Pupil’s understanding of Art is built upon throughout the academic year in 1 hour timetable lessons.

Students in year 7 explore the main building blocks

(art elements) through drawing and how they are used compositionally by artists and designers. They are expected to use key art vocabulary in terms one and two that allow them to evaluate their own and fellow student’s outcomes. These elements are revisited in a final cross curricular project in the summer term where the students select, explore and produce a personal outcome. The project revisits and further explores the art elements ensuring the pupils’ understanding is deep and transferable.

This formula is repeated in year 8 using colour as the anchor building on and ensuring material exploration skills, contextual links are further developed and expanded on.

In year 9 students use Portraiture as the anchor and focus on the

art movements Expressionism and Pop Art to fully explore and develop projects with a more personal and detailed response.

Students further explore, experiment and develop technical skills linking closely to contextual studies, using key words in both verbal and written evaluation to improve and develop their outcomes.

Attention to the understanding and use of contextual studies

and key vocabulary during verbal and written evaluation is held as a high priority in classroom and homework tasks to ensure students reflect and refine appropriately on their artworks. KS3 embeds the fundamental learning blocks to allow all students to be confident to select appropriate research and media and understanding the importance of exploration evaluation and refinement to achieve successful outcomes.

Students are expected to spend at least 1 hour per on homework. The homework will consolidate and extend the learning that has taken place during lessons. Homework should be completed in the A4 sketchbook which can be purchased from the department for £1.00. Students are encouraged to attend the weekly lunchtime Art Club for Key Stage 3 during Thursday lunchtime.

In GCSE art students build upon the skills acquired at KS3 developing a personal and meaningful relationship with Art and have two hours per week.

Lessons are project based where pupils focus more explicitly on four key assessment areas of study when producing their artworks. A01 Develop, A02 Refine, A03 Record and A04 Present, contained within each project.

This is to embed a deep understanding of the creative process required and assessment objectives covered under the GCSE specification. Attention to the understanding and use of key vocabulary in analysing and evaluating is held as a high priority in all classroom and homework tasks to ensure students reflect appropriately on their outcomes, constantly refining, developing ideas and exploring using appropriate media meeting the needs of the portfolio and exam requirements.

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 preparation period, followed by a 10 hour examination in late April.

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. A wide range of Fine Art materials are also available to buy from the Art Department.

The GCSE curriculum allows students to further explore their love of art and hopes to inspire pupils to further find and pursue their talents.

4 hrs A1and 5 hrs A2 time tabled lessons/ 3 hrs study per week

In KS5 the curriculum is designed to support students wishing to study art after post-18. At KS5 our students will be independent creative thinkers and problem solvers. This creative and problem - solving qualification gives students the practical skills, contextual knowledge and confidence to succeed in a number of careers. Especially those in the creative industries.

• They will use contextual studies, current trend /developments in the art to inform their creative process focusing on the four key assessment areas (A01 Develop, A02 Explore, A03 Record, A04 Present) when building their portfolio and exam units. Students will gain a real understanding of what it means to be a creative problem solver, alongside the knowledge, skills and confidence sought by higher education and employers.

• In the first year of A level students will initially challenge and expand their observational drawing skills exploring a wide range of materials and process in a very open-ended manner. In the Spring term an internally set theme is selected by the students and developed until the summer term focusing on the four key assessment areas of study.

• In the second year of the A level pupils will continue to develop writing and analysis skills in the form of a personal investigation which is linked to their practical portfolio Unit 01. This is completed at the end of January and is 60% of their grade. The externally set exam unit 02 (40% of the over grade) starts in February. Students select from the externally set themes producing their artworks A01 Develop, A02 Refine, A03 Record and A04 Present, contained within the project. The final outcome is produced in a 15hr exam in early May. Throughout the year they attend exhibitions, external Art and Design workshop/ event opportunities, enriching their knowledge of the diversity and range of the subject area.

• Students are expected to spend at least 3 hours per week on homework. They are expected to visit the department for these 3 study periods outside of lessons times, to gain additional teacher support, use the materials available and work in a quiet, spacious environment. 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.

• We have and continue to invest in equipment and new material developments to ensure our students have the resources required to extend and enrich the development of their art portfolios ready for university and art school interviews.

• We aim for our students in Y13 to leave as confident, independent, self- motivated creatives who have skills required for realisation and production of their creative ideas so they can go on to an Art and Design foundation or Degree course, and apprenticeships.