The St Dunstan’s Art Department is vibrant and overflowing with creativity and enthusiasm. Students are supported and encouraged to value and develop their voice and style as artists, from starting their journey in Year 7, right through to GCSE, A Level and beyond. It is no coincidence that many of our students have great success gaining places on competitive Art Foundation and Art degree courses.
Our ambitious teachers, dedicated staff, and studio classrooms promote student independence and freedom of expression. The curricular and co-curricular offering is broad, forward- thinking and ambitious, moulding traditional conventions with contemporary art forms and concepts. Our department celebrates and promotes diversity and representation at its core.
Supporting students in their development as artists and conscientious individuals though the course of their studies is hugely rewarding, and something that our team is passionate about.
A holistic approach is taken in curriculum planning, assessment and teaching, which allows students to access and express learning in a wide variety of ways. From the outset, students experiment with and develop technical skills in a wide variety of media. We favour longer, exploratory, theme-based projects in which students are encouraged to develop the chosen topic, by drawing on individual concepts and research. Shorter and looser technique workshops supplement their learning, promoting experimentation and giving access to different art forms. These have included batik, digital drawing and abstract photography. As students continue to develop confidence on their artistic journey, projects that were teacher-led, become more individual and student-directed. This gives students the confidence they need to approach contemporary issues with skilful techniques and exciting ideas.
Small classes facilitate individualised support, student choice and freedom of expression, not just in the curriculum but as a part of our extensive Forder offering. As a subject, Art is a significant priority at St Dunstan’s and student work isn’t confined to our studio-style classrooms. Each year, students work towards regular exhibitions, with the academic year culminating at the St Dunstan’s Festival. This gives our students a high profile platform to share their work, thoughts and ideas with the wider community.
