Mr Alex Perry-Adlam - Head of Art
email: alex.perry-adlam@stcatherines.info
Instagram: instagram.com/alex_perryadlam
Joined St Catherine's in 2012 and is a passionate advocate of the importance of Creativity as part of a rounded educational experience and the positive impact it can have on wellbeing. He is an A level Art moderator and has a keen interest in the development of the curriculum in the Arts. He is passionate about promoting and supporting up-and-coming artists and designers and his specialist field of study is late C20th Art. His specialisms are fine art painting, ceramics and photography and he has worked extensively in new media in his own art. In 2023 he appeared on the 10^th season of Sky’s Portrait Artist of the Year as a contestant and continues to exhibit his work.

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Mrs Victoria Beadle
email: victoria.beadle@stcatherines.info
Instagram: instagram.com/vicbeadle_art
Victoria joined St Catherine’s in 2019 as an Art Technician and is now a qualified Art teacher. Victoria has worked in the arts for the past 15 years for both public and private art collections and organisations with the majority of her career being spent with the Arts Council Collection. 

Victoria’s work with collections, in acquisitioning roles, brought about her passion for Contemporary Art and in particular British Sculpture. As well as the artworks themselves, Victoria also has a strong interest in collection care and management and enjoys researching works being acquired into UK national collections today.

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Mrs Sarah Llewelyn-Williams
email: sarah.llewelyn-williams@stcatherines.info
Sarah joined St Catherine’s in 2023 as Teacher of Art having previous worked for companies such as Dreamworks, BBC, Warner and Universal Music. Her combination of creative industry and teaching experience means she brings both creative and industry perspectives to the classroom. Sarah is passionate about educating the whole child and that creative approaches to complex problem solving are skills necessary for our collective future. Sarah is a firm believer in the value of The Creative Arts and encourages a growth mindset to enable students to build on their individual strengths.

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Mr Duncan Palmar - Technician
Website: http://www.duncanpalmar.com/
Duncan joined St Catherine’s in 2011 and is our technician. As well as being a fantastic support to the art department and facilitating the exhibitions and displays of pupil’s work, he is also a renowned Landscape Painter. He is a Member of the Royal Society of Marine Artists and the winner of the ‘Murray’s Commercial Fishing Award’ at the annual exhibition at the Mall Galleries.

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Miss Poppy Brook - Artist in Residence
Website: https://poppybrook.co.uk/
Poppy joined St Catherine’s in 2022 at our Artist in Residence. Poppy is an illustrator, Print Maker and Animator who studied at the Edinburgh College of Art. She is a passionate creative who is a mix between traditional and cutting-edge techniques. She works alongside the teachers to develop the students’ skills in a range of media and has run workshops for parents.

Examination Board: AQA

Why study Fine Art?

Art is not only about making beautiful images and objects, it is also about creative problem solving, developing personal opinions about art works, as well as responding to historical events, and becoming more in touch with the visual world that surrounds us.

We are in the middle of an artistic renaissance with Britain being at the forefront of creativity in all areas from fine art to graphics, fashion to film. All the leaders in this new wave of creativity took Art for A level and credit the course with teaching them the foundation of how to work experimentally and creatively.

Most importantly the course is about you. It’s about finding your style of working and developing your personal interest in the subject.

Course Content

The start of the course is more traditional where you will learn formal elements of Art and how to develop your ideas through sustained investigations to a number of outcomes. The second coursework project is more self guided and where you will investigate an area of Art that interests you. You will also write a 2500 word extended essay on the theme of the project you have chosen. The final exam is a topic given by the exam board in January of the final year.

Assessment

A Level: 
60% Personal Investigation: Practical work and a personal study; a written essay of 2000 - 3000 words 
40% Externally Set Assignment: assessed as an independent unit: 15 hour examination. 

Edexcel GCSE:

• 60% Personal Portfolio
• 40% Externally Set Assignment
• Examination: 10 hours over several sessions.

The GCSE Art course is for anyone who has an enjoyment and interest in the subject. They  do not have to be the best drawer, painter or ceramicist as the course is designed to improve the core skills and understanding of the formal elements to allow the students to have complete freedom to express their ideas and create work that is in their style and is an culmination their own personal investigations.

