Art

‘Art, Craft and Design’ is a national curriculum subject taught to all students in Key Stage Three. Projects cover a variety of themes that span time, culture and place.

Practical skills developed during this phase include drawing and painting, print-making, photography, animation and sculpture. There is a kiln in the department, and all students experience working with clay during this phase. More information can be found here.

What’s in the course?
This course offers you the opportunity to develop your imagination and creativity through making art, and gives you
the tools to understand the visual world around you.

Coursework portfolio (60% of final grade):
Three projects completed during Year 10 and Year 11:
- The Blue Planet (drawing, photography, mixed media techniques on a sea/ environmental theme)
- Pattern and Culture (drawing, printmaking and painting on a culture from anywhere across the world)
- Choice of three past exam questions used as a starting point to develop your own ideas.

Externally-set assignment, completed over 10 weeks (40% of final grade):
Your choice of seven themes provided by AQA.
Tasks include:
- Researching your theme, including learning about the work of artists.
- Your choice of: drawing, painting, printmaking, mixed media, sculpture or a combination of media
- Developing an original idea of your own based on your theme and research
- Making a final piece of artwork based on your theme and research

Take this course if you like:
- Making your own art whether this is drawing, painting, printmaking, mixed media, sculpture.
- Understanding visual messages we receive in everyday life.
- Learning about art made by others and visiting exhibitions and galleries.
- Presenting your work creatively (across all subject areas).
- Using your imagination, problem-solving and working independently.
- The idea of going on to study or work in the creative industries and want a broad solid base of skills.

We get excellent results in the Art department which demonstrates the high quality of teaching and learning that takes place during this phase.  All courses begin with building skills and knowledge in Year 10 to scaffold and encourage confident development of ideas in Year 11.

Coursework portfolio (60% of final grade):
Three projects completed during Year 10 and Year 11:
- Textile techniques (covering printing, machine and hand-stitching, dyeing, batik, weaving, feltmaking)
- Textiles project (using techniques above to make a textile artwork)
- Fashion project (fashion drawing, following a pattern and making a garment)
- Choice of three past exam briefs to develop independent ideas

Externally-set assignment, completed over 10 weeks (40% of final grade):
Your choice of seven briefs/ themes provided by AQA.
Tasks include:
- Researching your chosen brief/ theme including drawing and photography.
- Your choice of textiles techniques to develop your own ideas.
- Learning about the work of successful fashion and textile designers.
- Making a final piece of work that meets the brief/ responds to your theme, based on research.

Take this course if you like:
- Fashion, fashion drawing, sewing, making clothes, repairing and altering clothes.
- Pattern, colour and texture.
- Handmade working methods as well as digital working methods.
- Learning about textile artists, textile designers and fashion designers.

We get excellent results in the Art department which demonstrates the high quality of teaching and learning that takes place during this phase.  All courses begin with building skills and knowledge in Year 10 to scaffold and encourage confident development of ideas in Year 11.

Coursework portfolio (60% of final grade):
Three projects completed during Year 10 and Year 11:
- Formal Elements
- Together and Apart
(During both of the above projects you will learn to use a DSLR camera as well as the darkroom.)
- Choice of three past exam briefs to develop independent ideas

Externally-set assignment, completed over 10 weeks (40% of final grade):
Your choice of seven themes provided by AQA.
Tasks include:
- Researching your chosen theme
- Taking your own photographs
- Using Google Drive to store work and saving high quality images
- Manipulating photographs by hand or digitally using Photoshop and apps
- Learning about the work of successful photographers
- Developing original ideas to meet your chosen theme
- Making a final piece of work in response to your theme which is based on research

Take this course if you like:
- Taking photographs.
- Editing/ manipulating photographs.
- Planning imaginative shoots.
- Analogue photography and want to learn how to use a darkroom.
- Learning about famous photographers (fashion, wildlife, fine art, journalism).
- Understanding the visual messages in photographic images all around us.

We get excellent results in the Art department which demonstrates the high quality of teaching and learning that takes place during this phase.  All courses begin with building skills and knowledge in Year 10 to scaffold and encourage confident development of ideas in Year 11.