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Art

Subject Teacher: Mrs H Childs


The Art curriculum aims to develop the students’ knowledge, skills and understanding of art in a Fine art context. Fine art practice is defined as the need to explore an idea, convey an experience or respond to a theme or issue of personal significance. It is designed to provide all learners with the knowledge and competencies needed to be creative, independent and with an ability to articulate their critical understanding. Schemes of work have been developed that fully utilise both traditional and contemporary art practises. There are a number of key concepts that underpin the study of art. Students need to understand these concepts in both KS3 and KS4 in order to deepen and broaden their knowledge, skills and understanding.

The key concepts are:

  • Realising intentions- Students produce imaginative paintings, drawings and sculptures that are both original and of value.

  • Exploring and recording ideas - Investigating, analysing, designing, making, experimenting, reflecting and evaluating effectively.

  • Cultural Understanding - Pupils will engage with a range of images and techniques from different artists, designers and cultures, recognising the varied characteristics.

  • Developing ideas through a critical understanding - Students explore their own and others' work through detailed investigations.

When studying Art all students will be taught: 

  • To use a range of techniques to record their observations and developments within their sketchbooks

  • To use a broad range of techniques and media

  • To increase their proficiency in the handling of different mediums within art

  • To analyse and evaluate their own work, and that of others, in order to strengthen the visual impact or applications of their work  

  • About Fine artists including periods, styles and major movements from different eras 

Within the context of Art, students must demonstrate the ability to use Fine art techniques and processes, appropriate to students’ personal intentions, for example: 

Printing 

Construction methods

Painting

Sculpture

Carving

Drawing

Mask making

Lens/light  based media

se media and materials, as appropriate to students’ personal intentions, for example: 

Inks

Clay

Thread

Digital media

Paint

Fabrics

he subject content contained within our curriculum is fully compliant with the statutory content outlined in the Key Stage 3 and 4 National Curriculum. 

Students who excel in Art have the opportunity to experiment with higher skilled techniques and more complex concepts and outcomes. Students are able to follow their own development journey to produce individual outcomes of their own creation. 

Students are encouraged to develop employability skills by managing their own time in completing their Controlled Assessments independently and following their own development intentions. Students need to use their own initiative to plan their time and organise materials to develop ideas to realise their final outcomes. Students will develop their communication skills to verbalise their intentions and ideas, analysing the work of other Artists and Designers.

We ensure that Year 7 effectively builds upon content delivered during Key Stage 2 by ensuring that all children have experienced a broad range of techniques and applications by the end of year 7.

The Art curriculum has links with the following subject areas:

  • Science: Colour theory, force, area and pressure, 

  • Maths: Proportion, ratio, estimation, measurement and tessellation

  • Geography: Global issues, current affairs

  • Music: tone, contrast, texture and scale

Topics are sequenced to reflect levels of student maturity and understanding. In  year 7 we begin by studying broader concepts such as religious festivals from around the world. In year 8 we look at themes of war and how the environment informs architecture. In year 9 we begin to explore global issues such as homelessness, poverty and immigration. From these explorations students are able to develop their own ideas in response to stimuli.

KS4 builds upon these skills and allows students to develop a personal informed response to a chosen starting point. Key issues are revisited regularly to allow students to understand and retain key terms and concepts. Writing frames are used to scaffold written work and work is regularly group critiqued to allow for self and peer assessment.

We develop students’ Cultural Capital whilst studying Art by giving students the opportunity to participate in enrichment opportunities to support their learning. These include workshops by visiting artists, workshops at the local colleges, visits to art galleries and museums in major cities such as London, Amsterdam and New York. This gives the students a broad cultural experience within the wider arts enriching students’ projects with their experiences.