Art

ArtWe believe that young people should be visually literate so that they can develop the capacity for creative action, imagination and communication. Whilst it is important that students are taught practical skills to help them to interpret, analyse and communicate, Art is a subject that gets you thinking, develops the intellect and encourages personal growth.

We strive to promote an active enjoyment of Art through curricular and extra-curricular activities; giving students the opportunity to develop confidence and self-discipline.

The Key Stage 3 course offers students of all abilities the opportunity to engage in a range of 2D and 3D activities such as painting, drawing, printmaking and ceramics. They are encouraged to explore and experiment, record their observations, and express imaginative ideas and think for themselves by making informed decisions about their own and others’ work. We develop a specialist vocabulary and expose students to a wide range of critical and cultural studies that further their knowledge of art and artists.

At GCSE we offer a course that allows students to specialise in a specific area of art or to follow a more general course, thus enabling them the opportunity to work to their strengths. Students tend to work in a broad range of media to develop a portfolio of work that best demonstrates their skills, and abilities as well as expressing their observations and ideas.

At A Level we offer courses in Art and Textile Art.  These courses further promote the development of skills and encourage more independent learning as students devise personal projects based on their own ideas and interests. There is also a historical and critical element to the A2 course in which students study an aspect of the visual arts that interests them. This is done through practical exploration and written analysis.

If you have any questions about our curriculum please contact us via the main office or use our Enquiry Form.

Further resources:

Key Stage 3 Extension Reading Journey (Art) 

MAIN TOPICS COVERED

Year 7
  • Why is Art important? Art with a message
  • Insects - exploring the formal elements in Art
  • Art & Nature - drawing, pattern, ceramics inspired by Antoni Gaudi 
  • Abstract Art – What does sound look like?
Year 8
  • Pop Art Portraits - proportion/shading, mono-printing
  • Colour & Landscape
  • Abstract Architecture – 3D Card Structures
Year 9
  • Out of the Ordinary! - Surrealism, perspective, drawing and Photoshop 
  • Coral Reef Ceramics
  • Still life - gridding up techniques and painting
  • Banksy inspired digital Art with a Modern twist

Year 10      

  • Teacher-led activities focus on guiding students through ways of developing an extended 2D project on Food. Work includes developing skills using both traditional and more experimental approaches to drawing and painting and conducting research into different artists. Students then gather resource materials and ideas to develop 3D work in clay based on Masks. Both projects form part of the student's coursework

Year 11   

  • In the first half of the year students devise their own project in response to open-ended starting points such as Identity
  • Whilst drawing and photography form a strong basis from which to develop ideas students can choose to work in a wide range of media including painting, print-making, stencils work, digital media or ceramics
  • From January of Year 11 students begin preparation work for their final exam; this is a project that they devise themselves in response to a question selected from a given exam paper. They will have 10 hours under exam conditions in April to create their final piece

Year 12   

  • Foundation course designed to further develop drawing skills, work on different scales, introduce oil painting and ways of working at A Level. There is an element of art history to this part of the course
  • Start work on student’s final major project by selecting and developing a theme for personal project through research and practical activities. Produce a mini final outcome under exam conditions in June

Year 13   

  • Continue to develop and extend final major project and produce outcome
  • Write an essay/extended piece of artist research on a theme related to the practical work (3000-5000 words) 
  • From February of Year 13 students prepare for their final exam; this is a project that they devise themselves in response to a question selected from a given exam paper. They will have 15 hours under exam conditions in May to create their final piece

Examination Boards & Specifications

Please also refer to our Exams page for further information.

Key Stage 4

Key Stage 5

  • GCE A Level Art & Design: Fine Art - OCR Exam Board (course code H601)
  • GCE A Level Art & Design: Textile Design - OCR Exam Board (course code H604) 
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