ArtsEd Day School & Sixth Form A GSG School

- ArtsEd Day School & Sixth Form
Cone Ripman House
14 Bath Road
London
W4 1LY - Head: Mr Peter Middleton
- T 020 8987 6600
- F 020 8987 6601
- E [email protected]
- W www.artsed.co.uk/
- An independent school for boys and girls aged from 11 to 18.
- Boarding: No
- Local authority: Hounslow
- Pupils: 282; sixth formers: 155
- Religion: None
- Fees: £22,788 - £25,143 pa (last updated on 16/12/2024)
- Open days: September
- Review: View The Good Schools Guide Review
- ISI report: View the ISI report
What The Good Schools Guide says..
At ArtsEd dance, drama and musical theatre are an integral part of the timetable, and the school interweaves the pupils’ area of specialist artistic interest throughout the day. Teaching of the performing arts is, according to students, ‘amazing’ and parents agree. ‘My children have attended many different schools, and the teaching is the best they’ve ever had.’ The aim of the curriculum, however, is to provide a solid academic base whatever the future holds. ‘There should be no shutting of doors,’ say the head. A musical-theatre stream…
What the school says...
The unique ‘ArtsEd Curriculum’ provides world class vocational training that is integrated within a strong academic education and a caring environment. Our ethos and pastoral care empower students to be their natural selves and develop a broad, enhanced set of skills and a deep-seated confidence. Aspiration and commitment are expected in both vocational and academic studies. Consequently, our students will achieve success in performing arts and more traditional careers and education pathways. In 2024, the school won the ISA National Award for Excellence. ...Read more
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Other features
Performing arts specialist school
What The Good Schools Guide says
Interim head
Since September 2023, interim head is Peter Middleton, MA (Oxon), MA (educational leadership and management). Educated at Radley College and Oriel College, Oxford, where he read chemistry, Mr Middleton began teaching at Cheltenham College. Since then, his varied career includes time as housemaster at St Edward’s School, Oxford, deputy head of Clifton College in Bristol, principal of Welbeck College, an MOD-run independent sixth-form college, and head of Kensington Park School, a day and boarding school in London. It is, however, the seven years he spent at Welbeck that he feels gave him the strongest background for his current role. ‘Welbeck was a college preparing pupils for careers in the armed forces,’ he says. ‘It demanded commitment, knowledge and respect, and generated huge camaraderie, just like ArtsEd.’
Arriving after a period of considerable turbulence, he has, it is universally acknowledged, brought a steadying hand – and an outstanding ISI inspection. Staff praise his leadership. ‘He’s introduced order and brought together the performing arts and academic staff, helping us understand how we do different things in a shared way.’ Super-efficient – our visit was organised with military precision – parents feel he’s got it just right. ‘He’s lovely,’ said one. ‘He fits so well into the community, he’s very present, very engaging and the kids really like him.’ ‘He really cares about the kids and the school,’ said another. A knowledgeable and approachable figure, he’s married to an educational psychologist and has three adult children.
Entrance
A maximum of 24 admitted to year 7 for two specialist pathways in dance and drama. All applicants are auditioned and sit tests in English and maths. ‘We usually accept about 20 students since we won’t take below the bar,’ says the head. A musical-theatre stream is introduced in year 9 with numbers increasing to about 35. In the sixth form, when the emphasis shifts from school to vocational training, 250 apply for 85 places, and all applicants – including day school pupils – are auditioned and required to achieve a minimum of five GCSEs at grade 5 and above, including English and maths. (Those applying for A Levels must achieve a grade 7 or above in their intended subjects or, for subjects not studied at GCSE, a grade 7 in English literature or language.) Parents of applicants to the day school also interviewed. ‘They have to understand what they’re getting into.’
