Academic : Textiles

Innovation, problem-solving, risk-taking, skill-enhancing, creative-thinking, project management, commerical insight - all this and more is encouraged and enabled in Textiles at Truro High School.

A large Cornish-light filled room and first class teaching allows the girls to run riot with their imagination whilst keeping a close eye on product design and development, time-management, industrial applications and many other disciplines (e.g. CAD).

In Year 7 the girls think about texture and colour in creating an applique wall-hanging for a local cafe.

In Year 8 the girls cut their first pattern and make a cushion. Not as easy as it looks and of course there's the fastening to consider as well as the cultural design brief given by the 'customer' The Royal Cornwall Museum.

In Year 9 the girls go wild designing and producing bags for Oxfam. Reduce, reuse, recycle is the theme and the impact of fashion and textiles on the sustainability of the environment is given great consideration. We've had bags made out of Dad's old ties, jeans, washbags and recycled plastics.

At GCSE and A level the girls move on to fashion design and production as well as interior design and costume. Once a year we enjoy a fashion show where the girls showcase their talents to huge support, loud music and applause from the whole school. This year as well as strutting their stuff down the catwalk themselves the girls also 'Gok-d' the staff. Seventeen brave members of the teaching staff gave their own 'personal designer' (aka a Year 10 GCSE student) two items of their own clothing to be made-over in the style of a famous designer. The staff then took to the catwalk. Two particular highlights come to mind - Mr Taylor in his Valentino outfit and Mrs Murley in Ralph Lauren.