Empowering young people to be creative, inspired and to inspire
The visual arts are hugely popular at Hampstead Senior School and help us to foster an environment that inspires innovative thinking, experimentation, and risk-taking.
As with the overall curriculum, the visual arts programme is designed to provide a wide range of subject experience; in addition to a dedicated Fine Art lesson every week, Key Stage 3 pupils explore multiple different disciplines within their visual arts rotation. With something new every half term, the subjects on rotation are Photography, Ceramics, History of Art, Textiles, 3D Design, Food and Nutrition, and Printmaking.
At GCSE, we continue to offer Fine Art, Photography, Textiles, 3D Design, and Food and Nutrition, with these disciplines drawing upon students' acquired knowledge of a diverse range of materials and practices (such as Ceramics and Printmaking).
Our staff are all practising artists and designers who bring personal experience in addition to their teaching qualifications. Best placed to inform students about the creative industries - to which we dedicate a module in Year 9 – they help to advise on GCSE choices and future pathways.
To facilitate excellence in the visual arts, we have a dark room, kiln and specialist, well-equipped teaching spaces for textiles, food and nutrition, and 3D design.
And beyond the curriculum, Ceramics Club, Cooking Club, Drawing Club, Sewing Machining Club and Dark Room Club continue to build on our arts offering.
Our Artist in Residence sessions also encompass a wide spectrum of artistic programmes, which involve a collaboration between external artists and the school. From pottery masterclasses to experimenting with typography, our Artist in Residence sessions see students refine their skills in various medias, including illustration, graphics and photography,