The leading people in any field are those who can think creatively and innovatively. Art embodies this. Our curriculum pro. motes creative thinking, self-expression and a sense of individual identity, and enhances well-being on a deeper and more personal level.
Our Art curriculum develops confidence in a wide range of media including drawing, painting, print-making, mixed-media and sculpture. It enhances fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, problem solving skills, lateral thinking, complex analysis and critical thinking. Students engage in discussion, analyse the work of artists, describe techniques and hypothesise on the underlying meaning. They are exposed to a multitude of art forms and artists, enhancing their cultural capital. As students progress through the school, continued practice revisiting key knowledge and skills, develops a proficiency to create ambitious work, whilst responding to thought provoking topics.
Throughout the course students explore meaningful projects and increasingly self-directed themes, stretching their creativity, encouraging them to take risks and promoting experimentation, both of which require resilience and perseverance to achieve their end goal and fulfil their ambitions.
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Year Group
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Areas of Study
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7
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Term 1 Unit 1a - The Drawing Project: Focussing on the formal elements and the development of key skills. Experimenting with a range of drawing media and mark-making tools. Connecting and responding to the work of artists
Term 2 Unit 1b - 3D project: Translating ideas three-dimensionally in clay and practising clay building techniques. Using slips and glazes
Term 3 & 4 Unit 2 - Portraits and Identity: Tonal drawing, use of proportion and effective composition. Developing personal ideas and connecting to artists. Learning to mix, blend and apply colour in painting
Term 5 & 6 Unit 3 - A Focus on Artists, Makers and Creators: Connecting to artists and analysing art work. Experimenting with print making techniques. Learning about art practices, about what art can be. Making and planning site specific work for ArtsFest
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8
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Term 1 & 2 Unit 1 - People and their Environment: Drawing, print-making and painting in response to the theme
Term 3 & 4 Unit 2 - Dada and Surrealism: Using perspective and pictorial space. Exploring visual metaphors and symbolism whilst engaging with the work of artists. Experimenting with unconventional mixed-media and collage – a focus on accidental mark-making, discovery and unexpected outcomes
Term 5 & 6 Unit 3 – Fragments: Focus on Cubism and abstraction. Exploring concepts. Working in 2 and 3 dimensions
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9 *Terms 1 – 5 Art Mini-option
*Term 6 – GCSE
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Term 1, 2 & 3 Unit 1 - Thematic project (selected from GCSE exam units): Exploring and developing personal ideas in a range of media toward a final outcome
Term 4 & 5 Unit 2 - 3D project: Experimenting with 3D techniques and processes
Term 6 Unit 3 - Foundation skills – preparing for GCSE: Drawing, print-making and mixed-media
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Board
Edexcel
Outline of the Course
- Unit 1a: The Still Life Project
- Unit 1b: The Sculpture Project
- Unit 1c: Mock Exam Themed Unit
- Unit 2: The Exam Unit
Students will produce a portfolio of coursework, gaining confidence in the formal elements, such as colour, tone and line, whilst exploring a diverse range of media and techniques. They will gain greater confidence in their observational drawing skills and will work from diverse themes and concepts, in both two and three –dimensions. Students are encouraged to develop their own sense of visual language, making connections between their own work and that of others and have the chance to respond to artwork on a London gallery visit. They develop greater independence as the course progresses, exploring their ideas in a rigorous and thought provoking way and synthesising their ideas with the work of artists. Students will also create a body of personal work and ideas for the Examination Unit, leading to a final outcome which they will complete during the timed-test.
Assessment
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Type of Assessment
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Duration
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Weighting
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1
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Unit 1a, 1b, 1c Part 1 – coursework
Unit 1c Part 2 – coursework
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Year 10: Terms 1 – 6
Year 11: Terms 1 & 2
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60%
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2
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Unit 2 – exam unit
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Year 11: Term 3 & 4
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40%
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Minimum Entry Criteria
Desired: 7 in Art (or Textiles or portfolio of work if the subject is not studied at GCSE)
Essential: 6 in Art (or Textiles or portfolio of work if the subject is not studied at GCSE)
Board
Edexcel
Outline of the Course
Year 12:
- Unit 1: ‘Change’: Looking at Still Life and Landscape. Exploring innovative drawing techniques, colour theory, large scale mixed-media pieces, oil painting and egg tempera
- Unit 2: ‘The Figure’. A portfolio project of life drawing studies in a range of media
- Unit 3a: Personal Project Introduction
Year 13:
- Unit 3b: Personal Study (Essay)
- Unit 3c: Personal Investigation (practical work inspired by student’ ideas)
- Unit 4: The Exam Unit
Assessment
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Type of Assessment
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Duration
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Weighting
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1
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Personal study (Essay)
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10 weeks
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12%
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2
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Coursework and Personal Investigation
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Selected from across the 2 year course
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60% (including 12% for the essay)
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3
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Examination Unit
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Personal development in sketchbook and timed test (15 hours)
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40%
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