We had a great day on Wednesday 15 November 2023, visiting two world-famous galleries off London’s Trafalgar Square.

Our Year 7 students, armed with a clipboard and a pencil, had the task of completing a treasure hunt, which involved finding facts about specific works of art in various rooms, navigating their way around the gallery. During drawing activities, groups of students were found absorbed, gazing at art works that they had only previously seen on screens, they were so excited to see familiar works such as Van Gogh’s Sunflowers, up close.

After a packed lunch and a trip to the gift shop, the afternoon was spent in the recently refurbished National Portrait Gallery. Beginning with a trip to the education rooms, we were greeted by a member of staff who chatted to everyone about portraits and the type of portraits that can be found in the gallery. The students had plenty of opportunities to get involved with the interactive displays, and found being turned into a portrait of a King or Queen very amusing.

A firm favourite in the Portrait Gallery was the exhibition Windrush: Portraits of a Pioneering Generation, which had been commission by King Charles.

A prize of chocolates was awarded to the person who created a great drawing (Congratulations Angelina) and house points were awarded to two students who completed the treasure hunt fully.

After an amazing day, we all got on the coach, which unfortunately hit one traffic jam after another. The students were amazing and behaved brilliantly after such a long journey home. We would like to pass on our thanks to the parents and guardians who patiently waited for our late return.