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Our Year 12 students visited The Excel Centre in London yesterday for the annual School and College Leaver Festival. The aim of the event is to show students the various options...
Last week was national Anti-bullying Week. One of the many activities that took place was a poster competition. I am very pleased to announce that First Prize was...
This week, our Year 10 RE class demonstrated outstanding engagement during a lively and meaningful classroom debate. Students positioned themselves on opposite sides of the room...
I nominate Erin 13Elm because… Siginificant improvements in both attendance and punctuality. Attitude to learning is excellent this academic year.
As our school continues to expand its successful Alternative Curriculum provision, we are excited to offer a unique opportunity for parents and carers to get involved. We know...
Please see the attached information about some free therapy session being offered by Sandbox. Free group therapy sessions for 12-14-year-olds with anxiety – starting 25 November...
This term, our Year 8 students have brought colour, creativity, and a healthy dose of fun to the Textiles classroom with their food-themed cushion project. Students were tasked...
It’s been really busy (and very impressive!) a few weeks in Sociology as Year 11 and Year 13 get stuck into their PPE revision. Both groups have been working incredibly hard, and...
Name: Khushi House: Willow Reason for nomination: Khushi has been chosen as our Student of the Week for receiving two High Achiever Awards this week for outstanding...
Lead Practitioner, Ms Druce, delivered an amazing lesson to her year 12 students this week. The topic focused on spoken language with students analysing a podcast and annotating...
On Friday 14th November, our GCSE and A Level Art students had the exciting opportunity to visit the newly refurbished National Portrait Gallery in London. The trip was designed to support their coursework on identity, offering them first-hand inspiration from some of the most influential portrait artists in British history.
Upon arrival, students were split into two workshop groups, each exploring identity through a different creative lens.
Group One took part in an Art and Identity workshop, working directly from original artworks in the gallery’s collection. Equipped with different coloured paper and drawing materials, students learned observational drawing techniques, explored how artists communicate personal narratives, and developed pages of expressive studies that will feed into their coursework. These techniques challenged the students in their usual drawing styles and got them to focus on applying block areas of mid, dark and light tones.
Group Two investigated Identity Through Photography, learning how photographers construct meaning through pose, lighting, composition, and context. Students experimented with ideas for their own photographic portraits with the use of costume, props and lighting.
Exploring different ways of working really showed the students a variety of approaches to portraiture which they can explore further in their own work in art and/or photography.
After the workshops, everyone had time to explore the galleries independently. Students were really inspired by the contemporary portrait displays, where diverse voices and modern approaches to identity offered fresh ideas and creative direction. Some were also fascinated by the more traditional portraits and the way artists from past centuries captured character and status through meticulous detail, composition, and use of light—offering valuable insights and inspiration for their own approaches to portraiture.
The trip was a valuable experience for all involved—full of lively discussion, thoughtful sketching, and new ways of seeing themselves as artists. We look forward to seeing how this visit sparks new developments in their GCSE and A Level projects over the coming weeks.
