In Art we provide opportunities for every pupil to develop their potential to the maximum in a learning environment that is both challenging and enjoyable. Opportunities abound here: the department has two fully equipped art studios, featuring a printing press, an embroidery machine, screen-printing facilities, and iPads loaded with Adobe Fresco and Stop Motion apps. Pupils work with a wide range of materials, techniques, and processes, including painting, drawing, digital art, screen printing, linocuts, monotypes, etching, stop-motion animation, puppet-making, and sculpture.

Art Club is held most days during lunchtimes, and provides a valuable space where pupils can continue with class projects or develop their own individual programme of work – using a range of 2D and 3D materials. We host annual large-scale exhibitions of pupils’ work, where parents and other pupils are invited to engage and reflect upon their ideas, complete with private views and live performances.

In addition to this, pupils’ artworks are published regularly in the Grapevine newsletter – which gives the wider school community an up to date view of the progress within the department. The pupils’ artworks also enliven the annual school magazine, The Coletine.

The Art department are involved in a number of co-curricular activities across the year including; ‘Get Creative’ practical workshops with St Paul’s Seniors, the Spring Fling charity auction dinners, the Christmas Fayre, House competitions and the Forest School programme. The Great Art Debate’ is our art history debate competition, in which all pupils in Years 7 and 8 collaborate to research and deliver 10-minute presentations comparing and contrasting significant artworks.