A Message From The Headteacher
Buildings Maintenance Update
I wrote to you in the newsletter of 30th August to inform you about the structural issues that affected the Main Hall, Canteen, Drama and Dance classrooms.
Much work has taken place behind the scenes during that time with Surveyors, Architects and the Department for Education (DfE), to assess the damage. Consequently, the DfE have given permission for the area to be demolished and be replaced with a new build.
We have been working with Architects and developed a timeline for demolishing and rebuilding to ideally start from January. We will soon go to tender for the reconstruction. I will keep you updated as we go.
Headteacher Friday Forums
After the first two weeks of the Forums, I am going to change the format slightly to accommodate personal matters that parents might want to discuss about their children rather than the current group format where we have talked about themes.
The purpose of the Forums is not for me to present the school development plan but for you as parents to come and talk about matters that are important to you.
I will therefore hold three 30-minute sessions each Friday:
- 1:30-2:00pm
- 2:00-2:30pm
- 2:30-3:00pm.
You can book through the normal process here:
Traffic Lights, Drop-off & a Meeting With The Councillor
My meeting with the Local Councillor was postponed last week and will now take place this Friday 22nd November 2024.
Marquees For Dining and Line Ups
Further to last week’s update, there have been delays and we are expecting the installation company to complete their work by Monday 25th November 2024.
Department Spotlight
This Week: Art & Photography
Art at Westgate
Here is what our students have been up to...
Year 7
This term in our Art classes, Year 7 students have been perfecting their shading techniques. They've been working with charcoal and chalk to create stunning apple drawings that are transforming into true works of art!
Year 8
The Year 8 students have been exploring the theme of Perspective by creating stunning paintings of cityscapes from a worm’s-eye view. They learned about one-point perspective, focusing on vanishing points and converging lines to create depth and realism. After mastering these techniques, they had the freedom to design their own unique scenes, resulting in some truly impressive and creative work.
Year 9
Year 9’s are focusing on the topic of sea life and have been creating a range of sea life studies with different drawing materials, such as pencils, soft pastels and watercolours. Students have explored using still-life objects, such as shells, and have been taking photographs of fishes to develop their understanding of composition. They have used this to improve their first-hand observational skills by creating drawings.
They have also researched artists, such as Diana Tonninson to help design their ceramic fishes in response to this artist. This is to help strengthen the application in their work and expand their knowledge of how they can use sources to develop their ideas using different approaches to create their artwork.
Year 10
Our Year 10s have been exploring the topic of Light and Dark by focusing on Natural Forms, such as skulls. They have created a range of observational studies of skulls using different drawing mediums and are currently working on creating 3D skull masks using card paper as inspiration from Native American culture.
Students have been researching how Native Americans used skull masks in their culture to help them design and create their own response. Working and experimenting with different materials has allowed students to gain an insight into different ways their artwork can be made and develop their confidence.
Year 11
The Year 11's have just finished their Light and Dark coursework. They have produced some amazing outcomes:
Year 13
The Year 13 Art students are engaging in their personal studies, where they independently determine their creative direction and explore their chosen theme through individual outcomes and investigations. It’s always fascinating to see the unique ideas they develop and how their work evolves throughout the process.
Photography at Westgate
Here is what our students have been up to...
Year 9
The students started the academic year learning the basics of using a DSLR camera; followed by understanding the importance of angles, viewpoints, lighting and composition.
Year 10
The students started the academic year learning the basics of using a DSLR camera; followed by understanding the importance of angles, viewpoints, lighting and composition. They are now implementing this knowledge through photography of Natural Forms in preparation for their trip to Kew Gardens!
In addition, they have been introduced to macro photography (extreme close-up) and light boxes.
Year 11
The year 11 students have come to the end of their main project by creating some mixed media and digitally manipulated images from last summer's London trip.
They have now started their Independent Assignments which will also act as their Mock. They have a choice of 4 themes, to which they only pick 1.
Clubs
Students across different year groups attending the Visual Art Club and Crafty Club every week have been participating in different art activities.
Crafty Art Club
In Craft Art Club students have been creative in making poppies using recyclable bottles and paint. They have been learning about remembrance day and as a response have created poppies in remembrance to those who served the war. Alongside this students have also been designing greeting cards which they will make using different printmaking techniques. They will sell and showcase their cards to others, and this is to give students an insight into the business career on how they can sell their artwork.
Visual Art Club
In Visual Art Club, students have been exploring different techniques and materials. They have been creating Origami butterflies and currently are working on designing a Mandala which they will use to create their oil pastel scratch drawing.
Trips
Upcoming Art and Photography trips!
19th & 27th November - Year 9 &10 Photography students will be going to Kew Gardens to support their coursework based on Natural form. This will be their first photoshoot outside of the school environment!
28th November - Year 9 Art students will be going the London Sea Life centre to support their art project based on Sea Life. They will be taking photographs and creating drawings of all the different under water creatures!
Inktober
Inktober is a yearly art competition. During the month of October, the students are given a word prompt in which they draw their personal outcomes. We have had some brilliant drawings, here are just a few:
Congratulations to the following students who have won prizes for their creativity and skills!
- Patryk M - Year 8
- Paige T - Year 7
- Irfa K - Year 11