Art & Design
At Rossall, Art is a thriving, high-achieving department where creativity, technical excellence and individual expression are nurtured in equal measure.
Outstanding Results: In 2025, 100% of A Level Art students achieved A/A grades*, placing Rossall among the UK’s leading school art departments.
A Broad and Inspiring Curriculum: Our A Level Art and Design programme offers an exceptional breadth of study, enabling students to explore widely and develop their own creative strengths. Areas include:
Fine Art
Photography
Graphic Communication
Textiles
Ceramics
Printmaking
3D Design
Strong drawing and painting skills form the foundation of all work, developing observation, hand–eye coordination and visual confidence, skills that support success across many disciplines.
Exceptional Facilities: Students benefit from outstanding creative spaces, including four art studios, two photography studios and a fully equipped digital art lab, allowing them to work with ambition and professionalism.
Opportunities Beyond the Classroom: Rossall art students exhibit work in local and national galleries, visit leading art institutions and participate in international competitions. High-quality presentation of work is strongly encouraged, preparing pupils for future study and creative careers.
A Supportive Creative Community: Artwork is displayed throughout the school, inspiring others and celebrating achievement. Students are taught to respect and value one another’s work, fostering a positive and collaborative creative culture.
Celebrating Success: Student achievements are regularly featured in the local press and arts publications, with work selected by both local and national galleries. We are particularly proud that one Rossall student produced an exceptional commissioned piece for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Art Gallery
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Students follow AQA at A level within the Art Department and we offer A Levels:
Art & Design
Graphic Communication
Photography
The fact that the department offers three A levels, attracts a number of students who wish to go to Art College and follow a career in Art & Design.
A level students have the opportunity of exhibiting their work within the school gallery settings.
Students are always welcome to attend the Art Department during study periods, in addition to after school sessions and at weekends. This ensures they have access to materials, equipment and ongoing teacher guidance and support, throughout their progressing coursework projects.
Students studying Art & Design at A level are encouraged to take part in competitions and attend the annual school trips to broaden their knowledge within the subject.
A number of students take at least one of the Art and Design subject specialisms at A level. In most cases these students have already decided that they wish to pursue a career in Art & Design.
The variety of A level courses on offer at Rossall can enable some students to bypass the foundation year at art college, which is usually required by Universities.
A number of our examination students go on to study Art & Design related disciplines at University, on courses such as:
Architecture
Illustration
3D Design
Fine Art
Graphic Design
Textiles
Product Design
Fashion
Photography
ART & DESIGN
There are three Art & Design classrooms in the department. Two large studios are based downstairs off the gallery and one smaller room upstairs for students to use if needed.
Students have access to a comprehensive range of materials to use within their individual projects.
They have facilities such as:
Kiln,
Slab roller
Moulds and glazes for ceramic work
Sewing machines
Screen-printing table for printed textiles
Printing press
Photoshop for digital work
Photography studios
Students follow the AQA specification in Art, Craft and Design at A Level.
Students are introduced to a variety of experiences that explore a range of two-dimensional and/or three-dimensional media, processes and techniques.
They are made aware of both traditional and new media. Students explore the use of drawing for different purposes, using a variety of methods and media on a variety of scales. Students use sketchbooks to underpin their work where appropriate.
They explore relevant images, artefacts and resources relating to a range of art, craft and design, from the past and from recent times, including European and non-European examples.
This should be integral to the investigating and making processes. Students’ responses to these examples must be shown through practical and critical activities that demonstrate their understanding of different styles, genres and traditions.
Areas of study
Students must demonstrate evidence that they have explored critical and contextual work through a range of two-dimensional and/or three-dimensional processes and media including:
Fine art
Graphic communication
Textile design
Three-dimensional design
Photography
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Photography students have the use of a devoted classroom housing 12 computers, with the latest version of Photoshop. They have traditional darkroom facilities together with two Photography studios with specialist lighting. Students are expected to have their own Digital SLR camera for the course.
During Year 12 students are introduced to the workings of the camera with a range of various photographic techniques, where they will produce a Process Portfolio. Once these skills have been introduced, students move on to their coursework project, based on a chosen starting point or theme.
Students will be introduced to a variety of experiences that explore a range of photographic media, techniques and processes.
They will be made aware of both traditional and new technologies. Students will explore relevant images, artefacts and resources relating to photography from the past and from recent times. This should be integral to the investigating and making processes.
Areas of study
Students are required to work in one or more area(s) of photography, such as those listed below. They may explore overlapping areas and combinations of areas:
portraiture
landscape photography
still life photography
documentary photography
photojournalism
fashion photography
experimental imagery
multimedia
photographic installation
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Graphic Communication students have the use of a devoted classroom housing 11 computers, with the latest version of Photoshop.
They have the option of using the Photography facilities, to incorporate their own photography into their designs and advertising.
