Contacts: |
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| Head of Faculty Art & Design | Sophie Rodger |
| Teacher of Art & Photography | Jai Moodie |
In Art and Design our goal is to unleash the potential in all of our students through interesting, creative and experiential lessons.
We aim to develop students’ self-confidence and challenge their weaknesses by supporting them to try something new and create something they are proud of. We want to empower students by developing independence and helping them to exceed their own expectations of themselves.
Key Stage 3 Curriculum
Key Stage 3 Art is taught in a rotation system with Textiles, Resistant materials and Food Preparation & Nutrition. Students experience two blocks of art each year.
Specialist teachers teach students and each project lasts 8 weeks. Students are taught skills in drawing, painting, printmaking, ceramics and mixed media over the 3 years of Key Stage 3. The projects draw inspiration from a range of historical and cultural contexts and include analysis and presentation skills.
Please CLICK below to discover more about our curriculum.
Key Stage 4 Curriculum
GCSE Art & Design: Unendorsed
The Art and Design GCSE course (Edexcel) gives students the opportunity to build on the skills they learnt at Key Stage 3 whilst providing them with a framework which allows them to creatively explore their own ideas and experiences. Students are encouraged to develop individual creativity through exploring different ideas, media and processes. A wide range of stimuli is used as starting points for our projects.
The course is split into a range of small projects. Within each project students learn practical skills in a wide variety of media, including Painting, Drawing, Ceramics, Sculpture, and Printing. Students’ development in the practical areas of Art and Design is informed by understanding and enjoyment of art from a wide range of historical and cultural contexts.
Students learn how to research and respond to different artists and are supported in developing their own ideas with the aim of creating a final outcome. Students are encouraged to be expressive and imaginative with their ideas and use of media.
Sketchbooks are an essential part of the GCSE and are required throughout the course and during the examination. Students are provided with a sketchbook to encourage greater autonomy and to use as a visual diary.
GCSE Art and Design is divided into 2 categories for assessment:
60% Unit 1: Personal Portfolio (supporting studies and final outcomes completed in Year 10 and autumn term in Year 11)
40% Unit 2: Externally Set Assignment (supporting studies plus a final outcome created in the 10 hour exam at the end of the project)
Each unit of work will comprise of supporting studies: a sketchbook full of work including all research, preparation and experimentation, and a final piece: a realisation of the unit of work which will usually take the form of a painting, sculpture, installation or a mixed media piece.
The work is assessed according to the following criteria:
- Develop ideas through investigations, demonstrating critical understanding of sources.
- Refine work by exploring ideas, selecting and experimenting with appropriate media, materials, techniques and processes.
- Record ideas, observations and insights relevant to intentions as work progresses.
- Present a personal and meaningful response that realises intentions and demonstrates understanding of visual language.
Key Stage 5 Curriculum
Please refer to the Sixth Form subject page for our Key Stage 5 courses and entry requirements
Enrichment Opportunities
Each year we have an artist or designer in residence for two terms who is available to work with students and run afterschool activities. They are also available for students to see how an artist works in regards to career opportunities.
The Art and Design Technology Faculty has an ‘open door’ policy which allows students to use our space and facilities to work on homework and individual projects. A weekly Key Stage 3 Painting club runs every Tuesday after school and targeted groups of students will be given extra-curricular Art project opportunities throughout the year.
We work with a variety of other galleries and local artists such as Royal Academy of Art, Camden Arts Centre, Photographers Gallery, British Museum, October Gallery and National Portrait Gallery.
Additional Information
All students interested in a career in the arts should be constantly looking for inspiration on art blogs and websites such as pinterest and instagram.
The following are some other useful websites:
http://thephotographersgallery.org.uk/
Students who wish to go on to study within the Arts, will benefit from this broad based course, particularly those who wish to follow courses in Theatre, Media, Fine Art and Design related subjects or Architecture. In order to be successful in Art, a high degree of interest and commitment is more important than having a natural ability.