The coursework is split into two projects that run for around 20 weeks each. In these projects the students will investigating a range of artists, experimenting with new and exciting materials, learning to develop ideas from initial concept to realisation and most importantly find their own style and way of working.

• Project 1 is a traditional drawing, painting and printmaking project that focuses on observational skills and the formal elements of art. The themes are very general, for example Still Life or Landscape and are about showing the students how to develop an idea and find their own style of working in 2D
• Project 2 is a ceramics project that looks at the more abstract elements of art and shows the students how to develop and design a 3D piece for initial idea to final construction.

At the end of the course there is a ten-hour practical exam, for which there are 8 school weeks to prepare for. This is a theme set by the exam. board, Edexcel, and is a culmination of the skills learnt over the course.

Sketchbooks are continuously used throughout the course and are an invaluable tool for recording, and developing ideas, refining skills and evaluating and realising their intentions. They provide the opportunity to experiment with new techniques and to carry out research from primary and contextual sources.

Examination Board: AQA Why study Photography? Everyone has a camera on their phone but not many people know how to take a truly great photograph. It is not about taking a snapshot, but about capturing the atmosphere, feeling and essence of a moment and expressing your view to other people. You will learn how to use the latest camera equipment and studio lighting to start developing your eye for an image. You will then go on to learn how to create a narrative and use the formal elements of colour, composition, perspective and form to allow you to express your own personal interests or style. You will also be learning how to use film as a medium and how time and image can be brought together to enhance the message you want to express. Most importantly the course is about you. It’s about finding your style of working and developing your personal interest in the subject. Course Content The start of the course is more traditional where you will learn formal elements of Photography and how to use digital manipulation to enhance an image and develop your ideas through sustained investigations to a number of outcomes. The second coursework project is more self guided and where you will investigate an area of Photography that interests you. You will also write a 2500 word extended essay on the theme of the project you have chosen. The final exam is a topic given by the exam board in January of the final year. Assessment A Level:  60% Personal Investigation: Practical work and a personal study; a written essay of 2000 - 3000 words40% Externally Set Assignment: assessed as an independent unit: 15 hour examination.

Key Stage 3

The Art department is a vibrant and creative area that is open to all pupils in the school. We want students to experience many aspects of Art over the KS3 years, introducing them to a range of techniques from painting to etching and ceramics to photography. We aim to enthuse and encourage the pupils through a range of projects where they will engage with art in its widest forms. The pupils are taught the skills to express themselves visually, develop personal projects and ideas and produce final pieces in a range of media.

We start with the belief that everyone can draw, they just have to be shown the techniques and skills involved and this is the basis to all projects. Learning to observe correctly and translate that through media is the essence of the subject and a skill that takes time and practice. Our key aim at KS3 is to create enthusiasm and passion for art within the students and help them develop their own personal style and interests.

The History of Art is also very important at KS3 and all the projects link to different areas of art, from Art from different Cultures such as the Aztecs and Greek art, all the way through to more contemporary movements. Pupils understanding of the contextual elements allow them to place their own work in the time line of Art.

In U3 and L4 the students have 2x10-week rotations with a prep. each week. In U4 they can choose to take the subject for the whole year and this allows them to develop a more in depth and personal expression within the subject. The U4 year is run like as a mini-foundation course, leading to GCSE.

There are many clubs and activities that take place on a weekly basis, allowing students to extend and develop their own projects outside the curriculum. The Art department is always open at lunchtimes and after school for students to use the facilities and to express their artistic side.

Open studio

These are after school sessions specifically aimed at middle school classes.  Open studio enables students to take part in new projects.  

BOARDERS ART 

This is a weekly session for boarders who are senior artists and want to use the art facilities in the evening to further their coursework and to complete weekly preps. It is an informal atmosphere run by the gap students. The girls have access to the art room and computer suite.

SENIOR ART Session/LIFE DRAWING

We offer after school sessions for senior girls in order for them to work on their GCSE and A2 studies. There is a relaxed atmosphere with staff on hand to help if required but it is not a taught session, unless special arrangements are made. We would encourage senior girls to make use of this provision as they have access to all the equipment they need and a creative environment in which to develop their work. The 6th form shed is available for the senior artists at all times and over weekends.