The Great Tapestry of Scotland’s Junior Tour Guides have recently concluded their final tours of the year. For the second consecutive year, the Primary 6 pupils at St. Peters have enthusiastically embraced this initiative, dedicating most of the school year to the project. Throughout this period, they have honed essential life skills by completing application forms and attending interviews for their roles within the program. Over the past few months, the pupils have diligently researched panels, crafted scripts, designed costumes, written songs and delivered captivating tours.
Their performances breathed life into six of the 165 panels, with plays and songs centred on The Black Death, a Victorian School, Rugby, Scots in India, and Eric Liddell. The pupils’ portrayal of these historical events was both educational and engaging, showcasing their hard work and dedication.
Mrs. Johnston, the St. Peters Class Teacher, expressed her delight with the program’s success:
“As the class teacher, I have thoroughly enjoyed the partnership with The Great Tapestry of Scotland and YMI in the Borders. Throughout the year, starting back in September, the P6 year group have been able to have such a variety of experiences and also to learn so many new skills through our joint participation in this project. We have researched many of the panels to allow us to select just 6 to focus on; we have visited the tapestry on numerous occasions for different learning opportunities; we have applied for roles as tour guides, filling in a detailed application form to include our personal skills and qualities; we have written and redrafted scripts for our panel plays; we have been fortunate to work with Ms. Alakus from YMI to help us write songs for our chosen panels; we have learned about voice projection and putting on a performance; we have used our inspire iPads to design invitations for our tours. It has certainly been a busy year but all worthwhile to see each pupil grow in confidence and learn so many new things.”
The pupils presented several performances at The Great Tapestry of Scotland, attended by their families, local dignitaries, members of the public, and fellow school pupils. Reflecting on the project, Lucy McLaughlin, a P6 student, shared,
“Doing the Tapestry performances was an exciting experience. I’m in the Victorian group as the teacher. We did an application form of ideas of what role we want to play. I’ve enjoyed writing the script, finding out what our roles are and performing to people. I also loved writing the songs. Overall, it was so much fun!”
Lily Smith, another performer from the Victorian School panel, added,
“Being a tour guide for The Great Tapestry of Scotland has been an amazing experience. I was working on the Victorian School panel, and we had to write our own songs. I have really enjoyed writing the scripts, choosing our roles, and designing our costumes. I’ve had so much fun and learned many new skills along the way!”
This project will continue to be an annual part of the curriculum for all P6 pupils of St. Peters. The current P5 students, who will be next year’s tour guides, attended the final performance and are already excited and inspired about the stories they will showcase in the upcoming year.
