The Arts are a very popular choice at Sidcot, with courses ranging from Music, Drama, and Textiles to Fine Art, Photography, and Ceramics. Students enjoy state-of-the-art facilities, such as our Artsmark Gold-awarded Arts Centre, and have access to a vast range of extra-curricular clubs and enrichment opportunities, including trips to St Ives, London, New York, and Edinburgh. With our holistic approach, students from Year 7 through to Sixth Form are encouraged to be curious, discover their passions, and take the lead in their learning, supported throughout by specialist teachers. By developing a strong sense of self and independence, alongside outstanding technical skills, students regularly achieve impressive results at GCSEs, A Levels and IB, going on to study at top creative programmes around the world.
Art
We are thrilled to offer not only fine art, but also photography and ceramics to our students from Year 7 through to Sixth Form. This allows our students to study a wide range of artistic disciplines and develop their voice as artists. We ensure all our students have access to the highest quality materials and facilities to enhance their learning, including: oil, acrylic and watercolour paints; digital and analogue cameras; a dark room and animation studio; buff, crank, and porcelain clay; and an on-site kiln. In KS3 (Years 7 - 9), students are introduced to a broad range of detailed techniques and artists, preparing them for KS4 & KS5 (Years 10 - 13), where students are encouraged to lead their learning and creative expression is nurtured. Students are also given the opportunity to exhibit their work professionally, showcasing their learning and development to the wider Sidcot community.
Alongside lessons, all students are welcome to attend regular 'Open Studios', providing access to all of our high-end facilities for self-directed, teacher-facilitated creativity. Further extracurricular clubs, like Ceramics Club, provide opportunities to explore a discipline in more depth. For students who pursue Art to GCSE and beyond, or show a talent or passion for the subject in earlier years, we also provide various enrichment opportunities. These include specialist workshops, leadership opportunities, masterclasses from visiting artists, and amazing trips worldwide, from local galleries, Glastonbury Festival and St Ives, to London and New York.
Drama
At Sidcot, we encourage our students to explore all areas of the performing arts, including acting, directing, costume and stage design, lighting and sound tech. Not only does this foster an appreciation for all that goes into creating a successful performance, but it also provides an opportunity for our students to gain insight and experience into all the potential career pathways within Theatre, TV & Film. Within school performances, students adopt all of these roles, including many students who do not study Drama at GCSE or A Level but wish to stay involved in the performing arts. We host multiple school performances throughout the year, including whole school casts and smaller key stage group casts, allowing all our students an opportunity to shine.
Within lessons, students cover a wide variety of disciplines and often enjoy in-school workshops delivered by renowned theatre companies, designed to enrich the learning experience. Students also have the opportunity to regularly go to Bristol and London on theatre trips to see elements of their learning brought to life on stage by professional actors. Further trip highlights for our Drama students include New York and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where they not only get the opportunity to watch, but also to take part, performing as part of Sidcot's own theatre company, Hurly Burly.
Music
Within the curriculum, students study Music from Years 7 to 9, exploring the fundamentals of making and playing music and experiencing a wide variety of instruments and genres, including Jazz, Blues, Film, Dance, Pop and Rock! In Year 10, students can choose to continue their Music studies at GCSE, and in Sixth Form, can choose both Music and Music Tech as A Level options. Whether students choose to study Music or not, there are plenty of opportunities to continue Music learning outside of the classroom. Many of our students explore music through individual lessons, with instruments currently played in the School as unique and individual as our students themselves, including Euphonium, Ukulele, Guitar, Trumpet and Piano. We also have a vast range of music-based extracurricular activities, with favourites including Jazz Band, String Ensemble, Open Mic, Alpha Male Boys' Choir, Music Tech Club, and Cantare Girls' Choir. All our students are provided with multiple opportunities to perform throughout the academic year, showcasing their skills and development while building their confidence. We are regularly delighted in weekly assemblies to listen to student performances, as well as share our students' talents with the wider community at school events, such as Open Morning, and in a variety of concerts, like our popular Christmas and Spring concerts.
