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Art

Our pupils are creative, independent and risk-taking. We value both beauty and meaning in art, exploring drawing, painting, photography, sculpture, textiles, print-making and moving image.

We have designed our courses to challenge and stimulate the inner artist within our pupils. In examination years, small class sizes enable us to nurture individual ideas. Projects embolden the way they see the world, through their own eyes. We encourage a self-driven and personal approach to creating art. Abstract and conceptual outcomes are equally integral to our department as the display of realism and visual accuracy.

Our department facilitates the production of artwork using a huge variety of mediums. We work in two dimensional and three dimensional forms, highly value the use of sketchbooks and work from primary observation as much as possible. Pupils engage with media appropriate to their visual aims as well as their strengths. We provide an ambitious and comprehensive choice of materials, in addition to a workshop and print-making equipment.

It is important to us that pupils are informed by an historical and critical understanding of art. As well as constantly weaving artist references and analyses into their studies, we host day and residential trips for pupils to engage with art first hand. In December 2019 we took Sixth Form artists to New York and we take our Fifth Form to Frieze Art Fair annually. London is a constant source of visual inspiration; pupils are encouraged to visit the city’s galleries and museums independently.

We hold a high bar in our GCSE and A Level exam results; in 2019 we achieved 87% 9-6 (A*-B) at GCSE and 100% A*-B at A Level. Each year we successfully support pupils in their applications for visual art degrees at University, as well as for Foundation Art courses and Architecture.

All pupils in the art department are considered artists. We aim to provide a warm and friendly, hard-working and visually dynamic environment within which our artists can flourish.