Curriculum

The study of Art and Design enriches the lives of our pupils by developing their visual perception and aesthetic experience. It is both a form of communication and a means of expressing ideas and feelings, whilst offering opportunities equivalent in importance to literacy and numeracy in a child’s development.

The aims of the Art and Design Department are:

•  To enable pupils to become visually literate: to use and understand Art as a form of visual and tactile communication and to have confidence and competence in reading and evaluating visual images and artefacts
• To develop particular creative and technical skills so that ideas can be realised and artefacts produced
• To develop pupils’ aesthetic sensibilities and enable them to make informed judgements about art
• To develop pupils’ capacity for imaginative and original thought and experimentation
• To develop pupils’ capacity to learn about and observe the world in which they live
• To develop pupils’ ability to articulate and communicate ideas, opinions and feeling about their own work and that of others
• To develop pupils’ ability to value the contribution made by artists, craft workers and designers and to respond thoughtfully, critically and imaginatively to ideas, images and objects of many kinds and from many cultures
• To develop pupils’ enthusiasm about Art and Design and encourage their capacity to enjoy art within society

In relation to National Curriculum orders and to the stated aims of the department, the practice of art should:

• Introduce a range of two and three dimensional art, craft and design activities in a systematic way which encourages confidence and progression in both understanding and skill, incorporating both attainment targets
• Provide opportunity for creative responses to a variety of starting points, and encourage selection and control of appropriate tools and materials
• Allow time and space for experimenting with materials and ideas in a creative environment
• Encourage skills of observation and recording from a variety of natural and made sources, and to understand how such skills are applied in a variety of contexts
• Create opportunity to address design issues from concept to realisation through appropriate challenges
• Recognise and use the usual elements in carrying out a range of clearly targeted and appropriately resourced tasks
• Consider works of art, craft and design from a wide range of times and cultures, and where possible relate them to practical activities and other forms of response
• Provide opportunity to discuss and review their own work and that of others, which can include evaluation and assessment where appropriate

In keeping with the requirements of the National Curriculum pupils will be introduced to a broad and balanced programme of Art, Craft and Design activities within the department. Pupils follow carefully structured schemes of work that address the key requirements of the Attainment Target: Investigation and Making which includes exploring and developing ideas and evaluating and developing work. Knowledge and understanding informs this process.

Pupils’ understanding, skill levels and enjoyment of this subject area is seen as a progressive development with each project building on and developing previous learning. The course whilst having a distinct structure that accommodates for developing skill levels in a range of media, understanding of the visual elements and critical studies, also allows for some flexibility on the part of pupils and staffs to make individual responses within this framework in order to maintain a lively, dynamic, ever changing art curriculum.

Students should arrive prepared for a lesson in Art and Design with a pencil, rubber and sharpener. All other Art resources are provided, however students will need to bring an APRON to their Art lessons. A simple art set will help pupils in completing homework tasks (pencils, crayons, paint, brushes, scissors and glue).