Art and design are more than just hobbies or extracurricular activities. They are powerful tools that can enhance creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving skills, while providing an outlet for self-expression and exploration.
Engaging in extracurricular art and design can offer students a unique opportunity to develop their creativity, pursue their passions and develop a deeper understanding of themselves and the world around them. Whether it’s through painting, drawing, photography or any other medium, art and design can provide a sense of fulfilment and satisfaction that can inspire a lifetime of creativity and innovation.
So, if students are looking for a fun and rewarding way to expand their horizons, why not give one of extracurricular art and design activities a try?
Weekly clubs
We offer a rich variety of creative clubs and societies to allow students to continue to explore their artistic side, even if they no longer take art as a subject, or to extend and develop their skills and understanding beyond the curriculum.
Individual development and self-expression are supported through practical work involving a range of traditional and new media, from drawing and photography to animation and film. Art Department staff are all practising artists and designers, who bring a wide range of knowledge and expertise in painting, printmaking, ceramics, 3D design and new media to the School.
Our Junior Department and Lower School Art Clubs offer students individual development and self-expression, while our Ceramics Clubs and Jewellery Club give the space and opportunity to experiment and try new creative practices. At GCSE, artists can work on their projects in Sketchbook Club and at drop-in sessions, and in Year 11 and Sixth Form, select students are invited to our Life Drawing Club to explore a new medium.
Explore the full range of Beyond clubs and societies available:
Summer art exhibition
Nowhere is our students’ artistic expression more prevalent than at our annual summer art exhibition. All manner of creative work from across the School is showcased in every space available. Our 2023 exhibition, entitled ‘Wrapped’, featured astonishing sculptures of wood and clay, surrealist paintings, ceramics depicting otherworldly forms, and wire and twine manipulated to create thought-provoking and stunning new shapes.
Exhibitions are fundamental to developing creativity; we host a range of shows in our gallery spaces by student artists which further stretches and enriches their experience, providing the wider cultural free-learning that highly academic individuals crave.
Trips
Regular visits to national and international museums and art galleries contribute to students’ learning experiences and extend their understanding and knowledge through engaging with artwork first-hand.
Natural settings such as the Botanical Gardens, Harcourt Arboretum and Kew Gardens give Juniors and Lower School students the chance to think creatively and sketch out in the wild, while an array of galleries – including Hauser and Wirth and the Ashmolean Muse um of Art and Archaeology – enable older students to explore art in all its forms across the ages. A highlight for art students in Year 10 is our four-day trip to Cornwall to visit sculpture gardens, breath-taking places of historical importance, a pottery studio and the Tate in St Ives.
In Sixth Form, A level Art students team up with our MFL Department to see the many wonderful sights of Paris such as Notre-Dame, SaintSulpice, the Palais de Justice and the Sacré Cœur.
