Peter Abbs in 2012. His body of work as a poet was praised by Seamus Heaney
Peter Abbs in 2012. His body of work as a poet was praised by Seamus Heaney
AnnabelAbbs
Mon 28 Dec 2020 06.02 EST
Last modified on Fri 22 Jan 2021 20.16 EST
My father, Peter Abbs, who has died aged 78, was a writer, poet and educator, and Sussex University’s first professor of creative writing.
He wrote 13 books on education and 11 volumes of poetry, as well as teaching hundreds of future teachers and creative writers on the MA programme in language, education and the arts that he co-founded.
Born in Sheringham, Norfolk, to Eric Abbs, a coach driver, and his wife, Mary (nee Bullock) a shop assistant, Peter attended a catholic seminary in Liverpool from the age of 11, intending to train for the priesthood. Deciding against this, he later took O-levels and A-levels at Norwich Technical College – the first in his family to stay at school beyond the age of 14. At Bristol University he did a BA in Engli
Ministers won t take a decision on repoening schools in January until after Christmas as a meeting with Boris Johnson and the Department for education was postponed.
The prime minister was set to meet with ministers yesterday to discuss how long pupils should be taught from home following the Christmas holidays, amid rising Covid-19 cases across the country.
Britain announced another 39,237 cases of Covid-19 yesterday - the highest recorded since the pandemic began, amid concerns a second mutated strain of the virus had arrived from South Africa.
Secondary schools are already set to be taught from home for the first week of next term.