and you and your students will still contribute to the poem created and displayed around the country. It just means that, unfortunately, you will not formally be counted as part of the Guinness World Records title break. (I’m really sorry – these are not my rules!)

We currently have 53,000 students signed up from over 330 schools (hooray!) and are hoping that 60,000-100,000 to take part. We want to make as many students participants in a Guinness World Record title attempt as possible, and set a record that will be very difficult for anyone else to break. 

Yes! Absolutely! As long as the timing works for you, you can totally take part.

The headteacher, deputy or assistant deputy headteachers and the class teachers that will be completing forms to confirm how many students took part cannot count as individuals towards the record break as they are verifying the numbers that took part. But they are still entitled to buy an official Certificate of Participation from Guinness World Records if they wish to, as will the school.

Anyone that is not completing one of these forms (e.g. teaching assistants, librarians etc) can be counted as well as the students.

By taking part in this event, you confirm that parents or caregivers have assigned any copyright in the ideas that their child or ward may submit, so that I can publish the poem that we write.

The event is comparable to a digital author visit, bar the submission of Guinness evidence requirements, which can be submitted without identifying individual students if, for example, you film the backs of heads as they walk in and ask students not to turn around as they do so.

Whether or not you need to obtain permission for students to take part, or to share the Guinness World Record evidence requirements with me, is a matter of school policy. If helpful, we’ve drafted this permissions form to send to parents that covers all of the above points.

Students must watch the lesson in the same place. If your students take part in multiple places within your school, only the students in one place will be able to count towards the record. 

But if you really want your entire school to take part and cannot fit them in one place, please email me at recordbreak@lauramucha.com – it’s complicated but may be possible. (Definitely easier to squish them into one place if you can.)

The lesson will be happening on Zoom 10-11am 3 October. You’ll receive a link by email.

Due to the number of schools attending, we won’t be able to support with tech. But I will share a YouTube link that you can use as a back up if you are having problems with Zoom. Please note that students will not be able to vote or interact via the YouTube link but are still able to attend the lesson and be part of the Guinness World Record title break.

The headteacher / deputy headteacher or assistant deputy headteacher from each school needs to act as a ‘witness’ for Guinness World Records to confirm how many students took part in total. This involves being present before to see students coming into the assembly hall or wherever they will be watching from, and remaining for the duration of the lesson.

They also need to confirm that Guinness World Records guidelines were followed (see What are the Guinness World Records Guidelines? below) and confirm this via this short online form.

They or someone from their school must take two videos and one photograph and upload these here.

‘Witnesses’ cannot be counted towards the final number submitted by a school.

The Guinness World Records guidelines that are relevant to schools taking part are:

• The students attended the poetry lesson in an area with entrances / exits that were clearly marked and controlled.
• The lesson had a clear start and end and lasted for at least 30 minutes.
• The school had a minimum of 25 students taking part.
• If any students / participants left the poetry lesson between 10:15-10:50am, or weren’t there when it started, they were not counted.
• Specific measures were in place to ensure students weren’t counted twice (i.e. using a register).
• There was a clear start and end to the lesson and it lasted at least 30 minutes.
• Class teachers were responsible for a particular group of students who sat together.
• Class teachers (or ‘stewards’) counted the number of students in their group taking part by using a register.

Please click here if you would like to read these guidelines in more detail.

Class teachers need to act as a ‘steward’ for Guinness World Records to confirm how many students took part from their class (up to a maximum of 50). This involves counting how many students took part in the record attempt and deducting any students that left before it finished. Once the lesson finishes, they need to fill out this short online form. 

They or someone from their school must take two videos and one photograph and upload these here.

‘Stewards’ cannot be counted towards the final number submitted by a school.

If you’re all in one room the photo and video evidence applies to each school, not each teacher. Each class teacher (‘steward’) and headteacher / deputy / assistant deputy (‘witness’) needs to complete the relevant form. But the photo and video proof is per school.

If you’re in more than one room, please email me at recordbreak@lauramucha.com – it’s complicated but may be possible. (Definitely easier to squish them into one place if you can.)

You must share a photo and 30 second video from the back of wherever the lesson is taking place, as well as a 30 second video of students being counted in one by one using a register. These can be taken of the backs of heads. Or, in the case of the counting video, their backs of heads or their backs – as long as there is clear evidence that a register is being taken and students are being counted in in an organised way before they come into wherever they will be watching the lesson.

You do not need to film their faces (although I appreciate this may be hard to avoid, e.g. students may turn their heads – although you can ask them not to).

The footage will not be shared with anyone other than myself, and the small number of people required to verify the attempt. This includes an independent expert, two independent witnesses and the relevant (small number of people) at Guinness World Records. The footage will be stored securely and will not be shared with anyone other than myself, and the small number of people required to verify the attempt.

If it is your school’s policy to get permission from parents or caregivers to take part in something like this, then you may wish to do so. But I will not be publishing the photo or video evidence anywhere. If you would like to get permission from parents, I have included an example letter here.

In order for the videos to count as evidence, it’s safest to film backs or backs of heads, because lots of legs quickly moving past a camera may not be sufficient for Guinness requirements. It is very important to show that students are being counted in using a register.

