Art and design is part of the compulsory curriculum for the first 3 years of the school. In the 4th year and beyond pupils may choose to do the subject for GCSE and on to A level.
We start from the premise that the best art comes from an imaginative and thoughtful interpretation of first hand visual experience, informed by an understanding of historical and contemporary art practice. So we aim to offer as wide a range of approaches to making art as possible from painting to screen printing, from ceramic sculpture to computer graphics. We believe Art is important for every student's general education; Developing skills in the basic visual language of Art helps develop students' thinking, and is increasingly important in a world dominated by the visual.
For our examination students we look for increasingly individual developments and ambitious imaginative work is encouraged. In order that their work should have a context, pupils are helped to relate their work to other artists through regular gallery visits and the resources of the departmental library.
The department which was completely refurbished in 2004 as part of the new arts centre, has 3 main studios, each equipped for general art but also with specialist facilities in painting, printmaking and ceramics/sculpture. A library, with a growing collection of books, and ICT area, equipped with 16 networked computers for class teaching in digital art and design, is at the centre of the department and acts as a superb resource. There is, in addition, a separate studio for our A level students in their last year, where they are given individual partitioned spaces to develop their own work.
The studios are open everyday after school for any student, not only for those doing GCSE or A Level, when we run a series of clubs (e.g. Art, Ceramics and Photography) for different year groups.
Further Information
Further information about the art department curriculum can be found in the curriculum documents available for download on the main curriculum page.
