St Mark's Primary learned about history through art

Through workshops, pupils at St Mark’s Primary produced a variety of work, supported by East Renfrewshire Culture and Leisure local studies librarian Amanda Robb and arts tutors.

Amanda said: “It has been fantastic working with the school as part of their 60th anniversary celebrations.

“We did a series of bespoke workshops which celebrated the area’s history and leading figures in Barrhead.

“Pupils then worked with our arts tutors Kim, Lesley and Rosi to create pieces that tied in with their learning.”

The tutors tailored the projects for each year group.

Local studies librarian Amanda Robb gave youngsters a helping hand

Pupils in primaries one and four learned about the Dunlop family, who owned the Levern Mill and lived in Arthurlie House.

They studied the family crest at the entrance to Arthurlie House and created their own versions.

Through learning about the printworks at Barrhead, primary two pupils created lino-prints of the town’s key buildings to create a large-scale map of the area, while children in primary six created a fabric-based design referencing the Paisley pattern.

Primary three pupils looked at major industry in the area, including the history of sanitaryware manufacturers Shanks & Co, and worked with clay to replicate ornate designs created by the firm.

After a session on historical figures such as Margaret Glen (Lady Glen), primary five pupils created stop-motion animations of stories based on their learning.

Youngsters in primary seven, meanwhile, examined the history of the textile industry, including local mills which produced cotton. They then used this as inspiration to design and create 60 embroidered hoops, learning hand-sewing skills in the process