Exit
Up to 30 per cent leave after GCSE, some for schools that offer alternative performing-arts opportunities, others to return to mainstream education (Tiffin, Twyford, Brighton College, amongst others). A few sixth formers go straight into work, others depart for mainstream universities (recently, Warwick, King’s College London, York, Cardiff), but the committed, well-prepared majority go on to professional degrees both at ArtsEd itself and at an impressive array of conservatoires (Mountview, RADA, Guildhall, Laine Theatre Arts, Urdang, LAMDA, etc). In 2024, all applicants achieved a place at their first choice. The school has an illustrious roster of former students, including Julie Andrews, Nigel Havers, Bonny Langford, Darcey Bussell, Sam Barks, India Amarteifo, Isabella Pappas and Yungblud.
Latest results
In 2024, 46 per cent 9-7 at GCSE; 27 per cent A*/A (71 per cent A*-B) at A level. Around 80 per cent of pupils take BTEC level 3 Extended Diploma and in 2024, 69 per cent achieved D*D*D* (equivalent to three A* at A level).
Teaching and learning
At interview, applicants to the day school are asked how they envisage their day, and it’s made clear it will largely be just like their current school with 75 per cent of the timetable devoted to academics and only 25 per cent to performing arts. (‘About the same time they’d spend doing sport, music, art, etcetera elsewhere,’ says the head.) That said, the academics here are very much skewed to the arts. GCSE preparation starts in year 9 and all sit a compulsory core of English literature and language, maths (which is set), and usually double-award science (though triple is on offer). They must also take a GCSE in their chosen vocational pathway of either dance or drama. After that, the choice includes French, history, geography, classical civilisation, art, music, photography, statistics and film studies. Able linguists can also take Spanish in one year (after taking French in year 10), and native speakers are prepared for GCSE Russian, Spanish and French. The aim of the curriculum is to provide a solid academic base whatever the future holds. ‘GCSEs are of paramount importance,’ says the head. ‘There should be no shutting of doors.’ Parents appreciate the approach. ‘We didn’t choose the school aiming for the West End,’ said one. ‘I wanted to give my sons the chance to express themselves, but I feel the academic side is strong enough for them to return to a mainstream school if they want to.’
With this in mind, the head has upped the academic oversight. All year 7s are assessed to provide a ‘cognition projection’, and half-termly tests highlight the importance of academic work and give staff necessary data for targeted intervention. (‘We ask, can we turn a grade 7 into a grade 8?’) The most able academically are invited to join the Blue Group, which offers enrichment activities.
Most sixth formers are on the foothills of their career, and about 80 per cent take the BTEC level 3 extended diploma (a nationally recognised vocational qualification equivalent to three A Levels) offered in acting, dance and musical theatre (which the school is particularly celebrated for). BTEC results are impressive, and nearly 70 per cent of students in 2024 gain D*D*D* (the equivalent to A*A*A*). Students – and parents – are hugely enthusiastic about the courses. ‘I feel you get so much out of the BTEC,’ said one boy. ‘It’s very targeted to the real world and professional expectations are high.’
To widen their university options, BTEC students will usually take one or two A Levels, from a relatively narrow range which includes maths, politics, English literature and history, but largely focuses on the creative arts (dance, drama, history of art, music, photography, film studies and fine art). Students also have the option to take three or four A levels. Small class sizes – often four or five at A Level – mean all get plenty of attention, and results indicate considerable added value.
In a crowded school day, there’s not much space for intellectual development beyond the arts, and an attractively updated library is currently open only to sixth formers and degree students. It’s a resource that relates primarily to the performing arts (an entire shelf devoted to monologues, for example), so probably wouldn’t be the place to research the history of the British empire or Hegelian dialectic. When we visited it provided the one still space amid a constant energetic bustle with only three occupants, one of whom was the librarian. The intention is to expand the fiction and non-fiction section for day school pupils, currently served by ‘mini libraries’ in their classrooms.
