Welcome to the Department of Art and Design
Art at Altrincham College is a fundamental part, not only of the education of every child, but also their personal well-being and development. Our aim is for every art classroom to be a sanctuary and escape where all young people and staff are welcome to speak and work creatively without the risk of negative criticism or any worry of ‘failure’.
Our Art and Design department provides an exciting, safe and supportive environment in which students of all ages, abilities and cultural backgrounds have the opportunity to communicate creatively by expressing themselves and influencing the ways others think, feel and act by the work they produce. Art is all around us and, in all its forms, provides us with the material upon which society is built.
Meet the Art Department
The department team consists of four members of staff. These are:
| Name | Title |
| Mrs G Wagstaff | Head of Art and Design |
| Mrs J Campbell | Teacher of Art |
| Mrs McManus | Teacher of Art & Textiles |
| Mrs S Deighton | Art and Textiles Technician |
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Facilities
In the main school, we have two specialist art rooms which are well-resourced with materials and equipment.
In our state-of-the-art Sixth Form, we have a professional art teaching studio, which is spacious, well-resourced and fully equipped to allow our students to have an outstanding learning experience across a range of A Level courses.
Enrichment
We have lots of exciting enrichment opportunities within the art department, including trips, artist workshops, student exhibitions and a community art club. Below is a list of what we currently offer:
Trips
- Year 7: The Yorkshire Sculpture Park
- Year 8: Manchester Art Galleries
- Year 9: Manchester City Centre Visit in collaboration with Religious Studies.
- Year 10: The World Museum Liverpool, The Walker Art Gallery, Blackpool Sealife Centre and Sea Front.
- Sixth Form: The World Museum Liverpool, The Walker Art Gallery, Manchester Art Galleries, Blackpool Sealife Centre and Sea Front.
Visiting Artists
- Ella Jones
- Lizzie Coles
- Joel Penkman
Exhibitions
Key Stage 3 Exhibition held in February.
Key Stage 4/5 Exhibition held in June.
Community Art Club
This is an after-school club which takes place every week, where create artwork to be displayed around the school celebrating significant dates within the calendar. For example, Black History Month, Remembrance Day, Diwali, Christmas, Chinese New Year, Pride etc.
Careers
There are thousands of potential career paths and university courses that stem from Art and Design, it lays excellent foundations for a career in the creative industries.
Art and Design enables students to demonstrate and develop many transferable skills such as: research, communication, creativity, page layout/graphic design, teamwork, independence and presentation techniques.
Some examples of Art and Design careers are listed below: Graphic designer, Architect, Artist, Photographer, Animator, Hair dresser, Tattooist, Printmaker, Gallery/Museum Curator, Fashion Designer, Illustrator and many more….
Entry Requirements at KS5
A grade 5 or above in GCSE Art and Design is required.
