Art and Design
Which schools in England make Art and Design a big part of the curriculum, and where results are strongest. Entries and grades from the 2025 performance tables.
Art and Design GCSE was taken in 2,053 schools in England in 2025, with 50,185 entries — about 7% of the Year 11 cohort.
Nationally 24% of entries achieved grade 7 or above. The tables below show the schools where the largest share of pupils take the subject, and where grades are highest (schools with at least 20 entries).
At Durham Academy (County Durham) 90% of the year group took Art and Design.
At A level, Art and Design was offered in 732 schools and colleges, with 4,040 entries — roughly 1% of A level students.
GCSE: schools with the highest share of grades 7–9
Schools with at least 20 entries. England: 24% of entries graded 7–9. High grades often reflect who is admitted (selective and independent schools) as much as teaching.
| # | School | Local authority | Entries | Cohort | Share | Grades 7–9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Godolphin and Latymer School | Hammersmith and Fulham | 58 | 131 | 44% | 100% |
| 2 | Lady Eleanor Holles School | Richmond upon Thames | 38 | 110 | 35% | 100% |
| 3 | James Allen's Girls' School | Southwark | 35 | 108 | 32% | 100% |
| 4 | Dulwich College | Southwark | 26 | 241 | 11% | 100% |
| 5 | Notting Hill & Ealing High School GDST | Ealing | 26 | 89 | 29% | 100% |
| 6 | The Manchester Grammar School | Manchester | 24 | 212 | 11% | 100% |
| 7 | Wycombe Abbey | Buckinghamshire | 23 | 186 | 12% | 100% |
| 8 | St Dunstan's College | Lewisham | 22 | 115 | 19% | 100% |
| 9 | St Mary's School Ascot | Windsor and Maidenhead | 22 | 61 | 36% | 100% |
| 10 | Immanuel College | Hertfordshire | 22 | 89 | 25% | 100% |
| 11 | King Edward VI High School for Girls | Birmingham | 21 | 84 | 25% | 100% |
| 12 | Mayfield School | East Sussex | 20 | 62 | 32% | 100% |
| 13 | Colyton Grammar School | Devon | 29 | 152 | 19% | 97% |
| 14 | St Michael's Catholic Grammar School | Barnet | 45 | 127 | 35% | 96% |
| 15 | Ripon Grammar School | North Yorkshire | 47 | 126 | 37% | 94% |
| 16 | Chelmsford County High School for Girls | Essex | 39 | 180 | 22% | 92% |
| 17 | Surbiton High School | Kingston upon Thames | 24 | 154 | 16% | 92% |
| 18 | The King's School | Cheshire West and Chester | 26 | 106 | 25% | 88% |
| 19 | Eastbourne College | East Sussex | 25 | 131 | 19% | 88% |
| 20 | The Perse School | Cambridgeshire | 24 | 196 | 12% | 88% |
| 21 | Roedean School | Brighton and Hove | 31 | 138 | 22% | 87% |
| 22 | Cheslyn Hay Academy | Staffordshire | 22 | 199 | 11% | 86% |
| 23 | Queen's College, London | Westminster | 29 | 64 | 45% | 86% |
| 24 | Wirral Grammar School for Boys | Wirral | 43 | 156 | 28% | 86% |
| 25 | The King's School | Worcestershire | 42 | 133 | 32% | 86% |
| 26 | Stratford Girls' Grammar School | Warwickshire | 28 | 120 | 23% | 86% |
| 27 | Wolverhampton Grammar School | Wolverhampton | 21 | 84 | 25% | 86% |
| 28 | Altrincham Grammar School for Girls | Trafford | 40 | 208 | 19% | 85% |
| 29 | Blackheath High School GDST | Greenwich | 39 | 88 | 44% | 85% |
| 30 | Ditcham Park School | Hampshire | 26 | 52 | 50% | 85% |
| 31 | Lancaster Girls' Grammar School | Lancashire | 44 | 141 | 31% | 84% |
| 32 | The Grammar School At Leeds | Leeds | 31 | 209 | 15% | 84% |
| 33 | Sir William Perkins's School | Surrey | 31 | 92 | 34% | 84% |
| 34 | Edgbaston High School for Girls | Birmingham | 23 | 87 | 26% | 83% |
| 35 | Ardingly College | West Sussex | 23 | 270 | 9% | 83% |
| 36 | Haberdashers' Girls' School | Hertfordshire | 32 | 124 | 26% | 81% |
| 37 | Bishop Vesey's Grammar School | Birmingham | 37 | 191 | 19% | 81% |
| 38 | The Holt School | Wokingham | 84 | 240 | 35% | 81% |
| 39 | Dame Alice Owen's School | Hertfordshire | 36 | 200 | 18% | 81% |
| 40 | Durham Johnston Comprehensive School | County Durham | 40 | 264 | 15% | 80% |
A level: schools and colleges where the largest share of students take Art and Design
Entries as a share of A level students (at least 30 A level students and 10 entries). England: 1% of A level students.
What pupils learn in Art and Design, stage by stage
England has no national year-by-year syllabus: exam boards and schools set the order within each stage. These are the statutory blocks from the Department for Education, so a parent can see what a child meets in Years 7–9, what every GCSE candidate must cover, and what waits in the sixth form.
What Key Stage 3 Art and Design teaches · Years 7–9
6 learning outcomes from the Department for Education’s statutory subject content, grouped by topic. Each outcome belongs to one of twelve fields of knowledge used across startfrom.today: Arts & Humanities (6). Exam boards add detail on top of these; the outcomes themselves are the same whichever board a school uses.