Learning support and SEN
Arts Ed are keenly aware that neurodiversity often accompanies – and can enhance – creativity, and about 30 per cent of students have some form of special needs (most commonly, ADD, ADHD, dyslexia). Two full-time SENDcos, one devoted to the day school, the other to the sixth form, work closely with academic, pastoral and vocational staff to provide tailored intervention. ‘We have a lot of discussion about ways to support students,’ said one teacher, ‘and use their expertise to help with pedagogy in general.’ Those with specific difficulties can receive one-to-one support, additional small-group teaching and a modified curriculum, and, according to the Independent Schools Inspectorate, ‘make excellent progress with most achieving higher than predicted grades’. Not all parents, however, feel the support is as effective as it might be. ‘There are a lot of pupils with special needs,’ said one, ‘and though the school was aware of my son’s needs, they didn’t always make sure what he needed happened.’ Another echoed the complaint. ‘The teachers are marvellous and really care, but they really need more than one SENDCo given the number of children with special needs.’
The arts and extracurricular
Dance, drama and musical theatre are an integral part of the ArtsEd timetable rather than ‘extracurricular’ activities, and the school interweaves the pupils’ area of specialist artistic interest throughout the day. ‘It makes them more productive as learners and helps the neurodiverse,’ says the head.
Teaching of the performing arts is, according to students, ‘amazing’, and parents agree. ‘My three children have attended many different schools, and the teaching is the best they’ve ever had.’ Performing arts teachers combine industry experience with teaching expertise, and unstintingly give of themselves. ‘They give up all their time willingly, staying after school if you need help,’ said one student.
Their dedication is reflected in outstanding practical exam results (100 per cent distinction in LAMDA; 100 per distinction in Trinity; 70 per cent high merit in RAD dance exams and 70 per cent distinction in ISTD modern and tap dance exams last year). Arts Ed also won the 2024 Independent Schools Association national award for excellence in performing arts.
Dance specialists in the day school receive weekly classes in all forms of dance from classical ballet to acro skills; drama students divide their time between theory and practice. Theatre trips and workshops, masterclasses, mini courses in everything from sight reading to creative writing, and talks from industry professionals enhance the offering. Teachers provide personal feedback about performance, but the pupils themselves also act as in-house critics, voicing their (largely positive) opinion about the performance of fellow pupils. (‘It teaches them how audiences react,’ said one mother.)
A huge variety of performance opportunities – 35 last year – include the entrance-by-audition ‘companies’ (theatre, musical theatre, acting-for-screen and dance) which work together two hours a week and mount a yearly show. Musical, dance and drama showcases and a performance open evening widen the opportunities, and all get the chance to work in the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation Theatre, an on-site West End standard theatre with its own production team. Students also perform at external venues like the Lyric Hammersmith, the Royal Albert Hall and Sadler’s Wells.
The core disciplines are, of course, spotlighted, but music, too, is taken seriously. Pupils in years 7-10 form part of a choir, and vocal and instrumental lessons taught by professional musicians are available for all. The school is too small for an orchestra, but it has a positive attitude to every type of music. ‘Two girls in my class want to become pop singers,’ said one pupil, ‘and the fact that they’re taken seriously has given them enormous confidence.’ The visual arts, taught in three dedicated studios, are also strong. ‘I stayed here for the art,’ said one sixth former. ‘They give you great freedom to be creative.’ The extracurricular beyond the arts is more limited, but there are clubs for science, chess and debating, and regular school trips abroad (this year to Berlin, New York and Greece).
Here, of course, extracurricular can also mean professional work and a key member of staff is the industry liaison officer, responsible for arranging ‘agency panel days’ for students to get professional feedback and evaluating whether it’s realistic for a student to take on professional commitments on top of an already busy schedule. (If this is agreed, the school will create an individual academic programme for the student.)
Sport
If team games are your passion, this is not the ideal school for you, and even those clearly happy here can miss muddy fields elsewhere. There is no on-site outdoor space apart from the recently added ‘green’ rooftop terrace, which hosts activities like yoga in more clement weather. Everyone does, however, get exercise. Dancers of all ages, of course, are on the go for much of the time, and all students can use the sport facilities at nearby Rocks Lane for 45 minutes twice a week to play football, basketball and netball. ‘Compared to other schools, the sport is a down side,’ said one parent, ‘but my son does a football club out of school.’
