Art
KS3
The intent of the Art Curriculum
The Art curriculum at Sir John Leman High School has been created with the intention of developing awareness of different cultures and to offer traditional teaching of the essential skills of drawing and painting to help students develop confidence in their work and encourage them to explore a range of approaches to the subject. Students are encouraged to develop their own personal styles of working and then to produce work that is a reflection of their own creative imaginations. They are encouraged to have a love of the visual arts in all of its forms, and to explore the creative process in different ways.
Art enhances motor and problem solving skills and allows students to use their imagination and to express themselves. Studying art allows students to develop concentration and observational skills and encourages a different way of thinking and observing the world.
The teaching staff in the Art department are committed to using different strategies to help students develop their confidence and ability in a range of technical skills and they are passionate about passing on their knowledge and love of the subject. They seek to inspire students with a wish to explore the creative process independently.
How is the Art Curriculum implemented?
Students are taught a skills based curriculum which allows them to express their creative imagination as well as providing them with opportunities to practise and develop mastery in some of the key processes in art, drawing, painting, mixed media and sculpture. This is supported through the studying of relevant artists and the development of a knowledge of their work. Students produce work in sketchbooks and on a larger scale and work independently, as well as in groups. They are given constructive feedback at each stage to improve their work and to check that skills are being developed. Students are taught how to evaluate and analyse creative works using key words and terminology.
Curriculum Sequencing Plan - Art
The impact of the Art Curriculum at the end of Key Stage 3
The KS3 Art curriculum at Sir John Leman High School gives students the skills, knowledge and experience to make an informed decision about pursuing Art at GCSE. By the end of year 9, students have gained a competence in drawing and painting to make a positive start to the GCSE course and for further studies in art and design. They will have produced a body of work demonstrating their ability to draw reference from different artists, work in small and larger scales, and produce final outcomes reflecting their technical skills. This will include preparatory work in sketchbooks and larger final pieces. Students will have gained confidence in thinking creatively and problem solving, recording ideas and experimenting with different materials.
How is it assessed?
Students are set in mixed ability groups. They are formally assessed every half term on their skills and at the end of each project.
How can I help my child?
You can help your child by taking them to visit art galleries and museums and encouraging them to practice drawing, and working with different materials, outside lessons.
Useful websites
KS4
The intent of the Art Curriculum
Art at Sir John Leman High School is a popular and exciting subject and attracts students who wish to be actively engaged in the pursuit of original and ambitious work, explore working with different media and develop their own personal creativity. The department offers traditional teaching of the essential skills of drawing and painting to help students develop confidence in their work and encourages them to explore a range of approaches to the subject. As a department we believe very strongly in encouraging pupils to develop their own personal styles of working and then to produce work that is a reflection of their own creative imaginations. We seek to inspire in students a love of the visual arts in all of its forms and support them in exploring the creative process independently. Students’ work is displayed around the school and they are encouraged to visit art galleries and museums to further their understanding.
How is the Art Curriculum implemented?
During the GCSE course, students produce a portfolio of coursework which includes one project, plus additional work, covering all the assessment criteria, and an exam unit.
The assessment criteria focus on:-
- Analysis and evaluation of artists’ work and different cultures
- Planning design ideas and exploring media
- Observational drawing ability
- Quality of final outcome/s
Extended Learning tasks throughout the course consist of recording ideas, observational drawing and painting, research into relevant artists and completing any outstanding coursework.
How is it assessed?
Students produce a portfolio of Non-Examined Assessment (60% of the final grade) which includes one main project and additional work exploring a variety of skills, and responding to different artists.
Students are given the exam paper in January of year 11 when they start work on preparatory work for their exam. The preparatory work linked to their chosen question is extremely important and is worth 75% of the exam mark so it is essential that students are producing some of this work at home.
Students will then have a ten hour exam broken down into separate sessions in which to produce their final outcome/s. This is worth 40% of the final grade
How important is the Non-Examined Assessment (NEA)?
Very - The Non-Examined Assessment is 60% of the overall grade.
What qualification will I get? What could it lead on to?
AQA Level 1/Level 2 GCSE (9-1) in Art and Design (Fine Art)
This may enable you to develop personal interests or to pursue this further at A level and degree
Career directions could include:
Fine Art, Architecture, Design, Illustration, Theatre, Animation, Teaching, or work in other creative industries such as Film, Television or Advertising, Museums, Gaming and Galleries.
Art & Design (KS5)
Art & Design – A-Level Qualification
Examining Body:
AQA
Entry Criteria:
Ideally Grade 5 GCSE Art
Course Leader:
Ms B White
Why? :
Art and Design is an exciting and stimulating subject that encourages creative self-expression through exploring a wide range of individual solutions to given problems. Students should be committed to the subject, happy to be both supported and challenged. This course provides a sound basis for Higher Education including Foundation Art Courses, Higher Education HND, BA courses or any career within the art field. Students will have the chance to specialise in their area of interests as well as undertaking a range of work in a wide variety of media. Those who are particularly interested in a specific area of Art and Design, such as graphics or fashion, are able to explore and develop this in their project work
Course Structure:
Component 1 - Personal Investigation At the beginning of the first year students are provided with a taught, structured course introducing them to new materials/ techniques and different approaches to the subject. Great emphasis is put upon developing the creative and expressive content of students’ artwork. Students are encouraged to use sketchbooks, in addition to producing larger scale work, to underpin their projects, and are expected to show the ability to analyse and evaluate their work and the work of other artists. Students’ work will contain observational studies and ideas developing from contextual material, as well as work relating to gallery visits. At the end of the first year students will work on a project based on a personal investigation of their choice where they respond to an idea, issue, concept or theme of their choosing and produce a body of work meeting all four assessment objectives. This will include an essay of 1,000 to 3,000 words reflecting their ability to analyse different artists’ work. Component 1 is worth 60% of the qualification.
Component 2 - Externally set assignment This consists of an externally set assignment (40% of the qualification) starting at the beginning of the Spring term, which culminates in a 15 hour exam. Students will choose a theme from the exam paper and have three months to produce a project to meet all four assessment objectives, reflecting the skills they have been working on in their previous units of work.
Extended Learning:
Students are encouraged to use the Art Department in their spare time to pursue their work and the Sixth Form studio is always available. Students are expected to spend at least 2 1/2 hours a week on externally set assignments and extension of their studio work. Completion of coursework and exam work will require students to spend more time outside lessons as deadlines approach