Annie Edwards – Teacher of Art

This January, Annie Edwards is to expand her current role as Teacher of Art at King Edward’s Witley, spending three days providing specialist tuition at Barrow Hills and two days at King Edward’s.

A Fine Art graduate of the University of Reading, Ms Edwards originally joined King Edward’s as a Graduate Assistant and went on to take her PGCE, at the University of Buckingham which she passed with a Distinction.  Her role at King Edward’s has comprised teaching art to a broad age group, spanning Year 7 to Pre-Sixth, whilst supporting pupils with their GCSE and A-level studies. Since joining the School, she has also helped put together exhibitions showcasing the high standard of art at King Edward’s, in addition to showing her own work in her native Wales. Most recently she has been collaborating with the Artist-in Residence at King Edward’s, Shivani Khoshia, combining abstract painting with video to create a dynamic art installation which the pair hope to display in a joint exhibition during summer 2020.

As Teacher of Art at Barrow Hills, Ms Edwards is teaching Years 3-8. In addition to teaching art as part of the curriculum, she runs the lunchtime Art Club at the School once a week, along with organizing the House Art Competition later in the year. She will also be entering pupils into the Spring Art Show hosted by King Edward’s in March 2020. Working with Barrow Hills and King Edward’s provides Ms Edwards with an opportunity to capitalise on the resources of the family of schools and in particular, enables her to provide the necessary support to those seeking an art scholarship as they transition from Barrow Hills to their senior school of choice.

Commenting on the new position, Ms Edwards said, “I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to work with both Barrow Hills and King Edward’s. This will enable me to share my passion for art with children of all ages. I love meeting the children and encouraging their young and blossoming minds. Working collaboratively with both schools provides an excellent opportunity to share resources and best practice, as well as build upon specific areas of interest within the departments. I am confident that the enthusiasm and unique talent of each child will inspire me as a teacher and as an artist. It has been, and continues to be, a joy and an honour to be working with children. Their fresh ideas about the world has been an inspiration which I treasure in my own practice. I learn just as much from them as I hope they do from me. The giving and receiving of ideas is pivotal to art practice. This way of thinking is crucial now more than ever.”