School of excellence: Hawick High

Published on Tuesday 22 April 2008 15:07

THERE can be few towns as strongly macho as Hawick in the Scottish Borders – to prove the point, its high school has 54 past and present rugby internationals among its former pupils.

Living in such a bastion of masculinity can pose some difficulties for girls and teachers realised they needed to do something to redress the balance. The result is a ground-breaking creative fashion course where girls produce and model their own creations and organise an annual show which is becoming the talk of Hawick.

Deputy head Susan Duffy says the course was born of a realisation that girls were underachieving and lacking in confidence.

"Originally the idea was the brainchild of art teacher Clair Hood and home economics teacher Liz Parkes – the idea was to come up with a course which combined art and home economics," she explains.

Students on the course have to design 12 outfits a year, then model them in a fashion show which is a highlight of the school year. "They customise and recycle clothes. Many materials come from charity shops and we have also been given cut offs by local textile businesses," Ms Duffy explains.

Girls on the course, which is for fifth and sixth years, are encouraged to make contact with local business people and have given public talks and met with MSPs to discuss the project. Like all good ideas, the project has grown. Wedding shop Borders Brides now sets aside its window display for a week a year to display the wedding gowns designed by the school students.

Last year, a local company sponsored a calendar featuring the winning outfits, while local photographer John Parris has won prizes for his images of the creations.

Hair and beauty students from Borders College now help the fashion students prepare for the show. Pupils from neighbouring primary schools have also become involved, decorating T shirts.

And a pupil from Selkirk High, who had attended the fashion show, plans to commute to Hawick next year so she can join the course. Ms Duffy says the greatest effect of the new course has been on the confidence of the girls: "It takes a lot to stand up in front of people and show them your work and you can see the sense of achievement and the sense of pride. The reaction that they get from the audience is so positive, it's great to watch."

A number of girls who have attended the course have gone on to study textiles, fashion and design using portfolios built up at school. From next year, Hawick High plans to link the course to an ASDAN qualification in the Expressive Arts, so those who choose to study fashion at school will be able to take away a paper qualification in the subject.

Ms Duffy says many younger pupils at the school have expressed an interest in taking part in the course. But although boys have taken part as models in the fashion show, none have so far expressed an interest in joining the course. "We haven't had any boys come forward yet. But if they do in the future I can't see it being a problem," she says.