Cygnets Art School Watford

What it’s like

Weekly term-time art classes for ages 5 to 12, with a £18 trial lesson if you'd rather test it before paying a monthly fee.

Kids turn up once a week and make things properly: drawing, painting and sculpture taught as traditional fine art skills, with paint, charcoal and clay on the go. Each term has its own theme and techniques, so a child who stays on doesn't repeat the same project twice. Sessions are an hour for the 5 to 12 class, and an hour and a half once they move up to intermediate or advanced.

The age floor is 5, which is the main thing to know before you book. A four-year-old who loves drawing won't be able to join. From five up it's genuinely all abilities, so a nervous beginner and a kid who already fills sketchbooks both land in the same room.

What makes it different from a lot of kids' activities is how you pay. It's a monthly fee, not per session: £49.50 a month for the weekly 5 to 12 class, £66 for intermediate, £85 for advanced. That's a commitment, and if you miss a week you've still paid for it. The sensible route in is the trial lesson, £18 for the younger class, £24 intermediate, £34 advanced. It's the only way to find out whether your child actually settles before you sign up to a term of monthly payments, and it's the bit I'd do first.

Classes run in term time only: Monday 4pm to 5pm and Saturday 11:15am to 12:15pm for the main class, Monday 5pm to 6:30pm and Saturday 1pm to 2:30pm for intermediate, and Saturday 1:15pm to 2:45pm for advanced, which is an odd near-overlap with the intermediate slot. Booking is required, you do it online, and the Saturday morning class costs the same as the Monday one. If term-time weeknights are tricky, the holidays are covered too: one-off workshops every half-term and school holiday where a child finishes a whole project in a single session, which suits kids who want the making without the weekly commitment.

Facilities

Need to know

Best for

5 to 12; try a one-off holiday workshop if weekly fees feel like a lot

Booking

Book a weekly class or workshop slot online

Parties

2-hour art party at your local Cygnets studio for up to 18 children aged 5-12, led by a teacher

Worth knowing

£18 trial lesson to try a class before committing to the monthly fee

• Classes are paid monthly, not per session, so a missed week still comes out of your pocket
• The £18 trial lesson is the low-risk way in before the £49.50 a month
• Holiday workshops finish a whole project in one session, no weekly commitment
• Nothing for under-fives: the age range starts at 5

Plan your visit

See all Adult Workshops & Evening Classes in Northwood · Things to do in Northwood