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Visual Arts Aptitude

As we are passionate about visual art education at The Hewett Academy and the Inspiration Trust, we allocate up to 10% of places available within Year 7 entry (15 places) to children who demonstrate an aptitude for visual arts at The Hewett Academy. Children who wish to be considered for an aptitude place will sit a visual arts aptitude test.

September 2026 entry:

The application round opens on Thursday 11th September 2025.

The application form for a visual arts aptitude place must be completed by Friday 26th September 2025. Only application forms fully received by midnight on Friday 26th September 2025 will be accepted.

Please complete one online application form for each child for a visual arts aptitude place (or you can complete and return a paper application).

The application form will only be used to make the arrangements for the test and will play no part when the applications of those meeting the threshold are processed and places allocated.

Inspiration Trust Visual Arts Aptitude Downloadable Application Form

Inspiration Trust Visual Arts Aptitude Online Application Form

All children who submit a completed form by the deadline will be invited to a visual arts aptitude test on Friday 3rd October 2025. The test is designed not to determine the child's current visual art ability, but their aptitude for learning visual arts in the future, with a threshold having been set to determine qualification for consideration for a place.

Inspiration Trust Visual Arts Aptitude Test:

There will be a drawing test, taken with other children, and is approximately 60 minutes in duration. There are no practice papers for the test. The drawing test will be assessed against the following two criteria:

Technical Skill:

The Hewett Academy Head of Art will consider how effectively the applicant is able to visually record, from first hand observation, using the following formal art elements: line; tone; shape; form; pattern and texture. Compositional understanding and decisions will also be assessed.

Maximum mark: 20 points.

Exploring Materials:

The Hewett Academy Head of Art will consider how creatively and confidently the applicant is able to use and manipulate the limited media available to create something new. Also considered will be the applicant’s ability to incorporate ‘mistakes’ into the overall design.

Maximum mark: 20 points.

The test does not require any previous knowledge of art theory or art history. The highest mark a child can gain is 40 and the threshold to determine consideration for a place is 29.

If more than 15 children meet the threshold set, random allocation supervised by someone who is independent of the academy will be used to determine which 15 children have qualified for consideration for a place.

Parents and carers will be notified by the academy of the result of the visual arts aptitude test by Friday 17th October 2025. This is in advance of the normal admission round application closing date on Friday 31st October 2025. If the child scores enough marks to be considered for a place, The Hewett Academy must be named as a preference when completing the Common Application Form (CAF).