With bases in three great cities, Kings School of Art + Design offers an inspiring and flexible foundation for students keen to pursue creative pathways
For any student looking for a grounding in art and design, finding the right place to develop technique and confidence is critical. So too, finding a setting where you get the opportunities to test and develop your skills and prepare for onward destination – be it university or further specialist training.
Kings School of Art + Design has centres in London, Oxford and Brighton (Oxford is its flagship), giving students the added bonus of being based in culturally rich and exciting cities with high student populations. All the staff are practising and exhibiting artists. For instance, the Head of Art in Oxford Maria Marinho has exhibited extensively across Europe and Hong Kong and another member of the Oxford team is an artist in residence at University of Oxford.
This means students have direct support and mentorship from working artists – invaluable helping them develop their own practice and direction.
Application to Kings is flexible, with no set deadlines as it welcomes applications from international and UK students. You are asked to send grades to date (for UK students that’s GCSE grades) plus school reports. You are also asked to send a portfolio – usually five to eight pieces of work – which can be sent digitally. This is to check students’ general ability and ensure they will be able to manage the rigours of the course.
“Students have direct support and mentorship from working artists – invaluable in helping them develop their own practice and find their direction”
There are two options for courses. Students take two art A levels in one year, choosing from four options and then move on to the UAL Diploma Foundation (Fast Track Art Pathway). Alternatively, they complete the Level 3 course (the Foundation). Completion of Level 3 means students can then move on to Year 1 of a university degree.
Kings’ close associations with both UAL – awarding body for its Foundation Diploma – and UWE Bristol gives students added benefits and potential university pathways to either institution for a great range of creative degree courses. Students also attend a UWE Bristol residential each year, giving an immersive taster of university life and facilities before they embark on their degree journey.
“Kings’ close associations with both UAL and UWE Bristol gives students added benefits and potential university pathways to either institution”
While young people attending Kings’ three centres already know they want a creative foundation, they are not expected to know their future art direction on arrival (although many have a fair idea). In the first term they explore different mediums and skillsets. Students who have a firmer idea where their ambitions lie can choose to focus more closely on their specialism – the school offers all the usual art and design degree specialisms including Fashion, Architecture, Fine Art, Photography, Graphic Design and Film. Students are tasked to work to different set themes through the year, interpreting them through their preferred medium. The year culminates in a final major project.
Another bonus for Kings students is that all three city-centre locations are arts hubs, giving students the opportunity to explore galleries and museums, attend shows and live events and gain further inspiration. As one student at the London branch of Kings put it: “It’s not like school, it’s very much a leap between school and university”. Staff also assist with that transition from school to HE – providing UCAS counselling as part of the course. Students are paired to a teacher who specialises in their chosen discipline, so they get ‘insider’ knowledge and support for both the applications process and choosing the best universities / courses for them.
A final draw for many of the Kings students is that this feels closer to university than school – it’s a very international setting, with a cohort drawn from some 60 different countries (some 80% come from beyond UK shores). This brings plenty of fresh perspectives on life, culture and creativity, as UK students mix with peers from across Europe, Asia and the Americas.
Many overseas students have been drawn to the UK because of the high-quality training and clear onward pathways available here. For UK students, this feels like a ‘grown up’ step beyond school and enables them to focus solely on Art and Design – possibly saving a year before heading on to their university or further training if they are admitted to the Level 3 course.
Overseas students at Kings say they relish the small class sizes and high level of support – with an average of just ten students in each class. They also like the fact that they have their own personal workspace kept throughout the study period and are working and living among a group of people who share similar interests.
For all students, there’s the sense of this being a bridge between school and adult world, plenty of one-to-one support but with a distinctly cosmopolitan and artistic vibe and far more independence. As one Kings London student Olivia put it: “All these different cultures, it just brings a whole different atmosphere I’ve never experienced before. It just opens you up to a whole new world”.
Kings School of Art + Design kingseducation.com/school-of-art-and-design
Further reading: Why the arts develop skills for life
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