Knitting makes comeback

LONDON: It was last taught in the classroom when throwaway fashion was unimaginable and people had to make do and mend.

But knitting, sewing and embroidery are making a comeback in design and technology lessons as children learn traditional home skills again.

Knitting has not been widely taught for decades, but after one school found it had the knock-on effect of improving pupils’ maths and behaviour, it is returning for boys and girls aged up to 14.

At Worth Primary School, near Deal in Kent, teachers said it improved behaviour, helped pupils learn to write and encouraged them to have proper discussions with each other rather than play with their phones.

They were so impressed with the impact of a lunchtime knitting club they started incorporating it into other les- sons. During maths lessons, pupils created a design then calculated the number of stitches they would need.

In history, pupils learnt about the clothing worn in the Middle Ages and how to make it.

Headmistress Lynne Moore said: “It has dramatically improved behaviour, and it really helps communication. Instead of playing on their phones or computers, the children knit and talk to each other. They have proper conversations.”

Consulted

Teachers and parents are now being consulted on a planned shake-up of the national curriculum next year.

But Caroline Wright, of the British Educational Suppliers Association, said yesterday: “These proposals will result in some fabulous knitwear but, sadly, fewer world-class engineers and innovators.” – Daily Mail