GCSE courses

GCSE Courses

GCSE Courses (Years 9-11)

Years 9-11 at Hampstead Fine Arts College offers pupils a broad curriculum with outstanding provision in the Arts and Humanities. Hampstead Fine Arts College is a stimulating and nurturing environment. We believe that pupils flourish when happy as this enables them to develop curiosity, knowledge, individual skills, and confidence. We take the view that all our pupils have individual abilities and talents which may have previously been overlooked and we see it as our job to help them find the areas in which they can excel.

Students in Years 9-11 are taught in classes no larger than twelve, to give all pupils maximum individual attention. We have a formal structure to the day, with assembly from 8.45am to 9.00am, and classes between 9.00am and 3.45pm. Classes are 55 minutes long, with a morning and lunch break.

Students are taught how to take a responsible approach to their studies but are nevertheless closely supervised. All students have a personal tutor who offers academic and personal advice and assesses individual progress each fortnight. The personal tutor is available for parents to discuss a pupil’s progress at the end of each day. We have two parents’ evenings each year, as well as sending full, half-termly reports from subject and personal tutors.

One-Year GCSE Course (Year 11)

This course is specifically designed for students joining in Year 11. The number of subjects taken will depend on how much the pupil has achieved before joining us.

We assess each individual before advising them on their subjects. All students take English Language, Mathematics, and Biology GCSE, alongside three to five additional subjects.

Emphasis is placed on essay-writing skills, and examination time management. We have regular testing and a full mock examination week at the end of January.

Universities & Careers

Most students progress to higher education either at top academic institutions or leading art colleges. We host regular talks on higher education options and future careers. We advise and help students complete their university and art school applications for institutions in the UK, Europe, US, Canada, and Australia.

Hampstead Fine Arts College became part of Dukes Education in 2015, and our students benefit from careers advice from Dukes Education’s team of Oxbridge and US admissions specialists. Students who wish to follow academic courses are regularly accepted to study at Oxford, Cambridge, UCL, LSE, King’s College, the Courtauld Institute, St Andrews, Edinburgh, York, Bristol, and Leeds. The most popular destinations for our art students are Central Saint Martins, London College of Fashion, Camberwell, and Kingston. Our leading American destinations are Parsons, Pratt, NYU, and Cal Arts.

Students flourish in future careers in film, fine art, fashion, creative writing, the media, and academia, amongst others. Whatever FAC students go on to do, an education at Hampstead Fine Arts College provides a strong foundation for forging a distinctive career in a changing and competitive world.