Ethos and heritage
Arts Ed traces its roots to two dance schools – one founded in 1919 by Grace Cone, the other in 1922 by Olive Ripman. In 1939, the two merged to form the Cone Ripman School. Initially located in central London, the school moved to Tring in Hertfordshire early in the war, returning to London in 1941, but leaving behind a boarding arm. In 1947, the day and boarding schools became ArtsEd, reflecting Grace Cone’s and Olive Ripman’s commitment to a proper academic education for their young performers. The Tring school is now a separate entity (Tring Park School for the Performing Arts), and the day school moved to Chiswick in 1989, taking over a factory-like mid-century building in a quiet, leafy street. Later additions have equipped it with outstanding facilities (a main stage, a secondary performance space, industry-standard studios), and a £10m capital project completed in 2021 gave the day school and sixth form two additional drama studios and film-studies classrooms, and a new science lab.
The school was originally for girls only, and even today there is a 65:35 split, not unusual for performing arts schools. Uniform is a black tracksuit for younger students and sixth form dancers; the remainder of sixth formers wear their own clothes and call teachers by their first names.
Pastoral care, inclusivity and discipline
The world of the performing arts comes with specific challenges, and ArtsEd uses its small scale to provide unusually close attention to students’ wellbeing. Tutor groups meet at least three times a day, allowing pupils to talk though their concerns, and teachers liaise on potential problems, meeting regularly one-to-one with those requiring greater attention and acting as a conduit to professional services. Pupils praise the support they receive. ‘The teachers are really easy to talk to,’ said one. ‘Everyone is so driven, you can’t really slack,’ said another, ‘but the teachers know when you’re struggling.’ In year 11 pupils are allocated a personal mentor, who provides individual guidance about any aspect of their present and future. The friendship issues widespread in early adolescence can get magnified in a small environment, but the school does its best to manage these using a programme that empowers teenagers to navigate friendships for themselves.
In the sixth form, tutor groups meet weekly to talk through coursework and PSHEE topics such as relationships, emotional resilience, managing stress, as well as more practical concerns such as auditions and university applications, and students in year 13 also have a personal mentor.
The creative arts are, of course, inevitably competitive, but the school tries to ensure the atmosphere never becomes toxic. ‘We talk about it openly and put an emphasis on collaboration.’ You do, however, need to be able to flourish in an environment where most people have similar ambitions. ‘At a mainstream school, your child may be one of only a handful of pupils who is really good at acting,’ said one parent. ‘At a performing arts school everyone is talented and it takes a robust personality to navigate the atmosphere.’ As far as possible, the school ensures there is opportunity for all, selecting productions with a range of roles and encouraging interest in all aspects of the profession, from costume design and lighting to directing and producing. ‘My teacher gave me a book on playwriting,’ said one girl, ‘as she thought I might be good at it.’
Weekly gatherings underline the need for united effort, and on our visit an imaginatively presented assembly provided groups of students with a puzzle, one of which had a piece missing. ‘With a piece missing, you had no chance of winning,’ they were told. ‘Everyone is of value in a team.’ Another life lesson was highlighted by a teacher who’d formerly been a casting director: ‘Be nice to everyone.’ As she warned, she never cast anyone who’d been unpleasant to her.
Disciplinary problems are few – discipline is, after all, what they teach here and at the assembly we attended no one fidgeted or even looked around. (‘As performers, they learn to respect the person who’s performing,’ explained one mother.) Though the school has an escalating scale of sanctions, fixed-term exclusions are rare as staff know all pupils well and put an instant check on minor infractions. (A girl we passed in a corridor was immediately reprimanded for travelling about the school without a pass.)
Sixth formers address teachers by their first names and student voice is fully respected, with school captains and the sixth-form council meeting regularly to suggest solutions to issues such as lunch menus (though, as one pupil, pointed out, ‘the food remains a bit brown’). Student-run clubs and societies, such as student council, FemPower and the People of Colour Society, reflect their interests.
