Some of our  Year 10 and Year 12 art and photography students recently spent an enriching day in London visiting the National Portrait Gallery, taking full advantage of the world-class collections and tailored educational spaces.

The focal point of the trip was a bespoke workshop led by an educator from the National Portrait Gallery’s learning team. The session began with an engaging Q&A, allowing students to explore the core themes of identity, representation, and artistic medium across different historical eras.

Under expert guidance, students put pencil to paper in a series of drawing exercises which included a quick continuous line portrait of a friend followed by direct observational studies in front of prominent artworks, analysing lighting, composition, and mark-making techniques.     :

Following the structured workshop, Year 10 and Year 12 students explored the gallery independently. Year 10 focused on capturing visual references to support their ongoing identity projects while Year 12 students examined historical contextual influences to inform their art and photography work.

The students represented the school exemplarily throughout the visit, demonstrating keen curiosity and analytical depth in their visual studies. Their sketches and reflective notes will help inform the next stages of their projects.