St Aidan’s High Dumfries House visit is sew good
Pupils gain insight into fashion and textiles
A group from St Aidan’s High School made a visit to Dumfries House in a bid to help re- energise Scotland’s fashion and textiles industry.
Pupils were given the opportunity to visit the Ayrshire estate with Royal links and learn skills such as sewing, weaving and product design from experts.
The Dumfries House Future Textiles programme started in 2014 and 33 pupils embraced the initiative.
Mhairi Brown, home economics teacher at St Aidan’s, said: “Not only was it an opportunity for pupils to learn but also for the teachers to build their sewing skills.
“As a teacher with very strong sewing skills, I found the trip very insightful.
“Pupils who generally work at a slower pace in the classroom were enthusiastic, working in a new environment and being taught by different people.
“The more independent learners relished the challenge of making and decorating a rucksack in a day.
“All pupils and teachers came away energised by the experience, working in a different sewing room, being taught by different teachers, using different sewing machines with foot pedals and having the opportunity to use the industrial machines. They developed life and work skills and gained confidence.
“As a teacher, the experience was invaluable to me as I could assess what stage pupils learning was at and address gaps in my teaching. It was a very rewarding trip.”