Presdales Alumni Return to Inspire Sixth Form Students – March 2026

We were absolutely delighted to welcome back two former Presdales students this month, who returned to share their experiences and inspire our A Level students with their exciting journeys beyond school.

🎨 Guest Speaker: From Presdales to the Olympics! 🏅

We were thrilled to host former student Amy Pozzilli, who spoke about her incredible career since leaving Presdales. Amy has built an exciting path in the television industry, contributing to major productions such as Portrait Artist of the Year, Britain’s Got Talent, coverage of the UEFA Champions League, and the Chelsea Flower Show, among many others.

Combining her artistic talent with her professional work, Amy now specialises in live painting at major sporting events — most recently at the Winter Olympic Games! Her talk was inspiring, engaging, and full of energy, giving students a fantastic insight into the wide range of opportunities within the creative industries.

🎓 Former Pupil Returns to Share University Insights

We were equally excited to welcome back Adelaide Peart, who spoke to our Year 12 and 13 students about her experiences studying architecture at the University of Bath.

Adelaide delivered an engaging and informative talk, offering a real and honest insight into university life. She shared invaluable advice on accommodation, what to bring, and how to make the most of Freshers’ Week, which was greatly appreciated by students preparing for their next steps.

A real highlight of her visit was showcasing her impressive architecture portfolio. Her creative and innovative designs, developed using tools such as AutoCAD and Adobe Photoshop, truly inspired students and gave them a glimpse into the possibilities within architectural study. Adelaide is also currently gaining further experience through work placements in the field, continuing to build her professional skills.

We are incredibly proud of both Amy and Adelaide for their achievements and so grateful that they took the time to return to Presdales to motivate and support our students. We look forward to welcoming them back again soon!

Mrs Page and The Art Department

Year 12 Procion Printing Art Workshop

On Wednesday 11th March we had the whole day for a Procion Printing Art workshop. Everyone was completely immersed and was able to create amazing outcomes. We used Procion inks to paint onto a screen where we then pulled the print using an acrylic medium which pulls the dye onto the surface we’re printing on. We got to print our initial paintings as well as using the remaining ink to create ghost prints which we can work into. The process was a mix of painting and printmaking, allowing for bold, expressive strokes that traditional screen printing sometimes misses. Overall the day was exciting and valuable in terms of learning a new skill that many of us will use in our coursework.

Cecilia Jodeika (Year 12)

Year 7 – Wonderful Textured Animal Drawings

Over the past few weeks, Class 7PB have been working hard on a textured animal drawing project, creating beautiful squirrels and fish using a range of tone and mark-making techniques. Students experimented with detailed pinecone and shell designs, cleverly weaving these into their animal forms and combining them with zentangle-inspired patterns. The results have been imaginative, skilful, and full of character.

I am incredibly proud of their creativity and progress.

Well done, 7PB!

Mrs Page Art Teacher

Year 9 – Flight Project

Year 9 have been developing their blending and layering skills using coloured pencils as part of their new project on the theme of Flight. Students are creating a beautiful double-page layout, including detailed studies of ladybirds, bumblebees, and other flying creatures.

Their use of colour and technique has been impressive, and we are excited to see their completed pages soon!

Year 10

Year 10 Art Update 🍬

Year 10 have been getting creative with their sweet-themed art project! They’ve been exploring layering and blending techniques with coloured pencils to create bright, eye-catching compositions.

Right now, they’re working with biro and fineliner pens, experimenting with scale, pattern, shadows, and tone to produce amazing enlarged sweet drawings. After half term, we’ll be moving on to painting, where students can take their skills even further.

Everyone has shown fantastic enthusiasm – well done, Year 10!

Year 11

Seashore

The Year 11 stunning seashore mixed media sheets are now on display in the Art rooms. This new project began last year in the Year 10 workshop, where students created lino prints of sea life, which have now been developed into a wonderful mix of drawings, oil pastels, printmaking, and beautifully collaged sheets.

A big thank you to Andrea, our technician, for helping create such a lovely display!

Print Workshops – 7th October 2025

We ran a very successful mono-printing workshop on 7th October 2025 with our Year 11 students. They learnt the process of mono printing and experimented with a variety of mark-making techniques, producing a wide range of exciting prints for their sketchbooks.

Students then developed their outcomes further by working back into their prints using pastels and paints, exploring texture, colour, and composition in more depth.

All students demonstrated maturity and genuine curiosity throughout the day, showing great enthusiasm to expand their knowledge of printmaking techniques. Both Mrs Harmer and I were extremely impressed with their creativity, effort, and positive attitude towards the workshop.

Mrs Page – Art Department

Year 12

Mechanical Botanical

This term, our talented Year 12 artists have been diving into the fascinating theme “Mechanical/Botanical” — where the manmade meets the natural world! Through a series of exciting mixed-media workshops, students have been experimenting, creating, and discovering new ways to bring this theme to life.

Earlier in the year, they built their own installation to photograph and draw from, sparking imaginative ideas and bold compositions. Their work features an amazing mix of materials and techniques — from pencil, oil pastels, charcoal, and inks to bleach effects and card relief.

Right now, they’re taking their creativity even further, developing large A1 mixed-media pieces and crafting beautiful concertina sketchbooks. It’s been wonderful to see their confidence grow as they experiment, refine their skills, and produce such inspiring work!

Mrs Page and Mrs Harmer

Year 13

🎨 Bursting with Creativity: Year 13 Personal Projects in Progress!

The art studios are alive with energy as our Year 13 students dive into their personal projects! From bold experiments with texture and colour to intricate designs and thought-provoking concepts, every corner of the room is filled with imagination in action.

It’s amazing to see each student developing their own creative voice — exploring new materials, testing out techniques, and pushing their ideas in exciting directions. These works-in-progress already showcase incredible talent and dedication, and we can’t wait to see how they evolve in the coming weeks.

Year 9

Our Year 9 students have been working on some stunning artwork on the theme “Flight”. They have created mixed media, scrapbook style pages that showcase a variety of skills, including watercolour blending, fine pen textures, and detailed pencil work. Their beautiful studies form a diverse collection that will inspire their final surreal pieces — whether it’s designing a playing card, box art, or a surreal mobile artwork. We’re so proud of their creativity and dedication!

Art Club

We want to share some work from Art club.

The Year 7 and 8 Art Club recently created these lovely egg box animal portraits, forming the 3D shape first and then decorating with acrylic paint to turn them into an array of quirky characters.