The Arts

We embrace the Arts in many forms at Embley and our students have the time, space and encouragement to make their creative mark at school. Each year we celebrate our students' work across our Embley Fringe Festival.  

It is not our business to turn every student into an artist, but it is our purpose to allow them to celebrate their own inherent creativity. We endeavour to instil a love, appreciation and respect for the Arts in its entirety and the many, transferable skills that students will learn along the way. Whether your child takes part in the Arts at Embley for their personal enjoyment and development or commits to further study for GCSE exams, there is so much to get involved in. To recognise talent and potential in the Arts, we offer Senior School and Sixth Form scholarships.

Art

All our students enjoy a creative journey of discovery. We believe that starting with the core skills of drawing and observation allows great ideas to come to fruition.

Students explore a range of media before producing a portfolio of work which can include printmaking, ceramics, photography, painting and textiles. Our airy and open plan Art Studio provides an inspiring space, with personalised ‘pod’ spaces for sixth formers, where students hone their talents as emerging artists.  
 
Our 3D Design Workshop is always a hive of activity. With a fully equipped design studio with CAD facilities, and a workshop housing specialist equipment for wood, metal, vacuum foaming, welding, casting and 3D printing, students go an immersive journey from concept to creation. In Year 7 to 9 we teach Food & Nutrition in our custom-built Cookery School.  
 
Our artists in residence are always popular for new and emerging artists, engaging students in first-hand experiences, using different media, appreciating a diverse range of artistic styles and the creative career pathways available. Beyond the curriculum, we offer creative courses after school which include dressmaking, photography, workshops focused on specific techniques with an artist in residence, a silver jewellery workshop and chocolate making.

Drama

Our students have a starring role to play at Embley – as a creative and rewarding co-curricular activity as well as being part of the backbone of our academic curriculum.

Hundreds of students get involved in our productions each year, with students taking responsibility for every aspect of our productions under the supervision of our professional team – whether as a performer, director, costume designer, set designer, lighting technician, sound engineer or front-of-house host.  
  
The Performing Arts Centre is home to our outstanding Drama Department and is both an extraordinary teaching space for the academic courses we offer as well as our own smaller-scale productions which include musical, contemporary and classical pieces; academic showcases; our Junior Drama Company and Senior Drama Company productions; and House Drama competitions. In the summer months we take advantage of our beautiful school grounds, hosting open air performances of classics such as A Midsummer Night’s Dream. 
 
Our annual school productions take centre stage at the Winchester Royal Theatre every summer with recent sell-out shows including Grease, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and Bugsy Malone. The professional standard of these shows is simply inspiring and a testament to our students’ talents, enthusiasm, commitment and sheer determination.

Music

Every student at Embley can learn a musical instrument and experience the excitement of performing, and they can learn the skills of modern music production and produce their own collaborations in our purpose-built music studio, which is equipped with the latest studio software.

Be it classic, rock, soul, jazz, punk or hip-hop, there are countless opportunities to perform solo as well as in the school orchestra, bands, choirs and smaller instrumental ensembles. Our musicians get involved in a range of formal and informal recitals with renowned concert pianists and composers, performances, concerts and competitions. Our whole school community comes together for our Carol Service at Romsey Abbey and guests enjoy the delights of our seasonal recitals which showcases our scholars’ work.  
 
Taught by specialists, including a diverse range of award-winning peripatetic music tutors, our students are motivated at every level of music making from composition to instrumental and vocal performances. Many of our students go on to achieve external instrumental and vocal accreditations from the Royal School of Music and Trinity College London.

Embley Arts Award

The Embley Arts Award offers a broad range of opportunities and benefits. It is a student-led award which is designed to help grow skills in the performing arts (with a choice of completing the award via Art, Music or Drama).

But in addition to completing a performance, students can build a much broader range of essential skills, including as organisation, leadership, planning and teaching. 
 
The Arts Award runs at different grade levels, so students can progress through the programme at Embley. The Gold Arts Award can be used as UCAS points towards a student’s university application. In England, the awarding body is Trinity College London and it is managed in association with Arts Council England. The qualification is regulated by Ofqual (Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation).