Tavistock College is celebrating a remarkable year of success in art GCSE, with students achieving their strongest results to date and placing the college among the top 13 per cent of all schools nationally in the subject.

The outstanding results reflect the commitment and creativity of students, alongside the dedication of the art GCSE staff, who have worked tirelessly to support and inspire young artists throughout their studies.

Kate Luck, curriculum lead for art at Tavistock College, said: “We are extremely proud of what our students have achieved this year and delighted that they have been rewarded so positively. Art is a subject that requires students to develop ideas, take risks, respond to feedback and continually refine their work, so achieving these results is a fantastic accomplishment. Our students have shown incredible resilience and commitment. We want them to leave us not only with excellent results, but with a genuine love of art and the confidence to continue being creative.”

Art, which sits within the Creative Arts Directorate at the college, places a strong emphasis on developing students’ individual creativity and encouraging them to become confident, independent artists. Students are given opportunities to explore a wide range of techniques, materials and ideas, while developing their own personal responses to themes and contemporary and historical artists.

The results are particularly significant given the sustained effort required to produce a successful GCSE Art portfolio. Students undertake extensive practical work alongside written and contextual research, building a body of work that demonstrates both their technical skills and their ability to develop original ideas.

The success is a significant achievement for Tavistock College and highlights the strength of art provision at the school where 78 per cent of students take at least one subject from the Creative Arts suite at KS4, with 48 per cent of sixth form students continuing to progress to further study Creative Arts subjects at the college.