In all year groups the Art courses are designed to enable students to gain experience of using a wide range of range of traditional and more experimental media, whilst developing their skills. We firmly believe that all students can achieve in Art and we enjoy the journey of discovering everyone’s talent. 

Students work through a series of projects for each year group which are designed to develop skills such as observation drawing, painting, tonal drawing, sculpture, printing, photoshop and more unusual media. The schemes of work are designed to introduce students to skills building thought the use of formal elements; exploration through the use of mixed media; contextual and cultural studies exploring the work of artist; produce imaginative and creative outcomes which bring ideas together. Themes like Aboriginal art, Public Art, Public Art, Pop Art, Graffiti, Surrealist, Growth and Decay, Portraits and Typography.

Students follow the BTEC Tech Award in Art and Design, which is equivalent to GCSE, but which we believe offers the best route for all students who are interested in studying Art and Design. There are three projects in year 10 designed to develop skills. Each project is based on a theme and students will develop their own ideas using this theme to create a diverse range of work using a variety of materials and equipment, leading to one final outcome or a collection of outcomes.

In year 11 there are two projects. Component 1: Creative practice in Art and Design. The exam board set the theme and students are expected to complete a project which covers the assessment objectives and is an opportunity to apply the practical skills and research developed earlier in the course. Component 2: Responding to a brief, is set by the exam board and is similar to component 1, students follow the same format as the coursework project and are expected to produce practical research and experimentation in response to a starting point. This is followed by a 10-hour practical exam (over 2 days) leading to a final outcome

Year 12 begins with skills building in both Art and Photography.

In art you will study 3 themes based on portraits, buildings and sculpture. These are designed to help advance your skills in using specialist materials such as oil paints, printing processes, ceramics and much more. You will also learn to explore contextual and cultural staring points to develop your own creative outcomes working outside of the sketchbook, to larger scales and really challenging yourself to become the artist you want to be.

Photography begins with the basics, you will develop an understanding for formal and compositional elements, the photography triangle and more technical aspects of recording, including intent. There are several projects exploring photographic themes including up close and macro, movements and portraiture. By the end of year 12 you will have learned a broad range of skills, used a variety of lighting equipment and created shoots in a range of location and feel confident in beginning your coursework project.

A Levels in Art and Photography each consist of two components.

  • Component 1: Personal investigation – 60% of the overall mark.
    It is a practical and personal research project, where the student decides on the theme of the investigation and then develops a portfolio of experiments and design ideas leading to a final outcome or outcomes.
  • Component 2: Exam – this is worth 40%. This is an externally set assignment where students are given a theme by the exam board. They then generate and develop ideas on that theme and then have a 15-hour practical exam (over 3 days) to produce their final outcome(s).

Art Wider Reading

A LEVEL ONLINE RESOURCES

  • Watch ‘This is Modern Art’

British art critic Matthew Collings looks into the current state of contemporary art, exploring how Picasso, Jackson

Pollock and Andy Warhol have reshaped what defines art and how modern art seeks to shock the audience.

This BAFTA award-winning documentary series gained popularity due to its part-humorous, and often thoughtful

insights into the work of a new wave of artists that had been covered in the UK media, and also due to the author’s

witty, irreverent, yet highly-knowledgeable narration style. https://watchdocumentaries.com/this-is-modern-art/

  • Watch Simon Sharma’s ‘The Power of Art’

A compelling series of documentaries about Key Art historical figures. Loads of good background info here. A number of episodes are available on Vimeo:

Available on Netflix or Amazon Prime

At Eternity’s Gate

Wild artistic inspiration and emotional turmoil fill painter Vincent Van Gough’s last years as he

struggles to bring his unique vision to the world

  • LA Originals
  • Photographer Estevan Oriol and Artist Mr Cartoon turned their Chicano roots into gritty art, impacting street culture, hip hop and beyond
  • Made you look: A true story about fake art
  • A thought provoking look at the artworld and fake art
  • Masterworks
  • From the great museums of the world is one of the most successful series about art. A fascinating journey through the history of art

There are many more great films and documentaries available online so take some time to improve your appreciation and understanding

Photography Wider Reading