Art and ceramics

The Junior Art and Design curriculum is a thrilling adventure for budding artists to unleash their creative spirit and hone their artistic skills. With a strong emphasis on exploration, experimentation, and innovation, students are encouraged to push boundaries and explore new frontiers in art.

One of the most exciting parts of Junior Art and Design at St Helen and St Katharine is the sheer variety of materials and techniques at students’ disposal. From paintbrushes and pencils to textiles and sculptures, the possibilities are endless. Students can delve into the magic of colours, textures, and mediums, discovering new ways to express themselves and bring their ideas to life.

We encourage students to explore visual and tactile media to communicate ideas and meanings. They work with traditional and new media, developing confidence, competence, imagination and creativity. They learn to appreciate and value images and artefacts across times and cultures, and to understand the contexts in which they were made. Students reflect critically on their own and other people’s work, judging quality, value and interpretation. They learn to think and act as artists, craftspeople and designers, working creatively and intelligently. They develop an appreciation of art, craft and design and its role in the creative and cultural industries that enrich their lives. Students study art for half the year and ceramics for the other.

Students may opt to study art and/or ceramics in Year 9 before selecting their GCSE subjects, for which Art, Craft and Design or 3D Design are options. The focus throughout Middle School is to build a confident visual and tactile vocabulary in students so that they can fluently understand and communicate in our increasingly visual world.

We also provide opportunities to work with professional visiting artists in all three years. This not only builds students’ practical competencies but allows them to understand the diverse range of careers available within the arts and creative industries. All those studying art are taken on at least one trip per year, with Year 10 culminating in a residential trip to Cornwall – which is always a highlight.

We offer A level Fine Art. Many of our Sixth Form students apply to very competitive degree and foundation courses after their time at St Helen’s, ranging from fine art to architecture or fashion. We put great emphasis on supporting these students in the development of their portfolios, alongside their A level work.

Sixth Form students enjoy the space granted by their own studio and the Upper Sixth their own desks within the space. We have facilities for painting, printmaking, life drawing, sculpture, pottery, computer-aided design and a photographic darkroom. Our studios are open at lunchtime and every evening, so anyone can work at that time with a member of staff on duty to assist.

Discover our inspiring curriculum:

A LEVEL FINE ART