Creativity is at the heart of this year’s A Level exam results for pupils at Ipswich High School.

We are thrilled that 67% of students that studied A Level Art and 60% of those that took A Level DT were awarded an A*. What’s more, four out of the six Sixth Form students that completed an A Level in Art and three out of the five that studied Design Technology have been inspired to pursue Art and Design related courses at university. This is a testament not only to the hard work and passion of these students, but also to the dedication and commitment of our outstanding teaching team.

Curiosity, risk-taking, and determination are fundamental to the experience of Art and Design at Ipswich High School. Students are presented with a wide range of creative, challenging, and stimulating opportunities to explore their interests with confidence as they develop their own personal approach. They are encouraged to explore a wide range of materials and techniques, and are taught the key technical skills and theoretical framework required. There is no ‘house style’ encouraged, everyone is given the freedom to explore through experimentation and perseverance.

Olivia was awarded an A* in both Art and DT and is going to Bath Spa University to read Fine Art. Throughout her work photography has been fundamental and she experimented with shutter speeds to create motions of light, dramatically altering the tone from pitch black to bright colour.  Dramatic compositions were created which explored contrast and form. Lockdown interrupted her personal investigation with a shift to a life drawing project. Olivia’s adaptability and maturity to use the experience and turn it into an opportunity to ground her work within a contextual framework greatly enhanced her art practice. Her resulting paintings were staggeringly powerful, eerie in their revealing/concealment of the human form.  Olivia’s work has developed magnificently due to her hard work, receptiveness to new ideas and approaches, perseverance with learning new techniques and processes, and exceptional engagement throughout.

A keen interest in Fashion has always been paramount to Helena’s work, whether it is the photographers, the design sketches from the 1950s, or the processes of stitch and fabric. She explored imagery through her own black and white photographs experimenting with representations of powerful young women and created a series of photographs which challenged conventional representations in a highly personal response.  When she was forced out of the studio due to lockdown, Helena was not prevented from working hard through her ideas, continuing to question and challenge what her work was hoping to convey. Her Dior-inspired corset was meticulously executed and represents an artist beginning to explore her practice, eager to move on to the next stage. Helena will be going onto study Fashion Communication and Promotion at Nottingham Trent.

Caleb achieved an A* in his Art A Level, he will be going to De Montfort University having received an unconditional offer to study Architecture. It was during the lockdown life drawing project that Caleb’s Art practice developed immensely, and where he really delved deeply to challenge his approach, refine his technical drawing skills and embrace the opportunity to develop his ideas. His work explored identity and the representation of the human form. Cleverly decontextualizing the male form in Gustave Caillebotte’s ‘Man at his Bath’ he collaged the figure into a dissertation on contemporary sexualisation of the nude figure, making the viewer confront their own assumptions. Identity was further developed, but this time Caleb explored nostalgia and the outcome was a deeply personal investigation. The resulting paintings of his parents and a self-portrait were not only technically strong but powerful and moving. Caleb was also awarded an A* in his Extended Project Qualification, which was inspired by his passion for Architecture. He explained “My EPQ was about sustainable architecture and I looked at ways the housing crisis in the UK could be approached sustainably. I think the crisis could be solved in the future, and I hope in a few years’ time I can be involved in making that a reality.”

Having been inspired by the theatre for a long time, Samantha’s most recent project focused on the impact of immersive theatre and the challenges of building and designing sets for this specific art form. She looked to develop a set design for the world of Harry Potter, focusing on the latest book, and how that would work as an immersive setup. Looking at the works of other designers and styles to help inspire her work, Samantha explored a wide range of ideas and models, different materials and the use of light, sound and smell as part of the design. Her final model shows off the detail and intricacy she puts into her work and, with an A in DT and B in Art A Level, has set her up brilliantly for her progression into Set Design at University.

Annabel will also be going to study Architecture, at Cardiff University, having been awarded an A* in her DT A Level and an A* in her EPQ, which focussed on making an architectural model of a coastal structure. Her final DT piece explored the ideas of prioritising the senses and, by doing so, if it can bring more meaningful design. Through all her work she has been inspired by the world around her and the work of current designers like Richard Rogers and Tom Heatherwick. She has explored a wide variety of materials and techniques to find the best method of solving her design briefs. Her “Pumpkin Bench” blended hard forms with nature designed to grow through the design; and created large complex curves with steam bent ash. Her meticulous attention to detail and courage to experiment unimpeded with design, both product and furniture based, as well as architecturally has seen her win awards for her work throughout her time here at Ipswich High School.

Mrs Vickers, Head of Art, said “We are immensely proud of all our students who really rose to the challenges and kept focused, continuously stretching themselves to make the most successful work, relevant to their intentions. The support they gave each other in the online group critiques was truly heart-warming. As well as those students going on to study Art related courses at university, two of our artists who gained A* in their Art A Level are going on to pursue Veterinary Medicine and Midwifery, which shows the magnificent breadth of our students and the correlation between Science and Art.”

“In the Sixth Form our A level Art students are fortunate to have their own dedicated studio space for the two-year course. This gives them the opportunity to work within an environment which one would usually have to wait until degree level to experience. It is their dedicated space which they are free to use in their study periods and through lunch breaks, allowing them to extend their work beyond lesson time. Lessons are student-led with tutorial-style teaching which allows students to explore their own artistic practice, with support and structure from the teaching staff. In line with the ethos at Ipswich High School, the department encourages each student to find the best next step for them.  With talks from visiting artists, designers, and practitioners from many aspects of the Creative Arts, we encourage students to be open to explore the multitude of routes which is reflected in the choices of our A level students.”

Mr Thompson, Head of DT, added “It has been a great pleasure to be lucky enough to work with such dedicated and amazing students who make my job so exciting. I have watched the students over the last year work under circumstances beyond their control, yet they have persevered and flourished developing exciting pieces that explore design and its possibilities on a variety of levels. At A level our students are given a lot of freedom to choose the direction and type of project they study; my role is very much to guide and support that learning, making it bespoke to each student. This allows students to progress in an area of interest that fascinates them from architecture to product design, furniture design or even sculptural design. The outcomes this year have shown the passion and hard work that the students have invested into their projects and continue to show the talent and ability that the students at Ipswich High school can achieve.”