As a purpose built, self-contained A-Level centre with the goal to educate and enthuse the next generation of learners, Dudley Sixth is fast gaining a reputation for being one of the best places to study A-Levels in the Black Country, Birmingham and the wider West Midlands region.
Our A-Level courses in Fine Art, Graphic Communication, Photography and Textile Design are your gateway to Higher Education, Higher Apprenticeships or employment. The majority of our learners plan to progress onto university and many accept places at a range of Russell Group universities, including Birmingham, King’s College London and Manchester, as well as other local prestigious universities including Aston and Keele.
With subject specialists guiding you through your two-year A-Level programme, you will receive the highest quality education. Our aspiration is for you to achieve your potential and have a very successful future.
The role of a graphic designer is incredibly varied. You may find yourself immersed in a fantasy world while designing a set of illustrations for a book, or exploring complex data to create exciting and vibrant infographics that inform rather than confuse.
Graphic communication students at Dudley Sixth are introduced to a wide selection of processes and techniques. Using a range of both traditional and digital methods, they are encouraged to move beyond their comfort zones to produce a variety of work supported by an understanding of design theory and a developing awareness of contemporary practitioners to inform and influence their ideas.
In their second year, students begin to develop their own visual identity while becoming increasingly self-directed and independent, producing a collection of work tailored to their interests and specialisms. This could be an advertising campaign, design work for a clothing website or a set of illustrations for an album sleeve or book. Throughout the year, students will be encouraged to try new approaches and consolidate the skills they have learned in their first year to produce strong, challenging and professionally-produced designs. I believe you will see all of these qualities in this year’s second year work. I hope you enjoy it.
Chris Worley, A-Level Graphic Communication Tutor, Dudley Sixth
Ben Fletcher
HCA One to Watch Second Prize Winner
Calido Restaurant Branding Design Brief
Tomas Product Branding Design Brief
Aman Gill
CD Cover Design Brief
Tomas Product Branding Design Brief
Libby Jones
Gilmore Girls DVD Box Set Design Brief
Mental Health Awareness Promo Campaign Design Brief
This year has seen the return of our exam project (which due to COVID hasn’t been conducted since 2019) and with it, a workload increase for all on A-Level Fine art. The organisational skills and motivation of the students has really been tested, working with given topics presented by the exam board, which at times can often be frustrating. However, all the students have risen to the challenges presented over the year and produced high quality work they should be proud of.
This year we’ve even managed to resume our educational visits, with trips to Liverpool, London and even Berlin. These have inspired and engaged our cohort and provided them with some additional inspiration outside of the classroom.
A-Level textile design encourages students to work with a wide variety of skills and processes across the fields of textiles, fashion and interiors. This includes printed textiles, constructed textiles, embroidery, fashion construction, weaving and fabric manipulation. Learners are introduced to different techniques which they are then able to develop into personal final work. This can be clearly seen within the variety of imaginative outcomes produced this year.
Learners are encouraged to explore both historical and contemporary techniques and processes and to support their work with research into a range of suitable artists, designers, and trends. They are prepared for industry or Higher Education and all the learners from this year are continuing by pursuing degrees, employment or progressing onto the art foundation diploma course here at Dudley College.
I hope that you find the work inspiring. I am very proud of what the learners have achieved this year.
A-Level Photography allows learners the opportunity to express themselves creatively while exploring ideas and concepts that are personal and meaningful. This is clearly demonstrated across the wonderful work created by this years A-Level cohort. I could not be prouder of the work and achievements made by each member of the Photography group.
Learners often choose issues within society as a means to connect their Photography to an audience. The course consistently challenges them to problem solve and improve both quality and concept as they progress. This ultimately prepares them for both industry and Higher Education.
Industry-standard software and equipment are embedded throughout the course to again support progression, exploring the Creative Cloud Adobe Suite with programs such as Photoshop and Lightroom for image editing, along with InDesign to create their stunning portfolios and project work. To allow for a deeper understanding of photography, learners are encouraged to work with both modern and traditional techniques such as darkroom and Cyanotypes. This 2-year programme builds theoretical and practical knowledge to allow our learners the creative means to express themselves through Photography.
I hope you enjoy exploring the work from this year’s Photography learners.
Simon Morris, A-Level Photography Tutor, Dudley Sixth
It’s difficult to express how brilliant NT Connections is. It has become a fundamental part of my students’ educational experience. They learn and grow so much through this process that goes beyond their college and their course. Participation in Connections gives them a taste of what it means to work in this industry – the mind-set and dedication required to produce work of the highest standard possible.
Andrew Wilson – Group Leader
Dudley College 1st Year Actors from National Theatre Connections Festival at The Derby Theatre on 30 April 2022
Students have been engaged in the production of media content for skills development in Script Writing, Cinematography and Video Editing. They have researched, planned and produced videos for various projects, including exploring a narrative theme, The Box and TV advert production for Sony products. Students also explored the theme of ‘Identity’ where they drew upon how they feel about their own image, their ethnicity, their social groupings and their personal tastes. They then planned and produced a series of short films based on this.
The standard of work has been excellent, with students adapting to the restrictions presented by lockdown with limited access to locations and actors, and team work being adversely affected. However, all students have proved themselves to be able to work independently and use their initiative in making good out of a difficult situation.
The work produced this year shows genuine creativity and imaginative uses of available resources.
Stuart McConnell, media tutor
YEAR ONE
HORROR SHORTS
Charlie Hampton – The Text
James Shinton – Isolate
Natasha Darby – The Woods
THE BOX
Coree Connup – The Box
Beth Wylde – The Box
Lacky Rana – The Box
Mitchell Summers – Attached
INDEPENDENT PROJECTS
Coree Connup and Natasha Derby – Fallin’
Natasha Derby – The Letter
Charlie Hampton and Lacky Rana – North (Jak3)
Joseph Mcleod and Sophie Holland – Get You (Daniel Caesar)
Lacky Rana – Cinematography
Identities – Natasha Darby, Coree Connup, Lacky Rana, Joseph Mcleod & Jacob Jones
Bitesize TV Studio Production 1
Bitesize TV Studio Production 2
YEAR TWO
INDEPENDENT PROJECTS
Rhys Atkinson – VPower in my Blood
Molly Baynham – Jade and Mariah
Thomas Adam Duffill – The Briefcase
Alannah Guest – Rose-coloured Suicide
Kacey Howell – The Rise Of TikTok
Sabrina Hoxha – Quiet Minds
Aman Kang – Runitup
Madison Wilkinson Mills – Parallels
Mia O’Farrell – Science Behind Music
Harvey Taylor – Homage
MUSIC VIDEOS
Alannah and Sabrina – Somewhere Only We Know (Lily Allen)
