Through a variety of shorter and longer projects students, are given the opportunity to experience different approaches to Art, Craft and Design. There is a balance in the programme of study across our 4 key skills in knowledge, exploration, recording and evaluating. 

Students are introduced to and study the work of artists from our own culture and other cultures both past and present. They have the opportunity to make both two-dimensional and three-dimensional work including collage, painting, print, ceramics and digital art. Students are taught to use materials, tools and techniques to develop their creative, imaginative and practical skills. This enables them to express ideas and feelings, record observations and design, and make images and artefacts. Through their own work and the study of other artists, students will develop visual perception and literacy so enabling them to analyse using an Art, Craft and Design vocabulary. 

What is taught and how?

Year 7

Elements -  Line & Tone

Extending understanding and practice of the key art elements Line & Tone and building fine motor skills, through a range of shorter tasks and critical connections. With themes including mark-making, abstract line & architecture.

Elements - Colour

Extending understanding and practice of the key art element colour through a range of tasks to understand and apply colour theory. Extended with critical investigation to Impressionism & Landscapes.

Animals

Exploring the theme of Animals in a range of media. Developing element & principle knowledge in pattern & texture in 2D & 3D. Critical connections with art from a range of cultures representing animals in art forms as well as contemporary practice from Aardman.

Sealife

Building confidence to draw from observation, adapting and improving outcomes as their work progresses. Techniques include print and collage. Contemporary and historical critical sources to print makers and folk art.

Year 8

Movement

Using the theme of movement to undertake a range of creative outcomes from expressive contemporary & historical practice, light photography, & figures in movement. Critical connections made to contemporary performance art, light photographers, Haring, Degas, The Futurists & Kinetic Art.

Recording

Revisiting recording skills and elements line tone & texture, to produce short studies from a range of sources both primary & secondary. Outcomes further develop skills in drawing from observation and recording photographically. Critical connections to Michael Craig-Martin.

Structures

Short collaborative 3D STEAM inspired design project. Critical connections to Science Museum artist Conrad Shawcross.

Toys

Students make connections from their work to contemporary book illustration. Recording toys and developing into imaginative digital & collage illustrations.

Abstract Art

Extending understanding of expression in terms of  shape & lines & colour and composition principles. Students develop own outcomes from interpretation of sound or feelings. Understanding of 20^th Abstract Art Movements and how this extends into a wide range of visual arts.

Year 9

Elements - Colour

Further extending understanding of colour within visual arts through artist, recorded & media investigations of the primary colours. Critical references to Mondrian, Picasso & Van Gogh

Day of The Dead

Understanding how cultural themes & styles lead into popular culture and drive art and design products. Students practice the proportions of the skull and design influence outcomes in graphics & 3D. 

Art Culture

On-going throughout the year, extending students understanding of art history, key art movements and artists and how Art reflects or models society changes, issues & styles. Movements include applied & architectural styles of Art Dec & Nouveau, Cubism, Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art & Sculpture. 

Recording Food

Revisting recording from observation through drawing, photography. A range of outcomes develop higher level recording skills in preparation for GCSE where appropriate.

Self

Exploring the theme of self through responding to the work of others with a focus on portraiture and producing personal outcomes from this.

Year 10 & 11

Fine Art

2.5 Extended projects. Projects focus on recording in a range of ways through traditional mediums. The students then develop their own work exploring related artists and build the confidence to have their own style. Students work in sketchbooks & larger scale in a range of media.

Graphic Communication & Photography

Students explore design and illustration practices through drawing, collage, photography & digital. Students develop work and final outcomes / products from a creative brief, working in a way which suits their preferred style. Students learn the technical skills of digital SLR & bridge, creative photography & editing through Photoshop. Themes include: Nature, Texture, light, still life, everyday & film noir.

Assessment

One to one verbal feedback is regular within lesson and at key points in skill practice. Students are assessed at the end of each project on their progress on the four key skills based on their prior ability and expected progress. An end of year project shows a holistic assessment of the students’ progress across the year. Progress is fed back, together with next steps, to the students through sketchbook marking and learning conversations. Students are also asked to regularly self-evaluate their skills and progress and set targets for their on improvement.  

Homework

Homework is set in relation to programme themes with a range of short and longer tasks. These include pre-learning on key artists, movements or techniques. Spelling and knowledge revision. Drawing tasks, which will be refined following teacher feedback or self-reflection, or outcomes where students have the opportunity to be creative and explore & generate. Students are encourage to be independent in their work and exploration but are welcome to use department resources to complete their ideas.