Art
The Art Department at Loretto provides pupils with the confidence to find and develop their creative voice. With six studios, its own library and facilities for photography, printmaking and pottery as well as drawing, painting and sculpture, there is ample opportunity to explore and discover a creative discipline to suit every pupil.
Loretto has a history of achieving excellent results at GCSE and A-Level and many of our pupils have gone on to pursue courses at leading art colleges and universities such as the Royal College of Art.
Art is an important subject and plays a vital role in helping pupils develop into well-rounded individuals. Studying art encourages curiosity, critical thinking and helps pupils engage with and make sense of the world around them. Self-expression and creativity builds confidence and helps prepare pupils for the wider working world where skills of problem-solving, teamwork and innovation are highly valued by employers.
In Second and Third form, pupils have one lesson of art per week in which they explore techniques across all disciplines in response to a range of themes. There is a focus on developing skills in observational drawing and an introduction to understanding the work of other artists.
The Department provides senior pupils with a Foundation Course in painting, printmaking, ceramics, 3D and contextual studies and follows the OCR GCSE and A-Level syllabus concentrating on Fine Art.
At GCSE, pupils develop their own practice and produce two resolved folios of work in response to a coursework theme and a separate examination theme. Pupils are encouraged to work independently and proactively and are taken out of school on trips designed to help them to gather subject matter and respond to the work of other artists.
At A-Level, pupils are given their own studio space, allowing them to work in an Art College-style environment. Pupils submit a coursework folio of work exploring their chosen theme, which includes a detailed written related study, and a second folio of work in response to their chosen exam topic. Pupils learn to work more independently, taking ownership of their studies, and we organise trips to galleries in Edinburgh and further afield as well as visits to art college degree shows to inspire their research and to see where an A-Level in Art could take them.
