Creative and Performing Arts

Music is not only an integral part of the curriculum at Ashford School, but is also a subject that bleeds into the co-curricular life of our students. Opportunities for performance are second-to-none, with a full programme of concerts, recitals and other events taking place throughout year, in close co-operation with Ashford Prep School’s musical team. Also on offer are a number of after-school clubs and bands, ranging from Jazz and Electric bands to a full Orchestra and talented choir. Our instrumental team also provide tuition in all orchestra instruments (with the exception of harp), in addition to guitar (classical, electric and bass), piano and voice.

Each year the Music Department collaborates on both Junior and Senior dramatic productions. In March 2020, the School performed the acclaimed production of Beauty and the Beast with a large cast and a 15-piece Pit Band, most of whom were School musicians.

The very best instruments push students to new levels of success and our Senior School is home to some of the world’s best pianos.

Go to a famous concert hall and you are likely to see to the top performers playing on a Steinway piano. In 2013 we became an all-Steinway School, making us one of only 12 schools in the UK with Steinway-only pianos.

Key Stage 3 pupils spend each half term studying a new drama skill. These skills are discovered and built upon, term on term in order to improve and lead towards GCSE. Students learn about physical and vocals skills within various themes such as Shakespeare, improvisation, Commedia Dell Arte and many more.

GSCE and A Level students learn how to devise from a given stimulus and how to complete a written journal or analytical research report. Their skills of bringing characters to life are enhanced by learning lines and exploring practical rehearsal techniques from differing practitioners.

Students dive even deeper into the dramatic world by studying and analysing a variety of plays and set texts. By practically exploring the subject, they are required to bring the text to life through acting, sound effects, lighting effects and special effects.

Whether studying Drama as a chosen subject or just showing a love for acting, all students have extensive opportunities to develop their skills and interests in the dramatic arena through the variety of co-curricular activities on offer.

The School produces and performs three large-scale productions annually, which include two Junior Drama productions and one full-blown musical production by our Senior students. Produced by our Head of Drama, the productions involve our students from start to finish, including in aspects such as costume design and creation, choreography, lighting and props. Here, the students are able to put to use all they have learnt in class, but also all of the co-curricular skills they have developed during the co-curricular activities, such as Junior Drama Club and the Technical Club.

High achievers have the opportunity to take part in producing and directing their own showcases, and our A level students provide mentorship for aspiring dramatists at our annual primary school workshops. Students also regularly participate in festivals and competitions, with recent success obtained at the Kent and Hastings Festivals. A number of our students have also recently auditioned with the National Theatre.

The School welcomes a number of professional practitioners throughout the year, including the Frantic Assembly Physical Theatre Company and the Stanislavski Experience. Our Drama students enjoy a number of theatre trips throughout the year too, with recent trips to see Everybody’s Talking about Jamie and War Horse.

Ashford School employs a full-time Speech and Drama teacher and trains a number of Prep and Senior students each year to participate in the LAMDA exams.

We currently have 49 students across the Prep and Senior school taking LAMDA Acting, Verse and Prose and Public Speaking Exams.

• Two Year 5 and 6 students at the Prep School are studying Grade 5 Verse and Prose, after having received Distinction at Grade 4. Grade 5 is normally undertaken in Year 9!
• Three Year 11, 12 and 13 Senior students are studying for their Grade 8 Gold Acting Exam after all having received Distinction in the previous ones.
• One Year 13 student has recently taken her Grade 8 Gold Acting and was awarded a Distinction
• Two senior students are currently studying for their Grade 8 Gold Verse and Prose LAMDA Exam
• One senior student is currently studying for his Grade 8 Gold Public Speaking LAMDA Exam

The aim for the department is that, whilst teaching the fundamental skills of drawing and old master painting techniques, we remain highly innovative and contemporary, offering various forms of new media, including green screen, full Adobe Creative Suite, film and animation. Our Art department is acknowledged as one of the very best because it encourages all students to step outside their comfort zone and be adventurous learners in a truly supportive environment. All students are taught the fundamental skills of observational drawing as well as experimenting with a huge array of artistic media – from digital imaging software for green screens, to ceramics, intaglio printing, reduction block printing, screen printing, various forms of textile techniques, dark room and digital photography.

At GCSE, our students participate in workshops that focus on many of the above media. Students are then free to specialise within their chosen areas in year 11. At A level, students learn on a foundation-style course, studying all mediums, under the guidance of three qualified teachers, before being allowed to focus their practise in Year 13.

The art department and its students benefit from a fantastic full-time Art technician, who is on hand to help and enable ambitious and unusual projects come to life. More recently, these projects have included a mirrored maze exam piece that included sound.

The department also regularly organises student trips to London and surrounding areas for the lower years. Recent GCSE and A Level trips have included residential art tours to Edinburgh, Rome, Venice, Madrid and Berlin.

Outside of the classroom, students have the opportunity to participate in a large variety of art-focussed co-curricular clubs, including photography, animation and pottery. The School’s own Artist in Residence is also on-hand, allowing the students to talk to and work alongside a professional artist. In recent years, our students have worked alongside and exhibited with an animator, an installation artist and a photographer.

The students also benefit from the experience body of Art staff, who are all highly specialised and are artists within their own right. In recent years, the department staff have showcased their work at their own exhibition to allow students and parents to see their teacher’s passion for the subject.