About Us

Sidcot School is a small independent part day part boarding Quaker school

The School was first founded in 1699, and is one of the oldest co-educational independent schools in the country. It is situated in 150 acres of beautiful countryside on the edge of the Mendip Hills, close to the cities of Bristol and Bath.

Sidcot is one of seven Quaker schools in the UK, and the Quaker ethos is an important and strong aspect of the school. Sidcot has a long and justified reputation for excellence in art drama and music, which are seen as vital elements of a full and rounded education.

The Art department at Sidcot is an energetic and creative area of the school. As well as timetabled lessons the department is kept open for a range of after school activities, and is available for students at times during the weekends. We run various activities, from ceramics and junior art clubs, to photography, computer art and a weekly life drawing session.

All students from yr 7 to yr 9 have a weekly 100 minute lesson. Each of these year groups is split into three groups, and spends 10 weeks in each of the three main areas within the department. In yr 10 students opt for a range of GCSE subjects, and art is always a popular choice, with two art groups allowing for a wide range of possible option choices. Art is also a popular choice at the AS and A2 level.

For all four examination years we encourage students to work to their own artistic leadings, offering instruction and advice, and facilitating as best we can as wide a range of artistic activity as is possible. In this way we can have students creating ceramic sculpture, creating work in textiles, potting or carving, lino or screen printing, painting, creating computer based art work or murals. The possibilities are exciting and wide - given the enthusiasm and creativity of the young artist!

This holistic approach is made possible by a combination of team teaching, open plan teaching areas, and combining each of the two examination years on the timtable to allow students to follow their own interests while offerning as much specialist art teaching as possible.