Subject content6
- record observations in sketchbooks and journals using varied techniques — journal, observation, sketchbook
- use a range of techniques and media including painting — medium, painting, technique
- develop proficiency in handling different materials — material, proficiency
- analyse their own work and that of others to assess visual impact — own work, peer work, visual impact
- evaluate their own work and that of others to strengthen visual impact — own work, peer work, visual impact
- describe key periods, styles and movements in art and design history — art history, movement, period, style
Source: DfE National Curriculum in England, Open Government Licence v3.0. Outcomes are split into single actions and rewritten only where the original bundled several; wording otherwise follows the DfE text. Methodology.
What GCSE Art and Design teaches · Years 10–11
25 learning outcomes from the Department for Education’s statutory subject content, grouped by topic. Each outcome belongs to one of twelve fields of knowledge used across startfrom.today: Arts & Humanities (23), Digital & ICT Skills (2). Exam boards add detail on top of these; the outcomes themselves are the same whichever board a school uses.
Knowledge and understanding6
- explain how artists, craftspeople and designers inspire ideas — artist, craftsperson, designer, historical context
- explain how historical and contemporary environments, situations or issues inspire ideas — context, environment, issue
- research sources relevant to a chosen title and area of study — area of study, source
- explain how meaning is communicated through formal elements of visual language — colour, form, line, texture
- explain the characteristics and effects of media, materials and techniques — material, media, technique
- explain the purposes, intentions and functions of art, craft and design in context — function, intention, purpose
Skills7
- develop ideas through investigations informed by critical analysis of sources — investigation, source analysis
- apply understanding of creative and cultural industry practices to own work — creative industry, cultural industry
- refine ideas by experimenting with media, materials, techniques and processes — experimentation, material, media
- record ideas, observations and judgements visually and in written annotation — annotation, specialist vocabulary
- use media, materials, techniques, processes and technologies safely and critically — safe practice, technique
- use drawing skills for a range of needs and purposes — drawing, observation
- realise personal creative intentions through sustained application of the creative process — creative process, personal intention
Fine art2
- explore critical and contextual sources relevant to fine art practice — critical source, fine art
- create fine art work using painting, printmaking, drawing or mixed media processes — mixed media, painting, printmaking
Graphic communication2
- explore critical and contextual sources relevant to graphic communication — critical source, graphic design
- create graphic communication work using digital design, typography and illustration — digital design, illustration, typography
Textile design2
- explore critical and contextual sources relevant to textile design — critical source, textile design
- create textile work using weaving, printing, pattern cutting and embroidery techniques — embroidery, printing, weaving
Three-dimensional design2
- explore critical and contextual sources relevant to three-dimensional design — critical source, three-dimensional design
- create three-dimensional work using modelling, prototyping and construction techniques — construction, model-making, prototyping
Photography2
- explore critical and contextual sources relevant to photography — critical source, photography
- create photographic and moving image work using digital and analogue processes — analogue process, digital photography, moving image
Critical and contextual studies2
- analyse and interpret the work of artists, craftspeople and designers in context — context, interpretation
- communicate critical responses to art, craft and design work — critical response, media choice
Source: DfE GCSE art and design subject content (2015), Open Government Licence v3.0. Outcomes are split into single actions and rewritten only where the original bundled several; wording otherwise follows the DfE text. Methodology.
What A level Art and Design teaches · Years 12–13
19 learning outcomes from the Department for Education’s statutory subject content, grouped by topic. Each outcome belongs to one of twelve fields of knowledge used across startfrom.today: Arts & Humanities (17), Digital & ICT Skills (2). Exam boards add detail on top of these; the outcomes themselves are the same whichever board a school uses.
Knowledge, understanding and skills15
- record observations and experiences using drawing or other visual formsYear 13 — observational drawing
- research and gather visual and other information for a line of enquiryYear 13 — information gathering, visual research
- analyse images, objects and artefacts drawn from relevant resourcesYear 13 — artefact, visual analysis
- make independent critical judgements about images and artefactsYear 13 — critical judgement
- use the work of others to develop and inform own practiceYear 13 — artistic influence, own practice
- generate and explore lines of enquiry using media and techniquesYear 13 — line of enquiry, media and technique
- apply knowledge and understanding to make images and artefactsYear 13 — image making
- review and modify work in response to evaluationYear 13 — iterative review
- plan and develop ideas in response to own and others' evaluationsYear 13 — idea development
- organise and communicate ideas and solutions in visual, tactile or sensory formsYear 13 — sensory form, visual communication
- explain how materials, processes and technologies are used in art and designYear 13 — material, process, technology
- explain how images and artefacts convey and are interpreted for meaningYear 13 — interpretation, meaning
- explain how images and artefacts relate to their social and cultural contextYear 13 — cultural context, social context
- describe continuity and change across genres, styles and traditionsYear 13 — artistic tradition, genre, style
- use specialist art and design terminology and vocabularyYear 13 — specialist terminology
Working methods1
- produce artwork using digital media, non-digital media or a combinationYear 13 — digital media, non-digital media
Titles3
- produce practical and critical work across two- and three-dimensional processesYear 13 — 2d process, 3d process
- specialise in a pathway such as fine art, textiles or graphic communicationYear 13 — fine art, graphic communication, textile design, three-dimensional design
- produce photographic and moving image work such as portraiture or documentaryYear 13 — moving image, photography
Source: DfE GCE AS and A level art and design subject content (2014), Open Government Licence v3.0. Outcomes are split into single actions and rewritten only where the original bundled several; wording otherwise follows the DfE text. Methodology.