Art and Design

At St. Edmund's, we see Art and Design as both a form of communication, and also as a way of expressing feelings and ideas. We offer our pupils a continuous process of learning over eight years, from Year 6 in Junior School right through to the Upper Sixth Form, and pupils in the last 3 years of the Junior School are taught by specialist art staff at the Senior School, reinforcing this continuity of experience.

After an introductory year intended to familiarise pupils with the Senior School facilities, and also with the experience (and disciplines) of workshop working, we then focus, over the subsequent three years, on building the foundations of art and design which will lead to GCSE and A Level study. These include developing our pupils' skills of investigating and creating - through teaching them how to look, and to record what they have seen in drawing and visualisation. They are also encouraged to use a wide range of materials in the process of communicating their ideas. Rather than imposing any one style of art or design on our pupils, we are alive to their individual talents and modes of expression, and reflect this in our work.

In the foundation years, pupils are also taught how to look at different kinds of art and appraise it, understanding how art has developed and changed over the years, not only in the Western tradition but in differing cultures as well. This critical understanding is reinforced with practical examples, encouraging pupils to work in the style of the tradition being studied.

For pupils who progress to GSCE art and design, their study can include Painting and Drawing, Printing, Ceramics and Sculpture, depending on the options chosen. At AS and A2 Level, we offer all of the above, whilst also covering Photography. At both GSCE and A Level, a high proportion of our pupils' final marks will be based on their coursework, and for those pupils who choose to study art up to A Level, we can boast an impressive entry rate into art and design colleges, as a result of our mixture of breadth of learning and subject specialisms.

Examples of ceramics

Examples of Fine Art

A Level

GCSE

Examples of Photography