Pupils and parents
A significant number of pupils come from creative backgrounds, but equally many do not. Younger pupils are often local, many coming from the state sector; later the school recruits from a wide radius. (Two sixth formers we spoke to have a round trip of three or four hours.) In the sixth form, about 20 per cent of pupils, a number from abroad, live away from home, and though the school does not supervise accommodation, they offer a list of providers and teach life skills such as how to do laundry. Families get to know each other through meeting at performances and involvement with the parents’ association, which contributes to the hardship fund and new building projects. Most pupils are incredibly positive about their experience. ‘I love the fact that I can study in a safe, creative environment with people interested in the same thing as me,’ said one; while another commented, ‘You don’t feel judged, everyone is supportive, which means you can grow as a performer.’
Money matters
Means-tested scholarships (for drama, dance, musical theatre and academic excellence) are available in the sixth form.
The last word
A small school that provides exceptional opportunities for those aiming for a career in the performing arts, while providing a solid academic base for both prospective professionals and those who may choose a different path. A positive, buzzing, supportive place.
Overall school performance (for comparison or review only)
Results by exam and subject
Subject results
Entry/Exit
Special Education Needs
The high academic and vocational expectations of the ArtsEd curriculum make this a very demanding environment. It is created to optimise students’ preparation for careers in the performing arts, and indeed for other careers too. It is not therapeutic and is designed to be extremely challenging. Our students with SEND embrace this challenge, demonstrating through their talent and commitment that artistic creativity and neurodiversity are inextricably linked. They thrive and succeed because they can study the subjects they love and in which they excel. They benefit from small classes, highly skilled teachers and outstanding, nuanced pastoral care. The SEND team assesses the learning needs of all new students. When the need for additional support is identified, they work closely with the child, staff, parents and external professionals to ensure it is purposeful and consistent - including personalised interventions, strategies and support techniques, one-to-one support, mentoring and guidance. This is reviewed regularly so that progress is acknowledged, and students can be guided towards greater independence. We empower students with SEND so that they can negotiate formal assessments with confidence and develop the resilience and self-advocacy skills they will require to meet the demands of professional performance and their careers.
Condition | Provision for in school |
---|---|
ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder
Might cover/be referred to as;
ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Aspergers, Autism, High functioning autism, Neurodivergent, Neurodiversity, Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA), PDA , Social skills, Sensory processing disorder |
Y |
HI - Hearing Impairment
Might cover/be referred to as;
Hearing Impairment, HI - Hearing Impairment |
|
MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty
Might cover/be referred to as;
Learning needs, MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty |
Y |
MSI - Multi-Sensory Impairment
Might cover/be referred to as;
MSI - Multi-Sensory Impairment, Sensory processing |
|
OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability
Might cover/be referred to as;
Downs Syndrome, Epilepsy, Genetic , OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability, Tics, Tourettes |
|
PD - Physical Disability
Might cover/be referred to as;
PD - Physical Disability |
|
PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty
Might cover/be referred to as;
Complex needs, Global delay, Global developmental delay, PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty |
|
SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health
Might cover/be referred to as;
Anxiety , Complex needs, Emotionally based school avoidance (EBSA), Mental Health, SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health, Trauma |
Y |
SLCN - Speech, Language and Communication
Might cover/be referred to as;
DLD - Developmental Language Disorder, Selective mutism, SLCN - Speech, Language and Communication |
|
SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty
Might cover/be referred to as;
Complex needs, SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty, Cerebral Palsy (CP) |
|
SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty
Might cover/be referred to as;
ADHD, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Auditory Processing, DCD, Developmental Co-ordination Difficulties (DCD), Dyscalculia, Dysgraphia, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Handwriting, Other specific learning difficulty, SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty, Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) |
Y |
VI - Visual Impairment
Might cover/be referred to as;
Special facilities for Visually Impaired, VI - Visual Impairment |
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