Recognition from the Royal Academy of Art

When schools closed for most students during the first lockdown in March 2020, our students found themselves away from their friends and their routine but managed to remain optimistic and a large number of drawings, paintings and even 3D foil sculptures appeared on our remote teaching screens. Many used the extra time to be creative and experiment.

The second lockdown, in winter, was harder but again, our students got on with the remote lessons and some managed to find time to produce extra work and turn the difficult situation into an advantage. Jasmine Waters, one of our Year 12 students, worked on her new project “Isolation & Introspection” and returned in early March with an arresting collection of self-portraits that she had painted in oils, while self-isolating.

Jasmine submitted two of these paintings to the Royal Academy’s Young Artists Summer Show (YASS), fully aware that the competition is incredibly tough- this year there were 33,000 entries. However, we are so unbelievably proud to announce that Jasmine’s double portrait has been accepted and will be displayed on the walls of the Royal Academy, beside the work of some of the country’s most famous artists. It is a testament that optimism, creativity, dedication and skill will win through in the end.

Orly Smetana - Head of Art & Design