Art and Design
Our Intent:
In Art and Design, we aim to create a safe and inspirational environment where students can learn transferable art, craft and design skills.
Students are given repeated opportunities to develop and build on core skills such as drawing, painting, printing, textiles, collage, idea development and from KS4 onwards, digital photography and creative CAD.
We encourage our students to challenge themselves to strive for the highest standards and take away an informed view of the creative arts and design industry.
Over time we aim to develop student’s ability to be creative in developing ideas and experiment with materials.
KS3
We follow the Art and Design national curriculum which has been linked clearly to the GCSE assessment objectives. A key focus in each year are the formal elements of line, tone, texture, form and colour. Each year has a range of specific skills to be taught, giving a broad spectrum of techniques, processes and themes. Student’s will always cover the core skills in drawing, painting, idea development and investigation, building on these skills to a high level of understanding each year. Additional materials and techniques are also introduced in each year. For example, in year 7 students are introduced to tile print making and creative hand stitch textiles. Year 8 students learn stencil cutting to create prints and other textiles processes such as felt making, hot wax batik or applique and stitch. In year 9 student understanding of drawing enables a deep capability, looking at the principles of perspective and proportion.
In each year students build on the previous skills taught, increasing in confidence and encouraging independence.
For example, painting is covered each year; in year 7 students cover colour theory; and brush skills using poster paints. In Year 8 students learn to develop a mixed media approach to painting, and also learn to use watercolour and acrylic paints. In Year 9 painting is used with a specific focus on perspective, tone and texture.
Students are taught to develop their creative ideas and increase in proficiency in their execution each year.
Student knowledge of career links and art history is built upon throughout an approach to making.
Students are taught how to evaluate and analyse the visual impact of their own and others work.
KS4
The beginning of year 10 allows students to spend time building greater confidence and independence, learning new skills in a vast range of materials and knowledge of processes.
Skills from KS3 are built upon where students are given the opportunity to take detail and understanding to processes to a higher level. In year 10 students are taken to a museum to gain inspiration for the start to a project.
Several small projects are completed in Year 10, followed by one sustained project to complete Component 1 and the externally set assignment is completed in Year 11. In Year 10 and 11 strategically placed controlled assessments have been planned in the calendar to allow students to complete personal response conclusion to their main projects.
KS5
The first two thirds of Year 12 is spent completing four small projects.
The themes allow students to explore a range of specialism and is tailored to the needs and wants of each specific year group, preparing them for potential further educational courses and careers. In Year 12 students are taken on trips to London Art galleries to develop inspiration that feeds into key points in the curriculum.
The personal investigation is given the largest majority of time. Followed by the externally set assignment in Year 13. Strategically placed controlled assessments have been planned in the calendar to allow students to complete personal response conclusions.