Art

Our art, textiles and design courses are the perfect foundation for a broad range of future opportunities, with many students progressing to prestigious and highly sought-after universities and art colleges.

If you have a passion for exploring new art mediums and developing your artistic skills and individual style then Henley will encourage your creativity and expression, while instilling a positive work ethic to see you through A Levels, diplomas and beyond. At Henley, you’ll be taught by experienced teachers who take an imaginative and adventurous approach to developing your skills. Our art and textiles departments are vibrant, fulfilling and highly productive places to learn. The facilities have been newly refurbished and modernised with a sculpture garden and digital arts facilities, complemented by the recent addition of a new MAC suite. This has created a bespoke digital and creative arts hub for our students to progress their skills. There are many possible career paths for those with an Art qualification. Creative skills are in great demand with some of the biggest professional opportunities available here in the Thames Valley. Students can progress to fashion design, fine art, graphics, fashion marketing, costume design, textiles and textile design. Many continue to study Art Foundation and we have a good record of students being offered places at Central Saint Martins. Our students have also gone on to work in many diverse and exciting areas including teaching, architecture, interior design, accessory design, costume interpretation and commercial art.

Student Profile

“I have a lot of good memories of the fantastic tutors I had whilst at Henley, which really made it a great experience for me, also the workshops and trips organised for our Textiles class. I always looked forward to our lessons where we would often learn something entirely new. Some skills I have expanded and with others it was a chance to do something completely different - like screen painting or batik. I have since graduated from UAL Wimbledon with a First Class Honours degree in Costume Interpretation. I am now working as a freelancer with a company that makes costumes for various theatre, film and TV shows like Doctor Who and Joseph and the Technicoloured Dreamcoat.”

Sam studied A Levels in Geology, Textiles, History and Geography at The Henley College.

Photography is an ideal subject for students wishing to pursue a path to media, the arts and Photographic related areas. It is also a good supplementary course giving breadth to your offer. If you are either new to photography, or wanting to improve your creative and technical skillset, you may want to consider this subject option. You will have the opportunity to learn both traditional and contemporary techniques, acquiring the industry skills required for a future career in this field. The photography department boasts a fully equipped darkroom and two photo studios that enables students to develop many transferable skills that can be applied in various career progressions. Past students have progressed to academic or vocational degrees including photography, photo journalism, fine art, fashion photography, the film industry and forensic science as well as more academic subjects such as Psychology and English when matched with other relevant subjects.

In 2019, 30% of Textiles students were offered places at Central Saint Martins. In Photography A Level over 30% of students achieved A*- A grade. 70% of students achieved A*- B.

Art (Fine Art / Graphic Communication / Art and Design) > A Level Art Textiles > A Level Art and Design > Extended Diploma Creative Arts > Foundation Diploma Level 4 Photography > A Level

For full course details and how to apply, please visit www.henleycol.ac.uk