Subjects: Art & Design

The art department at the Royal High School is a vibrant and active one. The departmental staff are all practicing artists and I believe this helps to generate an extremely professional and successful working environment.

The department runs like a small art school and is the perfect environment for anybody who has a desire to enter a profession within art. You may not want to take things that far but you can be sure that from year 7 onwards you will be given a first class education in art and you will be exposed to a variety of ways in which to make art. We have four studios, two for drawing and painting, one printmaking studio and one studio for sculpture. We place a strong emphasis on traditional skills, and follow a fine art programme, but work with digital media and programmes such as Photoshop are also encouraged.

We have a wonderful new Art School building which gives us extra studio space, and a working environment which has a contemporary feel, using large areas of glass to create a beautifully lit working environment; worthy of any up and coming young artist seeking to develop their own practice.

Years 7 to 9

These are the formative years really. It is through these first three years where you will be exposed to a variety of techniques and styles of working. You will support your studies with sketchbook work. This is the perfect introduction to studying art seriously as this is your main means of communication. At this level you are being prepared for further study in this subject. All examination classes, be they GCSE, A level or IB would demand sketchbook work, as would art schools and universities. The real pleasure of this area of study is that you can be yourself. We want you to look carefully but then we want you to share your vision; to be yourself. How do you see the world? How do you want things to look? And I think this is another very important element of studying art. If you fully involve yourself with this subject it can give you great freedom – as any of the arts can.

There is an art club for years 7, 8 and 9, where there are great opportunities to experiment in ways that wouldn’t be possible during normal lessons. It is quite possible for a year 7 student to experience something of a GCSE student during these sessions; and to work with more advanced materials and techniques.

There are occasional trips to galleries for these year groups but the timetable dictates that years ten and above offer the best opportunities for travel.

Years 10 to 11

This is an extremely exciting course for those that have a genuine interest in art and it, of course, forms the gateway to any further study in this subject. The GCSE programme dictates that you should produce two units of work for coursework and one final unit at the end of the two year course which takes the form of a controlled test (examination). We follow the AQA art and design course, following the fine art endorsement. You would be encouraged to continue your development from years 7, 8 and 9, but would now be expected to apply even greater seriousness to your work. There is a strong emphasis on independent learning. This would mean following your own lines of research and developing a point of view. Great art comes from a number of things but study and dialogue would be two major areas which would need to be honed through this course. We want you to show us how amazing you are!

All studios are available to you at lunchtimes and after school, where a member of staff can support you in your work. Most students use this time well and make real advancements in their work.

The GCSE course affords us the opportunity to take trips to galleries. We have visited a number of places in the past and these include: Saatchi Gallery, The National Portrait Gallery, Tate Britain, Tate Modern, Oxford Museum of Modern Art, National Museum and Gallery Cardiff and Roche Court.