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28/03/24

Our future lawyers loved their day . Thank you for the opportunity. https://t.co/gs8cQlBw8X

27/03/24

You’re very welcome - thanks for continuing to invite me! Your brilliant school has a special place in my heart.

27/03/24

Not everyday you have your GCSE Text signed by the author pic.twitter.com/INXqgCT6Pd

27/03/24

Our Y11s loved their creative writing workshop with . The next generation of authors here 👏 pic.twitter.com/hGWzx8e3kY

27/03/24

Almost a decade of studying 's brilliant 'Pigeon English' at HGAED. The highlight of every Y11's year in English is the Q&A with the author himself! Thank you so much for being so generous with your time. 📙 pic.twitter.com/yviphuxdUe

22/03/24

Our brilliant Ms Noah being recognised for all her work to promote good mental health in our communities. A inspiration to our students! 👏 https://t.co/JA2Ohfty3d

21/03/24

Our brilliant choir performing with 6,000 young people . We could not be prouder of your passion, resilience and confidence. A proud day for HGAED! pic.twitter.com/7e9Jj784b8

20/03/24

Our Art History Society visited the Courtauld Gallery to learn more about significant figures in art including Edouard Manet. pic.twitter.com/DCbaowPri8

19/03/24

Inspiring trip to Dulwich Picture Gallery for our Y10 GCSE Photography students. pic.twitter.com/WNeINtAaWG

19/03/24

Wonderful Shibori creations by our Y10 Art Textiles students 💙 pic.twitter.com/mxP9qi7QBV

15/03/24

Great day for year 10 students. Visit to with and thanks to the staff and students making us welcome. Interesting Q&A and debate. pic.twitter.com/YHIkTZKN6r

15/03/24

ASME Clinic guided our students through the process of creating and marketing a skincare product for pic.twitter.com/yf8nRksi8R

15/03/24

A huge thank you to ASME Clinic for their brilliant careers event. Our students loved making their own skincare! 💜 pic.twitter.com/MyTsyWyhcF

13/03/24

Great day for year 10 students. Visit to with and thanks to the staff and students making us welcome. Interesting Q&A and debate. pic.twitter.com/YHIkTZKN6r

11/03/24

A huge thank you to for celebrating with us. Our students loved learning about all the protective equipment officers use and were delighted to have the opportunity to try the shields! pic.twitter.com/3p5awMov6J

11/03/24

Capturing 💜 pic.twitter.com/PqgTtePL58

08/03/24

Our pledges were written collaboratively by students in their coaching groups. Wise words from our brilliant young women💜 pic.twitter.com/CRhmIIXIyi

08/03/24

Happy International Women's Day 💜 Excited to welcome 20+ companies to HGAED who will be delivering inspirational workshops to our students https://t.co/CEtlUEDcnY

06/03/24

Proud to celebrate International Women's Day on 8th March pic.twitter.com/ZbKP1EvfJJ

06/03/24

Fantastic morning for year 10 finding out about Great sessions, with wonderful views. Thanks to all the staff for their time. pic.twitter.com/hilotVQVLQ

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Latest News

Posted on July 10th 2019

'Hairytage' Project Comes to South London Gallery

A special event at the South London Gallery in June marked the end of a year-long art project, Hairytage, in which students have been collaborating on a project inspired by artist Alix Bizet to explore the significance of hair in Afro-Caribbean communities in Peckham.

Alix started by asking students and teachers to collect combings from their own hair, which she spun into a yarn (pictured below) to represent the diversity of the school.

Hairytage (6)

Alix Bizet (left) and Clare Stanhope, Head of Art, with yarn spun from hair collected by students and teachers.


Students also photographed and filmed hairdressers in Peckham to explore the significance of hair in Afro culture, while an embroidery workshop looked at how the hair can be used to create new objects.

Starting conversations

“The Hairytage project is all about using creative art practices to open up conversations,” says Clare Stanhope, Head of Art. “In this case it’s about issues of identity and also community issues such as gentrification that are driving change in Peckham.”

Hairytage (1)

At the South London Gallery event, Alix Bizet, who is the school’s artist in residence this year, said: “Hair is a material that I work with as a social designer which allows me to look at different aspects of society but which also allows me to tackle some serious and difficult socio-political issues, such as beauty standards, racism, discrimination and gender equality.”

Goldsmiths University

As part of the project, students had workshops with a range of people including artists, academics and poets – led by Year 13 students. They also met local residents to discuss their memories of Peckham and how they feel about how things are changing, and worked with other students across the school, such as Geography and English students, to see how their interests overlapped with the project.

Hairytage (2)

The project included student-led workshops with a range of people including artists, academics and poets.


Students then used yarn made from their hair to create an embroidered garment to capture what they had learned and explored and turn it into a living archive that people can wear, see, touch and retell the memories of people from Peckham as well as add future stories.

“Essence of community”

At the South London Gallery event, students created a dramatic performance depicting the hair salons of Peckham, and attaching images and quotes from throughout the workshops on to a hair-embroidered gown.

Speaking at the event, student Ria said: "When people come together to share their thoughts from across classes, across genders, across cultures and across age ranges, people become empowered. We learn that it is important to listen to each other, to collaborate. By sharing spaces, we learn that there is more that connects us than divides us. And that is the essence of community. That is the essence of the Hairytage project.”

Gown 10

Gown 4

The gown (pictured above) will now become a living archive that can be displayed or worn as a record of the Hairytage project.

“This has been such an exciting project that has taken off in directions none of us could have predicted,” said Ms Stanhope. “One of the aims of projects like this is to show that we can’t always control outcomes or know in advance where things will take us. Hair itself becomes a metaphor of something that grows, but can be taken or dislocated and moved elsewhere to create something new and unexpected.”

Hairytage (3)

This was the first major project to be developed through the Centre for Creative Explorations, which is based at HGAED. This was also the first time the centre had received outside funding to support the project, from Southwark Council.

The school would like to thank all the people who made Hairytage possible including Alix Bizet, South London Gallery, Copeland Gallery, Peckham Levels, South London Gallery, and Southwark Council.


A timeline of the Hairytage project

  • January 2018 – School appoints artist in residence Alix Bizet
  • September 2018 – Hairytage event at Copeland Gallery, part of the Peckham Festival
  • October 2018 – Hairytage event at Peckham Levels for Black History Month
  • June 2019 – Performance at South London Gallery to close the project