Art

Welcome to Art and Design!

In the Art department we are passionate about the study of art and we believe strongly in its value for each individual student. Through explanation of materials and techniques, students are able to engage wiith creative, personal and fun outcomes.  

Art develops essential critical thinking skills and whereas much of what students’ learn in school is concrete, art classes encourage creative and abstract thought. Skills learnt in art are transferrable and art boosts academic performance, motivation and creativity in other subjects. 

As well as developing the ability to analyse, evaluate, problem solve and develop fine motor skills, art teaches students to become visually literate, which is essential for the commercially astute world in which we live today.

Our vision as a department is to create well-rounded students, who are able to work creatively and can confidently express their own ideas and beliefs through skilful independent work.

Our Curriculum

At Key Stage 3 all students study Art for one hour a week.  Within each year they will complete four projects, which will study different aspects of Art, Craft and Design and build on key skills.  Students will learn about artwork from different artists and cultures, and about how to develop their own ideas inspired by their analyses and discussions.

At Key Stage 4 students can choose to study either GCSE Fine Art, BTEC Art and Design or GCSE Photography. They will have two hours of lessons each week, moving to three in the final year of the course and will further develop their artistic and analytical skills to produce original and exciting ideas to given themes or project briefs. Both GCSE courses combine coursework with an externally set practical examination and the BTEC course has an externally assessed unit.  

At Key Stage 5 students can choose to study A Level Fine Art, A Level Graphic Design or A Level Photography. Independent and individual responses to given themes are encouraged and nurtured.  All courses have five lessons a week, with a combination of coursework. 

Enrichment and Extra Curricular Activities

At KS3: The department run workshops after school for Year 7 and 8 to support and extend the more able students.

At KS4 and KS5: students are able to work in the art rooms during lunchtimes, free periods and after school in order to complete coursework, with dedicated intervention for those who need additional support. There is also a dedicated ICT studio for KS4 and KS5 students to work independently. Various trips to London galleries take place to support coursework and exam preparation for both key stages. A residential trip for GCSE Fine Art students to Penzance, Cornwall takes place annually. Post 16 students are encouraged to take part in Life Drawing classes as well as gaining support in portfolio building for interviews, with supportive links made with Kingston University and UCA. In addition, they take part in organising an annual exhibition of their work at a gallery space in the local community.