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The Art Department prides itself for being one of the most consistently successful departments at King’s. We offer the overarching qualification of Art, Craft & Design. This qualification offers pupils the chance to explore Fine Art, Three Dimensional Design, Graphic Design, Digital Media (photography, video, web design etc), Textiles and Critical & Contextual Studies. In addition to the Art curriculum, we also offer History of Art at A Level as a more academic option, and our results in this niche subject have been exceptional.
The Department is divided into five separate studios. We have the Main Studio, the Sixth Form Studio, the Sculpture Studio, the Textiles and Photography Studio and the Printmaking Studio. We also have our own gallery located in the Department where pupils’ work is constantly exhibited throughout the year. We also exhibit as part of Somerset Art Weeks each Autumn.
The 3rd Form are introduced to this breadth of vision in their foundation course, experiencing work in all or most of the areas outlined above. Each class contains no more than ten pupils which allows them more time with their teacher and better opportunities to explore and learn. A healthy number of pupils take the subject at GCSE, and part of their enrichment includes trips to Roche Court, Hauser & Wirth, London Galleries and a three-day excursion to St Ives each year. Each Sixth Form class has two teachers to offer support for individual needs. This allows pupils the chance to explore their own passions and experience a diverse range of different forms of art.
All staff in the Art Department, being actively encouraged in their own professional development, are highly enthusiastic teachers, and as actual practitioners, are able to bring an empathy to the vocation. As such, we do not rely on courses written for pupils, but create our own bespoke syllabi, tailored to each group, and constantly adapt and refine to respond to specific needs. In addition to our dynamic teaching we organise regular trips to galleries and museums and have established a very strong relationship with the internationally renowned Hauser & Wirth Gallery in Bruton. We also bring in visiting artists to run workshops with the pupils. Please come and have a look around our facilities and meet the Department if you are visiting the School.
Click here to read about and view our A Level and GCSE Art Exhibitions
Videos filmed by the pupils...
There is no prescriptive set content to any Art & Design course. All centres across all boards and levels teach to the four assessment objectives of DEVELOP, REFINE, RECORD and PRESENT. At King’s we review and refresh our content continually responding to the needs and potential of each cohort. This is what makes the Art Department such a dynamic environment in which to teach and to learn.
At present we teach across the Endorsements of Fine Art, Graphic Communication, Three Dimensional Design, Photography and Textiles. As pupils progress they are able to lean towards specialist areas of interest.
There is no prescriptive set content to any Art & Design course. All centres across all boards and levels teach to the four assessment objectives of DEVELOP, REFINE, RECORD and PRESENT.
At King’s we offer Life Classes as a means of establishing confidence in drawing and observation and a structured programme in the L6th Form exploring the Formal Elements of Art and Design.
We continue to teach across the Endorsements of Fine Art, Graphic Communication, Three Dimensional Design, Photography and Textiles. Pupils at this level will show particular strengths in one or more of the endorsements.
The L6th Form element of this course involves a whistle stop tour of Art History from the origins of humankind to the present day.
This also explores art within historical, social and technological context. Gallery visits are an important element of the course. The U6th Form sees pupils identifying specific areas of interest and undertaking more independent study. In addition, the ways in which galleries and museums present work and interact with their visitors is explored, with pupils creating their own virtual exhibition based upon their area of research.
A Level History of Art Specification (H606 - Critical & Contextual Studies)
