IN the wider world, the poet laureate is asked to compose poetry for notable events, including occasions of state.And although the job is on a much smaller scale than that taken on over the centuries by the likes of William Wordsworth, John Betjeman, Ted Hughes and Norfolk's own Andrew Motion, 16-year-old Connor Sims will do the same, but for his school.

IN the wider world, the poet laureate is asked to compose poetry for notable events, including occasions of state.

And although the job is on a much smaller scale than that taken on over the centuries by the likes of William Wordsworth, John Betjeman, Ted Hughes and Norfolk's own Andrew Motion, 16-year-old Connor Sims will do the same, but for his school.

For the Year 11 student has won a competition to be poet laureate at Stalham High School.

Already a published poet, Connor's work was accepted earlier in the year for inclusion in national poetry book The Big Green Poetry Book - A World of Difference.

And the latest success in the laureate competition was a result of the school's festival of literature and literacy in the summer.

“I wrote a poem about the festival and it was that poem which won the competition,” said Connor.

“It is about the festival and the effect it had on people afterwards, whether it was to encourage them to draw, to write or to find out more about music.”

The poet laureate job was likely to mean being asked to write about events after Christmas, said Connor.

Headteacher Melinda Derry said the idea was to have a poet laureate at the school to write poems for special events, particularly as the school had humanities status and was keen to promote literature and literacy.