Art & Design
Art at Lucton encompasses a broad range of disciplines and skills, encouraging creativity and individuality. Experimentation is encouraged throughout a student’s time at Lucton, and all are able to explore a huge range of techniques including various forms of mark making, textiles, print processes, dye techniques and much more.
Pupils work in a dedicated art room, where work by both current and past students is displayed. This provides a real source of inspiration, particularly for younger students, which is reflected in the quality of their own work.
Broad in nature, the syllabus in Years 6 to 9, covers topics such as line, form, perspective, and colour, before students develop a range of skills which may be utilised in Year 10 when, they begin working on individually tailored projects and are tutored on an individual basis.
We often collaborate with other departments of the school, and have aided the history department with their study of Roman mosaics, in addition to regularly working with the drama department on their theatre productions.
At Lucton we offer Art & Design at both GCSE and A Level and also offer both Graphic Design and Textiles as A Level choices.
Music
Music is a story which compels and captivates students of all ages and abilities. There are numerous reasons to study music; the emotional engagement, the intellectual stimulation, the act of self-expression, the knowledge gained of other cultures and periods of history, and the escape from reality that music provides.
Music is a unique subject which combines intellectual training, rigorous investigation, and practical exercises. In music we foster a sense of academic inquiry, aural perception and analysis, and confidence in performance.
In the Prep and Middle School, we focus on three complementary strands of study: aural skills, history and analysis, and performance, and students receive free small group instrumental lessons in years 5 and 6. At Lucton all pupils are also encouraged to sing and to take part in the many and varied extra-curricular performance opportunities that are on offer at the school.
In the Senior School, Year 9 pupils follow the outlines of the OCR GCSE syllabus and undertake a course of performance, aural analysis, and composition designed to equip all students with the potential to continue the subject at a higher level should they wish to do so.
Drama
All pupils in the Middle School have a weekly drama lesson, in which they work on mini-projects exploring key dramatic skills, with the emphasis very much on gaining confidence and developing their talents. At GCSE level, pupils have the opportunity to develop and incorporate their own interests whilst continuing to learn new skills, and in addition to exploring both acting and directing techniques, students also gain an understanding of essential technical skills.
Studying drama requires emotional maturity, and gives pupils a deep understanding of themselves. It can engender a deep sense of self-esteem because it draws on emotions and creativity and it is also a subject that requires a great deal of peer trust, and so plays an important role in teaching communication, listening, and empathy skills. These skills can be further refined by optional LAMDA classes, which also have the advantage of contributing to UCAS points when pupils reach Bronze, Silver, and Gold qualifications.
There is the opportunity to take part in the Middle and Senior School productions each year and we encourage our students to take leading roles, not only on stage but backstage too, where they will learn the skills required from lighting and sound, to stage management.
In recent years, students have also had the opportunity to go on numerous theatre trips including to London, where they have experienced a West End production as well as a backstage tour of the National Theatre.