Please ask students to go to the loo as anyone that leaves during the lesson (for whatever reason) will not count towards the final number. (Sorry, I appreciate this is brutal! I didn’t make up the rules…)

And make sure you have your register with you as you will need this to count students in one by one to wherever they will be watching.

Students must be counted into wherever they will be watching the lesson. This means counting them in one by one using a register. I appreciate that teachers will have done a register in the morning, but Guinness World Records requires one specifically for the lesson.

Please do not submit a copy of this register, but hold onto it as a back up.

The lesson is aimed at students aged 7 to 11 years old. Older students are more than welcome, with the proviso that the teaching resources will probably be pitched a little young for them. But the content of the lesson will give older students an insight into the writing and editing process. Teachers just need to be mindful that we will have younger students in the lesson, so any ideas that are shared must be age-appropriate.

The lesson is aimed at students aged 7 to 11 years old. Younger students may struggle to sit still for the entirety of the hour. When doing in person or digital visits with this age group, I usually limit lessons to 45 minutes and keep them very interactive. But you are welcome to use the student facing video with younger children.

If you need to reach minimum numbers for your school to take part, you could bring younger students in after the older year groups are sat down and take them out at 10:50am, if you don’t think it will be too disruptive for other students attending. In order to count towards the record, they must be sat down between 10:14-10:50am.

Don’t worry, I can update that for you. Please get in touch with me at recordbreak@lauramucha.com.

I really want you to be involved and have talked to Guinness World Records about this. Please get in touch with me at recordbreak@lauramucha.com.

Students do not need something to write on and with, but you are welcome to provide them with these if you wish. Most of the lesson will be spent thinking, sharing ideas and voting.

Schools need to do three things: 

1. use a register to count students as they enter one by one, and film this happening for 30 seconds;
2. take a photo of students from the back (I’ll ask you to do this shortly after 10:14am);
3. film the entire space (including entrance and exits) and the back of students’ heads watching the lesson for 30 seconds. (I’ll ask you to do this shortly after 10:14am).

These are Guinness World Records evidence requirements to verify how many people took part.

During the live lesson, I will ask your students to raise their hands. Please then vote on their behalf (you don’t need to count their hands, but just get a sense of which option they prefer) using a poll that will pop up in the middle of the screen on Zoom. It’s very simple, the buttons are very clear and you can get a brilliant sense of what option students prefer because it shows you the live poll results on screen.

As soon as possible after the lesson (ideally on the same day, and if not then before 6pm Friday 4 October), please do these three things: 

1. each class teacher must fill out this short online form for ‘stewards’ (to confirm how many students in their class took part);  
2. the headteacher / deputy head or Assistant Deputy Heads must complete this different short online form for ‘witnesses’ (to confirm how many from the school took part). 
3. each school must upload the 30 second video of students being counted as they come in, and the photo and 30 second video of them taking part via the Box website. (Any class teacher, headteacher, deputy headteacher or assistant deputy headteacher can do this.) 

 These are Guinness World Records requirements, basically to show that we aren’t making it all up! Your school and students cannot be counted without them. 

Each class teacher must fill out this short online form for ‘stewards’ to confirm how many students in their class took part.

One headteacher / deputy / assistant deputy from each school must fill out this brief online form for ‘witnesses’ to confirm how many students in their school took part.

Please upload the evidence video(s) of children taking part in the lesson via this website. 

This will be used only to meet Guinness World Records evidence requirements (including sharing with three independent third parties who will verify the record attempt). 

The finished poem will go live on the Children’s Poetry Archive on the afternoon of National Poetry Day, 3 October (the day of the lesson). 

The poem will also be displayed on billboards and shared in mainstream media, including Sky Kids News and The Daily Mail – I will add all press mentions to my website here: lauramucha.com/press/. 

There will also be an illustrated poster available for schools / individuals to download. 

Schools, staff and students can buy an official personalised Certificate of Participation from Guinness World Records once: 

• the class teachers and headteacher have completed the online forms; 
• the school has submitted a video of students attending the lesson; and 
• the independent third party has reviewed the evidence and Guinness World Records have confirmed the title break. (We will try to make this to happen as soon as possible after National Poetry Day. This may take up to four weeks.)

Schools / parents / caregivers can purchase the Certificate of Participation directly from Guinness World Records – I will update this and share a link by email once this is ready. Guinness World Records are providing a discount code this project, so Certificates will cost £11.99 instead of £19.99 + postage.

Schools are also welcome to buy in bulk on behalf of students at their school in order to save on postage costs. I will email participating schools with details of how to do this (please contact me at recordbreak@lauramucha.com if you have any questions). 

Please note that the Certificate of Participation is roughly A5. Participating schools can purchase the larger Title Break Certificate as well as the Certificate of Participation should they want a larger certificate to display. Or they can purchase the Title Break Certificate and add a plaque underneath to state that they took part in the record break. I will email participating schools with details of how to do this (please contact me at recordbreak@lauramucha.com if you have any questions).

I will email with details of where the poem is being displayed on billboards and when.

Once the record break is confirmed, I will send an official letter to schools from myself and the participating charities thanking students for taking part in the record attempt.