Art & Design
GCSE Art & Design
INTENT
To develop students’ skills and confidence in drawing and in experimenting with a range of different artistic techniques and media, in order to foster independent work and to help students develop a sense of pride and ownership over their artwork.
To develop students’ research skills, enabling them to choose appropriate artworks or other sources as a starting point of their project.
To develop students’ skills in evaluating and analysing others’ and their own artwork.
To develop an individualized coursework portfolio for each student based on sustained theme and leading to a final piece or pieces, in order to fulfil the requirements for the 60% coursework and the 40% element of the GCSE specification.
Implementation
Students will be guided to develop their observational drawing skills and be enabled to experiment with a wide variety of different media, including printmaking and 3D. Students will be taught how to evaluate their own work in order to improve and refine it. They will be guided through how to research a visual artist, with a view to enabling them to move towards more independent research.
Each student will develop a portfolio which includes the same basic elements-drawing, research, experimentation, refinement of work and a final piece-for both the 60% coursework and the 40% examination component of the AQA specification. Over the final term, students will be guided towards planning a final artwork in order to complete it over 10 hours of focussed work under examination conditions.
Impact
By the end of the course, students will have produced a portfolio for the two GCSE components, which will show the coherent development over time based on specific themes, and which include drawing, experimentation using different techniques and media, and research; these elements will contribute towards a final piece for each component. Students will have the ability to evaluate and refine their work and to make independent and appropriate decisions about the direction of their project. Students will have developed their critical understanding of others’ artwork, so they can articulate how their final piece relates to their own research and experimentation. Students will be able to feel pride in their work and a sense of ownership over their own project, which will enable them to progress to further Art and Design qualifications.
A-Level Art & Design
INTENT
The A Level Art and Design course builds on the skills and knowledge gained at GCSE in order to further develop students’ capabilities with a view to studying art and design and pursuing careers in creative industries. Our emphasis is on continuing to foster students’ enthusiasm for art and design, and on further developing intellectual, creative and intuitive capabilities. All students follow an individualised curriculum to develop a long-term project based on their own interests. Time is spent at the beginning of the course to ensure that students develop their skills and get experience of a broad range of different artistic media and techniques, while following their personal project. Students are encouraged to gradually develop independence of mind in developing, refining and communicating their own ideas, their own intentions and their own personal outcomes. We also build on students’ prior knowledge by fostering further understanding of the history of art and design as well as their significance to modern society in the form of careers in art and design and other creative industries.
Implementation
Each student will develop a portfolio of work for their own project, which includes the same basic elements: drawing, research, experimentation, refinement of work and a final piece. Students will be guided to develop their personal project through experimenting with a wide variety of different media, including printmaking and 3D. Through contextual studies of artists and art history, they will be taught how to understand their work in the context of contemporary society and culture. Students are initially guided through artist research, in order to develop their understanding of how to use subject-specific vocabulary to analyse and assess their own and other artists’ work. They then conduct their own research towards a written essay based around their own artwork, which is 10% of the final grade.
Impact
By the end of the course, students will have produced a portfolio for the two A-Level components which will show the coherent development over time based on their personal project and an externally set project. Students will have developed a sophisticated ability to evaluate and refine their work and to contextualise it within broader art movements. Students will also have enhanced their knowledge of the significance of art and design to society and culture, and be able to make confident and informed decisions about their progress to further education or higher education.