The Art School

I think we've found my son's high-school-to-be!

We were a bit early for our appointment, and had to wander the converted house until we found a sign of life. Being a Friday afternoon, late-ish, all the students bar one were gone already, which gave us space to sit and chat to the lady in charge.

She directed all her info and questions at my son, making him the important one for our interview, getting to know him and checking his responses. We got a guided tour and saw the work being done in both ceramics and art studios. Got to chat to one of the other 2 personnel too, and then were told he should start Monday afternoon art lessons from next term. They run from 3 to 5:30 - and they're FREE!!!

No ways...

So yes, definitely, we're there! The classes serve as a basis for admission it seems. The school will get a good idea of what Jason's capable of, and he'll get a glimpse of how things work.

What we like about the school is that it's pretty flexible. The hours are from 8-5, but if the kids want to take an hour to go to gym or sport or just take a break, they're welcome to. They have as much time as they need to work on their projects, and the schooling includes academic subjects for the high school certificate. Yes, it seemed pricey at first - until we found out other schools in the area are even more than that per month! And here we'll have no uniform to pay for, which cuts costs. Books/equipment may or may not be included - still checking up on that.

We came away going "WOW!". It's exactly the kind of place we're looking for. Small (no more than 25 students, across the 5 high school years), friendly (all teachers are on first-name basis), focussed on developing each kid to their full potential. There's a variety of art training from computerized to textile, ceramic, various mediums, photography etc.

I just want to check with them on qualification for further study, but I suspect it won't be a problem - many ex-students got to Masters level studies, which indicates a good grounding.

So here goes. Next term we start on a creative path and take it from there. I think this one is really going to work out well!