Students are encouraged to produce work which is commercial and complies with current trends in a modern world of advertising and promotions. This can include designs in:
Branding
Packaging
Web pages
Adverts
Students will be introduced to a variety of experiences that explore a range of graphic communication media, processes and techniques.
Areas of study
Students are required to work in one or more area(s) of graphic communication, such as those listed below. They may explore overlapping areas and combinations of areas:
interactive media
Web
App
Game design
advertising
packaging design
design for print
illustration
communication graphics
branding
multimedia
motion graphics
design for film & television.
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The IB Diploma Programme visual arts course encourages students to challenge their own creative and cultural expectations and boundaries.
It is a thought-provoking course in which students develop analytical skills in problem-solving and divergent thinking, while working towards technical proficiency and confidence as art-makers.
In addition to exploring and comparing visual arts from different perspectives and in different contexts, students are expected to engage in, experiment with and critically reflect upon a wide range of contemporary practices and media.
The course is designed for students who want to go on to study visual arts in higher education as well as for those who are seeking lifelong enrichment through visual arts.
Supporting the International Baccalaureate mission statement and learner profile, the course encourages students to actively explore the visual arts within and across a variety of local, regional, national, international and intercultural contexts.
Through inquiry, investigation, reflection and creative application, visual arts students develop an appreciation for the expressive and aesthetic diversity in the world around them, becoming critically informed makers and consumers of visual culture.
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There are three Art & Design classrooms in the department. Two large studios are based downstairs, off the gallery and one smaller room upstairs for students to use if needed.
Students have access to a comprehensive array of materials to use within their individual projects.
They have facilities such as:
Kiln
Slab roller
Moulds and glazes for ceramic work
Sewing machines
Screen-printing table for printed textiles
Printing press
Photoshop for digital work
Photography studios
Students follow the OCR specification in Art, Craft and Design at GCSE level.
There is no restriction on the scale of work produced or the timeframe for undertaking the work but pupils should carefully select, organise and present work to ensure that they provide evidence of meeting all four assessment objectives.
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Art and Design lessons are taught to Years 7 and 8 for one lesson each week.
In Year 9 pupils have the opportunity to opt for Art & Design. If they do take this option, they study it in more depth for 2 lessons per week to prepare them for GCSE, should they wish to take it the following year.
Our Schemes of Work are designed to incorporate a wide variety of skills, techniques and processes. This has the effect of appealing to more pupils with varying degrees of experience and ability. It also provides a solid grounding upon which to build and develop their skills. Some of the projects covered have included:
Colour Theory
Portrait Painting
Turkish Tile Design
Still Life
Ceramic Owls
Japanese Textile Designs
Artist Styles and Techniques
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ART CLUBS & ACTIVITIES
The Art Department is open to students of all ages after school, each day for Activity Time, where they are encouraged to attend.
Examination students use this time to continue with their coursework, where they have the opportunity to use the space, equipment, materials and facilities for their personal studies. They also have ongoing access to their teachers for support and advice, and are welcome to attend the department during their non-contact periods.
Other year groups also attend purely for enjoyment and to learn new skills and techniques. The Art Department is also open on Saturday mornings.
Pupils mixing from a range of year groups within the school interact with and draw inspiration from each other.
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ART CLUBS & ACTIVITIES
The Art Department is open to students of all ages after school, each day for Activity Time, where they are encouraged to attend.
Examination students use this time to continue with their coursework, where they have the opportunity to use the space, equipment, materials and facilities for their personal studies. They also have ongoing access to their teachers for support and advice, and are welcome to attend the department during their non-contact periods.
Other year groups also attend purely for enjoyment and to learn new skills and techniques. The Art Department is also open on Saturday mornings.
Pupils mixing from a range of year groups within the school interact with and draw inspiration from each other.
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Annual trips are organised for students to attend. We try to include many aspects within the trips, not only Art Galleries but places in which students can gather first-hand information to aid their research and inspiration.
Photography students also benefit from these excursions, where they are able to take their individual Photoshoots.
Some of these have included trips abroad to:
Barcelona in Spain, where students were able to visit the Picasso Museum and Segrada Familia;
London including the V & A & Tate Modern, in addition to historical places of interest, which provided much inspiration such as The Tower of London & Blenheim Palace. Graphic Communication students also benefited from looking at the fantastic window displays on Old Bond Street.
Other trips have included Scotland visiting Edinburgh and Glasgow, where students were able to visit the new V & A and Edinburgh Castle. These trips are usually alternated to allow students here to visit a number of places whilst they are with us.
Day trips are also organised to more local destinations such as the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Liverpool Tate Modern & Walker Gallery and Manchester City Art Gallery & The Whitworth.
In addition to these trips to aid coursework, we also visit local degree shows at UCLAN and Manchester, to provide students with an insight into specialisms at Degree Level.
