Art
Curriculum Intentions
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The department provides a learning environment which takes into consideration each student’s needs and abilities, while having high expectations of all. The curriculum is designed to offer challenge, progression, relevance and articulation. Our specific aims are:
- To develop in our students a confidence in their creative ability.
- To promote the acquisition of skills in problem-solving, presentation, organisation, self-discipline, critical analysis, communication and technology.
- To improve students’ visual awareness by developing their observational skills, expressive and investigative drawing abilities.
- To develop our students’ manual dexterity through structured experimentation with a variety of materials and equipment with due regard for health and safety.
- To develop in our students an awareness of their cultural heritage and an understanding of the importance of the visual arts and design in todays’ society.
- To prepare our students for examinations, and advise on subject choice and career paths.
- To promote and encourage cross-curricular links where possible.
- To develop a well-trained and motivated staff who pride themselves in delivering an interesting, relevant and cohesive curriculum in an atmosphere of mutual respect for pupils and colleagues.
- To promote a variety of effective learning and teaching strategies.
- To monitor students’ progress regularly and accurately to ensure that every pupil is directed to achieve their full potential.
Beyond The Curriculum
The Art Department is committed to offering a variety of extra-curricular art and craft activities to students of all ages and abilities. These after school classes allow our students the opportunity to undertake work that is not normally encountered within normal timetabled lessons. In the past two years we have offered Christmas crafts, screen print a T shirt, photography and Photoshop sessions, textiles, booster classes and sculpture workshops. In our extra-curricular clubs and especially with the Gifted and Talented forum, we encourage students to enter competitions in art, design and photography. We recognise that these have a positive effect on interest and motivation. Our involvement with enrichment days and enrichment week, which takes place during the last week of the summer term, is wholehearted. It gives the art department the opportunity to offer exciting workshops to smaller groups of students and to take art students on gallery visits. In the past few years we have offered mural painting, 3D withy construction and stage design, which also involved the painting of the stage sets for the last two school productions. An annual workshop day is organised for our talented students to learn new and exciting skills with visiting practioners.
For the last two years, Year 12 and 13 students have had the benefit of life drawing classes by professional tutors. All students who study art and design at KS4 and in the sixth form are offered the opportunity to visit major museums and collections of art during their period of study. These visits have proved a valuable starting point for observation and contextual studies.
Facilities and Resources
Lessons are taught in two specialist art rooms which have been recently refurbished. Each studio contains computers, two butler sinks, two drying racks, an interactive whiteboard, several plan-chests, paper cutters, plentiful racking for folders and adequate display boarding. Equipment includes two digital projectors, 3 SLR digital cameras, a digital video recorder, studio lighting, a visualiser, drawing tablets, sewing machines, batik pots, screen print equipment, a printing press and easels.
The sixth form study area is located between rooms 21 and 22 and is equally accessible from both. It houses departmental books and visual resources which are well used by all year groups. In addition, prospectuses for art colleges and universities are displayed here.
There are many areas throughout the school where current artwork can be displayed successfully and these are well used. These include the gallery located outside the Headteacher’s office, the 6th form suite and the Library. There are also display cases in corridors throughout the school. These areas are an invaluable addition to the art department, encouraging student achievement and stimulating best practise.
We store a collection of objects in the department and it is our intention to add to these with relevant items. We have a collection of African, Islamic and Egyptian artefacts to aid our teaching of non-western art, in line with our art department development plan. We also have a skeleton, shells and a wide variety of natural forms.
