Students learn to carry out replica and replacement carving within historic buildings; they are encouraged to use traditional skills to produce contemporary work; the initial programme is common to all carving students and covers design, 3-dimensional form and studies of ornament from life; students specialise in their chosen area as the course progresses; throughout the course there is a strong emphasis on aesthetic understanding as well as technical expertise; study of historic styles and development of ornamental form; study of the human form through drawing and as a preparation for figurative carving; contemporary debates about the issues of repair, replacement and conservation; all students are encouraged to undertake commissions, from the initial design and costing stage to final realisation and fixing where appropriate.