Curriculum Intent
Art enriches students’ whole school experience; it encourages critical thinking and an ability to make links across the curriculum and beyond. Students gain a greater understanding of the world around them through analysing the art of others. This helps develop their empathy, emotional literacy and communication skills, by having our core values at the heart of our analysis. Our curriculum is diverse and relevant, and engages students from all walks of life, but also ensures students encounter and learn about different cultures, beliefs and backgrounds.
Students are given the freedom to make their own decisions about their work and this prepares them to be independent learners post 16.
Students are not just taught how to draw and paint; they are taught how to harness their creativity; this skill is transferable to every career, as well as increasing their individual happiness and wellbeing. At GCSE level students are encouraged to produce personal responses and they are encouraged to express and develop their own point of view and experiences through their artwork.
Students will develop their own independent decision making, experimentation, thinking skills and creativity by working in an experimental way, using multiple media. They will learn lots of new processes so that they can develop a personal pathway with the skills and knowledge to produce creative, individual and high quality artwork. Their work will demonstrate an integration of practical, critical and contextual study. Their intentions will be realised through purposeful engagement with visual language, visual concepts, media, materials and the application of appropriate techniques and working methods, leading to them produce work that communicates personal ideas, meanings and responses. Students will be able to reflect critically upon their creative journey and its effectiveness in relation to the realisation of personal intentions.
Our curriculum aims to ensure that all pupils:
- produce creative work, exploring their ideas and recording their experiences;
- become proficient in drawing, painting, sculpture and other art, craft and design techniques;
- evaluate and analyse creative works using the language of art, craft and design;
- know about great artists, craft makers and designers, and understand the historical and cultural development of their art forms.
Curriculum Implementation
Students will be taught to develop their creativity and ideas and increase proficiency in their execution. They will develop a critical understanding of artists, architects and designers, expressing reasoned judgements that can inform their own work. Students will be taught:
- to use a range of techniques to record their observations in sketchbooks, journals and other media as a basis for exploring their ideas
- to use a range of techniques and media, including painting
- to increase their proficiency in the handling of different materials
- to analyse and evaluate their own work, and that of others, in order to strengthen the visual impact or applications of their work
- about the history of art, craft, design and architecture, including periods, styles and major movements from ancient times up to the present day.