Celtic Warrior's 

Coychurch Llangrallo Primary School in Bridgend were keen to develop progressive approaches for Foundation Phase Literacy and Oracy through creating a Celtic themed project. The intended scheme hoped to incorporate textiles and costume design with a contemporary approach for Year 2/3 pupils.

Having chosen Claire Cawte (Textile Artist) as the Creative Practitioner, a visit was arranged for the Year 2 group to visit the ‘Forge’ Exhibition at Craft in the Bay Gallery, Cardiff, as part of initiating this specific scheme. Working in partnership with Charlotte Kingston (Artistic Curator: Craft in the Bay), the children enjoyed their observational drawings of the contemporary ironworks and were kindly invited to share their experiences of the LCS scheme within the gallery space during January 2018.

What followed was a very innovative approach to learning where the children developed hand/eye coordination with finger knitting, designing torcs and costumes, dyeing fabrics with naturally sourced materials, and an accidental cave painting session which led to creating their own Celtic language. Family members were also invited to the school to join in with some of the practical activities.

The display illustrates the journey that the Year 2 pupils have experienced from visiting a contemporary exhibition, meeting Dewi the Weaver and Gal, who facilitated an Iron Age Workshop at St Fagans, (National Museum of History), and the positive outcomes of working in a creative partnership.