Sophie Jaques

In her position of Director – Media and Visual Arts at John Curtin College of the Arts, Sophie provides leadership and direction to colleagues in the departments of Media and Visual Arts, in the school community and in the wider educational community. Sophie is a highly experienced teacher of Visual Arts with over 25 years of teaching and leadership experience in a wide variety of high schools in the UK and Western Australia. She seeks to engage students and teachers in the art and process of learning and to grow the capacity of those around her. She is a passionate and dedicated creative educator of young people, with a particular interest in the Gifted and Talented. Sophie has extensive experience in the planning, development, implementation and evaluation of educational curriculums and programs that are rigorous, creative and engaging. She has a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Fine Art from Bristol Polytechnic (now UWE) and a Post Graduate Certificate in Education from Brighton University, is a WACE marker for the School Curriculum and Standards Authority and Teacher Development School leader.

Sophie enjoys the demands of middle management leadership, liaising between teams to create a collaborative work ethic. She adds value to educational strategies and is experienced and adept at connecting with people at all levels, supporting and leading teams toward a common goal. Sophie is successful in growing student confidence and mastery in a variety of practical and theoretical skills leading to excellence in student achievement, whilst also fostering a sense of belonging and an ethos of inclusion for students of all abilities. She nurtures student wellbeing by providing safe and inclusive learning environments whereby creative risk-taking is encouraged. Students in her care are encouraged to discover a joy of the tactile and physical nature of art making, to value the development of analytical thinking skills and, as a result, gain a lifelong love of learning.