Art & Design

Art and Design are specialisms here at Hillview and we have a thriving Art and Design faculty. Students have opportunities to study Fine Art, as well as Textiles and Fashion and a number of cross-curricular links are made with other departments, including Computing.

Our annual Art exhibition and Fashion show, held each summer, attract large numbers of visitors and receive extensive praise.

Read more about our Arts and Design subjects below:

“Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening”. Coco Chanel

Through studying Textiles at GCSE level students will have the opportunity to participate in the end-of-year Hillview Catwalk Show which enables them to showcase their innovation and creativity. Selected students will be encouraged to enter a range of prestigious national competitions, such as Young Fashion Designer of the Year, which can provide a strong foundation for their creative portfolio.

By immersing themselves in the Art and Design Textiles course  learners will further develop their creative skills, through learning to use imaginative and intuitive abilities while exploring and creating images and artefacts. This will enable them to become confident in taking risks and learning from their mistakes while exploring and experimenting with ideas, materials, techniques and processes. They will develop personal attributes, including self-confidence, perseverance, self-discipline and commitment, whilst fully engaging with a diverse and exciting range of disciplines such as Fine Art, Fashion, Constructed and Printed Textiles.

“Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.” Scott Adams

Inspirational, buzzing art studios give Year 7 & 8 artists the space to develop their confidence and express their creativity. Inspired by older student artists, they will learn how to experiment with drawing, printing, painting and making skills, working with a broad range of media.

Year 7 artists explore the theme ‘Journeys’ which engages them with a sense of place, change and development within their lives and the lives of others.

In Year 8 student artists explore the theme ‘Freedom and Conflict’. Through active learning they develop empathy for different views and feelings. Learning experiences include tableaux, ‘competitive art games, figure drawing and constructing model living spaces.

To support their own making, Year 7 & 8 artists will also experience an array of artworks across time and culture. If they love art they may choose to join the Year 7 & 8 art clubs in which artists make animations, print, draw, paint and make paper sculptures.

At Key stage 4, student artists are introduced to new and exciting ideas about art through a series of thematic workshops; deep personal ideas and concepts are explored as they develop an extensive portfolio based around themes such as ‘Identity’, Surfaces and Structures’ or ‘Transition’.

Visits to galleries and working with artists form an important aspect of the course. Work from all years is regularly celebrated in school exhibitions and on websites such as the Saatchi Gallery website.