Key Stage 3

Art is on a carousel with Music and Drama, therefore students study Art for one term twice per week before moving onto the next subject. The theme of each project is Mark making, Colour and Portraiture for Year 7, Year 8 and Year 9 respectively. During each term students build upon their observational skills and improve their contextual understanding by looking at the work of artists to inform a final piece. They experiment with a wide range of Fine Art materials and techniques.

Students are encouraged to attend the weekly Art Club for Key Stage 3 students during Thursday lunchtime.

Students are expected to spend at least 2 hours per week on homework.  The homework will consolidate and extend the learning that has taken place during the lesson. Homework should be completed in their A4 sketchbook which can be purchased from the department for £1.

Key Stage 4

Students are timetabled in Art for two hours per week in Key Stage 4. In Year 10 students complete two projects, entitled Still Life and Cubism. These two projects aim to build upon their observational skills, whilst encouraging them to work with a broad range of traditional and new media. Students learn to appreciate and value images and artefacts across times and cultures, and to understand the context in which they were made. Pupils will also be able to reflect critically on their own and the work of others.  This rich and varied curriculum gives students the skills to meet their full potential when they begin their GCSE coursework at the end of Year 10.

In the summer term of Year 10 students begin their Art GCSE coursework (until the end of the autumn term in Year 11), under the title Natural Form, worth 60% of the overall GCSE.

In January of Year 11 all Art students begin their Art GCSE examination period, worth 40% of the overall GCSE.  This consists of a ten week preparation period, followed by a 10 hour examination. For both GCSE projects they will be assessed across four equal areas; recording, artist influences, development and a final realisation.

Students are entered under the OCR examination board.

Students are encouraged to visit the department outside of lessons times weekly, to gain additional teacher support, use the materials available and work in a quiet, spacious environment.

Students are expected to spend at least 2 hours per week on homework.  Homework should be completed in their A4 hard backed sketchbook which can be purchased from the department for £3.50. A wide range of Fine Art materials are also available to buy from the Art Department, which is recommended so that students can do additional work at home. A small portfolio to carry work home is also often handy!

Students are timetabled for Art four hours per week in Key Stage 5.

AS Level

Students complete their Coursework project entitled Identity, worth 60% of their overall AS Level, during the autumn term and the month of January. Students are marked on artist influence (30%), development and experimentation (30%), recording (20%) and final realisation (20%) and the weighting of each assessment objective is mentioned above.

The first week of February, students receive their examination paper. They choose one question and then begin their 6 week preparation period. During this time they must create a body of work that reflects this amount of time and considers the learning objectives mentioned above. On completion of this preparation time, students sit a 5 hour examination to create a final realisation. This entire body of work is worth 40% of the overall AS level.

A2 Level

Upon completion of the AS Level, students begin their A2 level course in Year 13.

Students complete their Personal Investigation, worth 60% of their overall A2 Level, during the autumn term and the month of January. Pupils are able to pick an appropriate topic of their choice. Students are marked on artist influence (20%), development and experimentation (20%), recording (30%) and final realisation (30%); and the weighting of each assessment objective is mentioned above.

The first week of February, students receive their examination paper. They choose one question, and then begin their 6 week preparation period. During this time they must create a body of work that reflects this amount of time and considers the learning objectives mentioned above. On completion of this preparation time, students sit a 15 hour examination to create a final realisation. This entire body of work is worth 40% of the overall A2 level.

Students are entered under the OCR examination board.

Students are expected to visit the department at least 3 hours per week outside of lessons times, to gain additional teacher support, use the materials available and work in a quiet, spacious environment.

Students are expected to spend at least 3 hours per week on homework. Most students find it easiest to complete their homework in an A3 sketchbook. A wide range of Fine Art materials are also available to buy from the Art Department, which is recommended so that students can do additional work at home. A small portfolio to carry work home is also often handy!