The Art Department is committed to providing an imaginative, motivating and inclusive approach to Art and Design.
We are a high achieving department gaining 86% A-C grades in the 2010 GCSE results. The art studios are purpose built and equipped with interactive white boards and laptops to enhance visual learning.
Our aims are to enable our students to:-
• Celebrate their creativity and self-expression.
• Develop enquiring minds about the art and design of this nation and the wider world.
• Develop a range of practical skills in Drawing, Painting, Printmaking, Sculpture, Photography and Photoshop.
• Express opinions and ideas about the world around them and to understand the role of Art in society.
• To value their contribution to the arts through assessment and display of artwork.
• To see themselves as creative individuals with the early skills needed to follow a career in the Arts
Key Stage 3
Units of work, Grouping of students, assessment and expected standards
At Key Stage 3 students are taught for one hour per week. Students are taught in tutor groups. The curriculum is structured so that delivery of the National Curriculum is managed in a way which allows students to be introduced to a variety of work across time and place through progressive schemes of work which revisit a variety of concepts and themes; therefore practicing a spiral curriculum.
Assessment is made using national curriculum levels and criteria. The national curriculum levels are used to mark project stages and homework. Working levels for each student are produced per term and target levels and current attainment can be viewed by parents and students on the Sims learning gateway.
Units of work: Year 7
• African Art and mask making
• Landscape painting through the traditions of Chinese art and British 20th century Art.
• Identity through Portrait painting and European Art.
Units of work: Year 8
• Still Life through 20th century Cubist artists and Henri Matisse
• Modern Architecture, model making through Frank Gehry and Antonio Gaudi.
• Multicultural painting and design through tribal Aboriginal and Indian Sohrai art.
Units of work: Year 9
• Natural form sculpture and printmaking through contemporary artists Peter Randall Page and Angie Lewin.
• Children’s book Illustration through illustrators such as Maurice Sendak
• Art with a message in mixed media through the work of 20th and21st century European artists.
Art Equipment Requirements
Students should come to Art lessons with some basic equipment as stated in the college planner. This should include:
• A sketching pencil (HB,2B )
• Rubber, pencil sharpener
• Coloured pencils
• Ruler
Key Stage 4
Units of work, Grouping of students, assessment and expected standards
In year 10 and 11 pupils follow a GCSE Art Curriculum. Lessons are five hours spread over the two week timetable. Groups are mixed ability but all are keen and have opted to follow the Art GCSE course.
During the GCSE course students focus on traditional art disciplines such as drawing, painting, photography and sculpture. Projects centre on investigations and explorations into a variety of styles and techniques in order to develop students’ understanding of visual language. Projects are termly and are ideal for students who prefer a structured approach to their learning with opportunities for personal responses later in the course.
The GCSE course supports the pupils in their future Careers and learning through Further and Higher Education
Art & Design is an Essential Part of these Careers: Architect - Costume Design - Fashion - Textiles - Graphic Design - Make-up - Product Design - Advertising - Teaching - Printmaking - Ceramics - Photography - Interior Design - Display - Theatre Design - Illustration - Jewellery - Animation - Film - Animatronics - Media etc, and is useful in many others.
Assessment is made using GCSE assessment objectives. At the beginning of Year 10 pupils begin to build their Portfolio ( a folder of artwork from different coursework units). The Portfolio part of the course is handed in for examination and is worth 60% of their overall mark.
The exam element is sat at the very beginning of the Summer term. Pupils have 8weeks to prepare for this exam then two days or 10hours in the art room producing a final piece. The exam element is worth 40 % of your grade.
Art Equipment Requirements
Students should come to Art lessons with some basic equipment as stated in the college planner. This should include:
• A sketching pencil (HB, 2B, )
• Rubber, pencil sharpener
• A small set of gouache or acrylic paints
• An A4 or A5 spiral bound sketchbook ( these can be purchased from the department at a reasonable price)
• GCSE pupils would also benefit from having a USB memory stick ( min 1GB)
Home Learning Opportunities
Home Learning is an important aspect of students' independent learning skills and can help to consolidate learning in the classroom. Home Learning is set for Key Stage 3 and should take approximately 30 minutes for Year 7 and 8 and 45 minutes for Year 9 to complete.
At Key Stage 4, GCSE Home Learning is part of students' coursework commitment. This is set weekly and is equivalent to an hour's study at GCSE level.
Home Learning can be extended and supplemented by engaging with learning resources and gallery links listed below.
Gifted & Talented Opportunities
There are many definitions of gifted and talented. In Art we would identify a pupil as talented if they were working one and a half to two levels above the average in relation to their age. If the pupil is excited about art and instigates their own ideas and possible directions for briefs. Where the pupil produces work that stands out in terms of making and meaning they are considered talented. When pupils are identified as gifted and talented they are put on the schools gifted and talented list, this is reviewed each year. Pupils are given opportunities to extend their learning through gifted and talented workshops and opportunities such as the sculpture workshop which has just taken place at a local college. In lessons pupils’ are encouraged to work on a larger scale and to develop depth through home study into art and artists. Pupils are also encouraged to work with greater pace and independence.
Pupils are encouraged to use the websites suggested in the home learning section. We also recommend that pupils keep a visual diary where they record their thoughts and things seen through drawing and writing.
