Trip to Amsterdam: Learning Beyond the Classroom

Between the 11th and 13th February 2026 students from Art, Design and Media courses across all three CTK sites (Aquinas, Emmanuel and St Mary’s) took learning beyond the classroom and had a chance to visit the city of Amsterdam in the Netherlands.

This cultural visit was devised to expand students’ cultural capital and to act as a study activity for exam papers in both A Level and vocational Art, Design and Media. The trip coincided with the release of Art & Design exam themes in January and February for both A Levels and vocational programmes. As one of the world’s best culture hubs, Amsterdam is packed full of art and architectural masterpieces and is firmly on the cultural circuit for students studying Art, Design, Media and modern European languages.

Students travelled on the Eurostar from St. Pancras International and visited the city’s main cultural sites such as the Van Gogh Museum, Rijksmuseum, Anne Frank’s House, the Stedelijk Museum, MOCO Museum and on arrival, a canal boat tour of Amsterdam by night.

Students said:
‘What an amazing experience! I hope the college does this again’.
‘Visiting the Anne Frank’s House Museum was so moving and was truly unforgettable… walking through the Secret Annex gives a vivid sense of history’.
‘Amsterdam is so beautiful, I’ve never seen so many bicycles!’
‘The Rijksmuseum is huge and takes you on a journey of art through hundreds of years, absolutely amazing.’
‘Vincent van Gogh and Rembrandt in the same day – wow!’

The trip provided a wonderful chance to broaden horizons, strengthen friendships and represent CTK with enthusiasm and maturity throughout.