Art is the medium that enables us to visually understand our historical, social and cultural heritage. It therefore is a necessary tool to broaden the girls’ minds and develop their intellectual and social skills.
Studying Art and Design opens opportunities to many creative industries which are at the forefront of our economy, such as architecture, advertising, fashion, interior design, theatre design, product design, textile design, graphic design, photography, television and film. The list is endless. In addition, any employers are looking for employees who demonstrate creativity due to their ability to think laterally. Therefore, studying Art and Design can also give you the skills to help you in any subject or career that you may choose.
Anyone visiting Surbiton High School will know how vibrant and creative the Art Studio is. As specialist Art teachers, the Art Department at Surbiton High plans its curriculum to enable the girls to work with a wide range of mediums in both 2D and 3D, as well as photography, exploring digital processes, using the dark room and Art History. This broad and varied curriculum, together with our strength in teaching the individual, allows for each student to find their own creative pathway and feel successful in their creative endeavours. This results in many of the girls going on to study Art and Design at top art colleges, or History of Art at university.
We are very fortunate to have a dedicated History of Art teacher, which enables us to offer not only History of Art as an A-level, but as an integral part of the Art curriculum for KS2,3 and 4. We also offer Art History short courses for students, parents and the local community.
The Art Studio is always brimming with students during lunchtime and after school, as there is an abundance of excellent co-curricular clubs for students to get involved in, such as Art Club, set design, and Photography Club, as well as Year 10 and 11 Art Clinic. Sixth Formers also undertake a course in life drawing, and we offer half-termly trips to new and exciting exhibits in London. We also offer a KS4 or KS5 trip during the October half-term. Last year, we took Years 12 and 13 to New York. This year, we are taking Years 10 and 11 on a gallery-filled trip to Paris.
We promote various competitions for the students to get involved in, such as the Christmas card competition in school, but also nationwide competitions such as the Young Artists Summer Show at the Royal Academy and ARTiculation.
As ambassadors for our department, Art Scholars are encouraged to take part in all these activities. We also have an annual Gifted and Talented Art trip, and at KS3, scholars attend a weekly after-school club with other gifted and talented pupils from different forms and years. Older scholars are also expected to lead initiatives for this. For example, they have organised lunchtime talks about careers and creative industries.
Every year we have a Surbiton Showcase of Visual Arts, GCSE and A Level show to celebrate pupils wonderful achievements. These shows truly highlight the diversity, skill, and creativity of our students.
The GCSE Art Exhibition Booklet
GCSE Book | 2022
The A-Level Art & Photography Booklet
A level Book |2022
The Gifted and Talented Music and Art project
We annually celebrate the students’ amazing achievements through exhibitions in the summer term. These include The Surbiton Showcase of Visual Arts, the A-level exhibition and the GCSE exhibition.
