The Art and Design Department has a central role in the life of St. Augustines. We are charged with promoting the visual education of our students through developing their critical appreciation of Art, their technical skills and their creative responses to ideas and situations.
We aim to encourage all students in their artistic development and believe that Art is a language that can be learnt and enjoyed by everyone, through practice, thought, observation and exploration. Students new to the college quickly experience this ‘can do’ culture within the department and respond positively to produce successful results.
Work Areas
The Department has three resourced Art and Design studios situated in the Gallery building, one being primarily for the use of ‘A’ level students. Class sizes at key stage three comprise of about twenty-five students while GCSE groups vary between ten to twenty students.
Homework
The development of drawing skills is seen as central to all Art and Design activity and, in order to encourage fluency in the use of the basic elements, weekly homeworks are set for all students within Key Stage 3. Similarly in Key Stage 4, GCSE students are required, through the use of sketchbooks, to produce weekly homework assignments linked directly to their coursework.
Equipment needed by students
The following items are required by each student, principally for homework.
Key stage 3 – 2B pencil, pencil crayons, blunt ended scissors, eraser and paintbrush (no.6).
Key Stage 4 – A range of soft pencils, water soluble pencil crayons, painting medium and A2 folder.
Invitation
We welcome all parents to the Art and Design Department to view students work. There is always a range of current work on display both in the studios and in the public area of the college.