High-stakes assessments continue to command a directing influence on education systems globally. While there is much research detailing the challenges associated with this curricular framework, there is little evidence of a move away from high-stakes assessment frameworks to date. Accordingly, attention is being drawn to spaces and opportunities where meaningful teaching and learning experiences may be fostered within high-stakes systems. This paper explores the case of the Transition Year Programme in Ireland through the lens of the poetry classroom as a case study of striking counter-cultural curriculum innovation set within a high-stakes assessment educational framework. Drawing on the perspectives of poetry teachers, the findings of the study highlight the joy, freedom and gravitational pull experienced by practitioners teaching on this programme. Curriculum and policy-based considerations supporting both the integration of counter-cultural educational innovations "across" high-stakes educational systems and "within" high-stakes educational programmes are advanced arising from the findings of this study.