What makes us passionate about our subject? (Intent)

Our passion for Art has lead us to teaching. Sharing our knowledge and experiences with students to enable them to develop their own creativity is imperative. Art is delivered through exploration of many disciplines including: painting; drawing; sculpture; printmaking; ceramics; textiles; graphics and IT.  Teachers consider themselves artist educators using their professional experiences within the creative industries to inspire and prepare students for the future.

Art delivers both a practical and an academic element to the curriculum through the processes of development towards the making of objects and artefacts, which have within them strong aesthetic qualities.  There is also a critical, historical and contextual element to the work that should be fully integrated into the practical delivery of the subject.  The study not only offers a technical and aesthetic element to the whole curriculum, but also opportunity for students to respond in a personal and unique way to the natural and manufactured environment.  It creates opportunity for expression and imagination in the handling of images and artefacts from different historical periods and cultures; art encourages awareness beyond a western dimension.

Art offers equal opportunity to all students through a range of appropriate two and three-dimensional experiences.  The stimulus for developing images is invariably neutral in origin and mainly student centred.  It offers opportunity to achieve success at every intellectual level through a wide variety of materials and processes.

What do our students gain by studying our subject? (Impact)

Art and Design throughout the Academy provides students with an integrated and structured introduction to learning and discovering Art and Design. The curriculum also focuses students attention upon knowing about Art, Craft and Design.

As a department we aim to endorse the Academy’s values with in our curriculum. We believe they are embedded within our Schemes of Learning and opportunities for students to develop as individuals and as members of our community. We aim therefore to help students develop a sense of self-respect and self-confidence, awareness of their own worth as individuals, irrespective of varying abilities.  The thematic approach enables students to experience a variety of skills and techniques whilst learning about relevant art movements or artists through practical investigation. Students develop particular creative and technical skills so that ideas can be realised and artefacts produced.

They will have capacity for imaginative and original thought and experimentation and develop skills to learn about, and to observe, the world in which they live.

As students progress through the years, projects are designed to develop skills, knowledge and understanding in the visual elements, which are subsequently built upon in future work.  Students understand that Art is the path towards visual literacy. In order to maintain an effective and productive society every citizen needs to maximise their awareness and appreciation of the world we inhabit.  We aim for our students to be able to develop as individuals whilst building knowledge of the subject, also providing skills to prepare them for the future.

Art Curriculum Map and Assessment

GCSE

For GCSE Art and Design we use AQA

To visit the examination board website click here

A-Level

For Advanced level Art and Design we use AQA. Students can opt to study a range of courses.

AQA A Level Art,Craft and Design

AQA A Level Photography

AQA A Level Textile Design

AQA A Level Three Dimensional Design

To visit the examination board website click here

Ofqual have confirmed for 2021 that both qualifications will be 100% coursework and there will be no Component 2, examination. (Nothing has been updated yet on the AQA website)