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Saturday Art School Funded Places

We're committed to equal access to creative education and careers. As such, each academic year we're delighted to offer a limited number of funded places on our Saturday Art School courses.

Please note that due to popularity, funded places are limited to one per household per term. Funded places are only available for Spring and Autumn term and the young person must be aged 10-15 at the start date of the course (subject to individual course age range). Please see the eligibility criteria below.

Applications for Autumn 2024 are now open. The deadline for submitting your application is Friday 24 May 23.59. All applicants will be contacted by early July 2024 at the latest with the outcome of the application.

If you have any questions, get in touch with our friendly team.

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Eligibility criteria

To be eligible for a funded place on one of our Saturday Art School courses, students must meet at least one of the following criteria:

They're currently in receipt of Free School Meals or eligible for Free School Meal if home schooled
They're in local authority care or looked after for three months or more
They're a Young Carer
They're from a Gypsy, Roma, Traveller, Showman, or Boater community
They have a parent who's served, or is currently serving, in the armed forces
They're studying at an alternative provision
Current home postcode shows that you live in an area with low levels of progression to Higher Education falling within TUNDRA LSOA quintiles 1 and 2.
Current home postcode shows that they live in an area that falls within the lowest 20% of the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD)
Current home postcode shows that you live in an area that falls within the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) 1 and 2.
Young person has Refugee or Asylum seeker status

Eligibility for the TUNDRA LSOA measure can be checked here (postcodes in quintile 1 and 2 qualify). Eligibility for the Index of Multiple Deprivation measure can be checked here (postcodes in IMD decile 1 and 2 qualify)

Choose your Saturday Art School course

Courses for 10-12 yrs

Our courses for blossoming artists as young as 10-years-old will help them explore their creativity, harness their imaginations, and gain confidence in creating and sharing their work. No art and design experience is necessary; all we ask is students come with buckets of enthusiasm.

Jewellery Workshop - an Introduction

This vibrant and practical jewellery making course has been specially designed for budding makers aged 10–12 to let their imaginations free.

Digital Character Design

On this course young artists aged 10-12 will develop digital drawing skills to create exciting characters.

Courses for 11-15 yrs

We offer a range of courses to enable budding artists aged 11–15 to develop skills in a range of different creative disciplines either to find their creative calling or simply enjoy learning new skills. Students don’t need to already be experts in their chosen subject, all we ask is that students come with enthusiasm for learning new things.

A student flips their head back and their dreadlocks fly through the air

Creative Digital Photography and Post-production (stage 2)

In this advanced edition of Saturday Art School, artists aged 11-15 will explore photography and creative post-production editing.

A coloured pencil drawing of a cubist face

Fine Art – 2D and 3D Skills Elevation (stage 2)

On this course young artists aged 12-15 have the chance to develop both their 2D and 3D artistic skills.

A sketchbook with a colourful painting of a human face half-covered with flowers.

Art and Design using Mixed Media

This imaginative course gives young artists aged 12–15 the chance to experiment with different art forms to identify their specialist area.

Animation – an Introduction (stage 1)

In this hands-on course, budding animators aged 12–15 will let their imaginations free as they learn the fundamentals of animation.

Clapper board lying on a stone floor. Film title reads "Deep Water".

Digital Filmmaking – an Introduction

In this creative course young filmmakers aged 12–15 will gain hands-on experience in writing, filming and editing their own material.

Digital Modelmaking and 3D Design (stage 2)

On this cutting-edge course young artists aged 12-15 will learn skills used by creative game designers.

Graphic and Digital Design

In this dynamic course, young designers aged 12–15 will harness their creativity, gain confidence and develop their graphic design skills.

Fashion Design and Styling (Stage 1)

This hands-on course gives budding fashion designers aged 12–15 the chance to learn the fundamental skills of fashion design and styling.

A student has black paint dripping down their face

Special FX Make-up – Exploring Alternative Applications (stage 2)

On this hands-on course young artists aged 12-15 will let their imaginations free as they explore make-up special effects for film and TV.

Why study at Saturday Art School?

Unlock creative talent

We understand how important young creative artists are – they've so much potential, untapped abilities, and enthusiasm. At Saturday Art School they’ll be supported to fully explore their creative talent and future potential, whilst being themselves.

Learn from the best

All our tutors are experts in their creative fields and love sharing their skills; their passion for their craft is infectious. Our young artists will learn in an encouraging, inclusive, and supportive environment, where there’s no right or wrong way to be creative.

Study at a specialist institution

We’re proud to be the UK’s top specialist art and design university. We invest heavily in technology and spaces to best equip our students during their time with us, as such our young artists will have access to our industry-standard resources and learn in our state-of-the-art studios. All course materials are included in the funded course fee.

Start your creative journey

We welcome young artists aged 7–18 (age restrictions applicable by course) of all abilities, from beginners to experienced creatives. In fact, many of our students continue to study with us for years to come. We offer a range of portfolio preparation courses to help prepare young artists to continue their creative studies at foundation or undergraduate level.