Introduction to our Arts College
 | Many students participate eargerly in the full range of curricular and enrichment activities, especially in the visual arts, drama and sport.
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| Ofsted, 2009 |
The Cornelius Vermuyden School has been designated as an Arts College in recognition of the school’s academic excellence and its commitment to developing the skills needed for employment in the twenty-first century.
Arts College Status enhances all areas of the curriculum.
As you would expect, the Arts have a high profile, each year we have:
- An Arts Festival
- An Art Trail around Canvey
- A continuous programme of school exhibitions
- Frequent gallery visits and study trips
Specially able pupils are fast-tracked from Year 7, taking Art GCSE, with the option to study AS/A2 at KS4.
Each year we commission an artist to work in school, creating a major work for permanent display within the school.
We are also very active in the community, providing:
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Artists, resources and professional support to fourteen local schools
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A programme of out-of-hours learning for primary aged children
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Evening classes for adults and secondary ages students
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Arts projects in partnership with various community agencies (Rethink Day Centre, Crossroads Young Carers, Canvey Youth Project and the local Primary Care Trust)
Photographs below give an example of the kind of work we are undertaking in the community. The mural below was painted with local artists and pupils at Northwick Park Primary School.
Photographs
Click on the thumbnail for a larger image.
The First Visual Arts Specialist in Essex
The Cornelius Vermuyden School opened in 1972. We are a six form entry 11-16 coeducational comprehensive Foundation School with 892 pupils on roll and we occupy a single campus site on Canvey Island in the Thames Estuary, 35 miles east of London and 10 miles west of Southend-on-Sea.
The school is one of three secondary schools on the island and we draw our pupils almost exclusively from the 8 feeder primary schools on Canvey. Our pupils leave the island to attend three F.E. colleges and we have a special partnership with the nearest of these, SEEVIC Community College.
- In September 2003 Cornelius Vermuyden School became the first Specialist Visual Arts College in Essex, having been successfully designated on the strength of our application that was accepted on its first submission.
- As you would expect from the only Specialist College in Essex specialising in the Visual Arts, our equipment and resources are second to none (and are being further enhanced year on year).
- From September 2004 all pupils will be encouraged to follow a visual arts course to GCSE standard, we offer Art & Design, Photography, Graphics, Textiles, Three-Dimensional. Vocational.
- The impact of Visual Arts approaches and resources reaches across the whole curriculum.
- Many local artists and designers work with our pupils, in and beyond the school day.
- There is a varied annual programme of after school courses.
- We are also very active in the community.
Who’s Who
Micheal Whiteley - Assistant Head (Director of Arts) and Head of Visual Arts
Mr J Hibben- Art Teacher
Katy Hibben - Art Teacher (Part Time)
Chantal Bellew - Art Teacher (Able, Gifted & Talented provision)
Jeremy Gibbs - Art Teacher
Ms A Vaughan - Art Teacher
Additional Information
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