At Highfield we believe that art is achievable by all.  We cater for all abilities, and take great pleasure as pupils’ enter this journey of discovery about themselves and the world around them.  Our main aim is to foster a lifelong love of the arts. 

Observational, imagination and memory drawing are all taught with a variety of media, from two to three dimensional.  Mediums available include; ceramics, printmaking, painting, sculpture, textiles, digital and mixed media.

Projects are set each term and all pupils are given a sketch book for class work, which can include drawing skills, research on artists, ideas in development.   Larger scale work develops from these beginnings.  Pupils are encouraged to work creatively, personalizing their work and ideas, through discussion and problem solving.

The art studio is a place to develop confidence and a ‘can do’ attitude- it is about the journey and not always about being ‘right or wrong’.  We want to give pupils the opportunity to make informed decisions about design and aesthetics- skills that everyone uses daily in our visual world.  Connecting to and learning about past and contemporary artists encourages discussion and reflection of opinions and cultural/ social values- key concepts in many other subjects.   Cross-curricular projects are central to the art department philosophy, pupils making connections across subjects re-enforces learning and confidence.

Highfield has excellent results with Art Scholars.  From Yr 6 (age 9-10) Pupils can be invited (upon showing enthusiasm!) to the Art Scholar sessions after school.  Further personal work and drawing skills are taught, with the decision in Yr 8 about suitability to apply for an art scholarship.  Sunday workshops, trips to galleries and a trip abroad are all offered to the groups to expand their experiences of the art world.