Arts Programme
Our Art and Design department offers three distinct disciplines at A level in Fine Art, Photography and 3D Design which are all taught in two components. After a period of skills-building the Personal Investigation for Component One allows students to create a major in-depth critical, practical and theoretical investigative project based on themes and outcomes that have a personal significance. Component Two is the externally set assignment, which is prepared for from the 1st February in Year 13 and culminates in a 15 hour exam. Students are expected to read articles and books to assist them with critical analysis. Annotation is key for them to explain their ideas, observations and evaluations. There is no written exam but extended essays are expected to be submitted with their personal investigations. The department is led by an experienced teacher, Sharon Worthington, who is also an A Level Exam board moderator for Eduqas.
Cultural Enrichment
We regularly take students on exciting and relevant trips such as the recent visit to Buckingham Palace whereby students drew art and artefacts from the Royal Collection as well as meeting the celebrated portrait painter Jonathan Yeo. Curators and conservators also gave an insight into their careers and expertise. Other trips have included the Royal Academy, the Tate, the Camden Arts Centre. We have had a range of impressive people in the Arts who’ve come to speak to our young people in the lecture theatre including Nicholas Cullinan, who was then the Director of the National Portrait Gallery, now recently appointed as the Director of the British Museum.
In 2023 our students were invited to photograph each other for a major pavilion show called ‘I matter’ for Case Art Fund at Somerset House as part of the international Photo London exhibition. Students helped to raise awareness of children’s rights across the world.
Every year we hold an ARTiculation Prize event at school where Year 12 students of any subject are invited to make a speech and presentation on an artist or architect of their choice. A student is selected to represent us at a venue such as the National Gallery, Royal Academy or the Courtauld.
Resources
We provide every student with access to books such as Ways of Seeing by John Berger and The Secret Lives of Colour by Kassia St Clair, including those required for study as well as additional wider reading to undertake their critical research. Photography students borrow high quality digital cameras. All Art and Design Students have access to a variety of sketchbooks, media including a variety of paint, software, machinery and tools in order for them to realise and develop different projects experimenting with scale and materials. All students are expected to refine their drawing skills. All students are expected to learn from studying artists, designers, photographers and architects in addition to printmakers, sculptors, product designers and filmmakers.
Seminars and Interventions
Our small group teaching structure allows for more support with subject specialists leading small seminars and masterclasses to ensure each student receives specific guidance and appraisal. Additionally, students participate in regular clubs such as figure drawing, conferences and talks (such as Grayson Perry’s Reith Lectures at The Royal College of Art for the BBC), designed to expose them to advanced ideas and critical debates within the subject.
Promotion of Extra-Curricular Ambition
To ensure that every student reaches their potential, we provide additional interventions, such as extra support sessions focused on coursework and exam preparation. We explicitly refer to texts for coursework, encouraging wider reading. To further engagement and confidence in our subjects, students are actively encouraged to enter prestigious competitions such as the Sovereign Art Prize. Our approach consistently delivers strong results, with Art and Design being one of our highest-performing A-level subjects, achieving a positive progress score year after year. Many students leave school and embark on Art and Design courses such as Fine Art, Illustration, Web Design, Fashion and Architecture at a variety of London and out of London universities ( i.e. Westminster, University of the Arts, Architectural Association, Falmouth and Norwich)
By offering a visually stimulating learning environment with spacious art rooms and well-equipped workshops, our Arts programme equips students not only for academic success but also for a lifelong appreciation of the arts. To qualify for this programme, students should ideally achieve a Grade 5 or above in GCSE Art, Photography or Design and Technology and express their interest clearly in their Sixth Form application.
