Welcome to the Art department.
Art is taught by Mrs Hitchens (Head of Art and Design) and Mrs Jhita (Head of Endeavour house). The Art department firmly believes that all students should have the opportunity to express themselves creatively; visually representing themselves and their feelings using a variety of different materials and techniques. We aim to introduce students to a wide range of artists from different cultures, periods of time and art movements to inspire and inform their work.
At KS3 students have 2 hours of Art and Design over the 2 week timetable. Students are encouraged to develop and enhance their creativity through completion of activities that aim to explore various art materials and processes. Students have a different scheme of work each term, looking at artists from a selection of cultures and times. Students are encouraged to experiment with 2D and 3D art techniques to improve their skills – assessment is regular and often includes peer and self-assessment.
At KS4 students follow different projects that are set by the department; however there is a lot more freedom to pursue their own interests within the given title. Students are encouraged to use a wide variety of techniques and processes to complete their coursework, and all experiments and research is presented in the form of a sketchbook. All students are expected to work independently outside of their art lessons on their sketchbooks, and are encouraged to visit galleries and other relevant places of interest for their projects. Final pieces of art work are created from the inspiration in their sketchbooks. The department uses the AQA exam board which is 60% coursework and 40% exam so it is extremely important that students keep on top of their coursework, especially the work in their sketchbooks which carries most of their marks.
Gifted and Talented students are encouraged to participate in extra curricular activities and GCSE students are advised to attend the various gallery trips and excursions organised for them. There are a number of Art clubs organised by the department which create a fantastic opportunity for Gifted and Talented students.
KS3 Art club is on a Wednesday evening from 3pm to 4pm and a KS4 Art club on a Tuesday evening from 3pm to 4.30pm. The KS3 Art club often helps the Drama department with costumes, theatrical make-up, set and props for the school productions. Students studying GCSE Art are encouraged to attend KS4 Art club to work on their coursework and strengthen their grades.
The Art department supplies students with all the specialist materials that they will need for their lessons, however we do require that every student brings basic equipment such as a pencil, sharpener and a rubber to every lesson. For the purpose of homework, all students need to have coloured pencils at home. GCSE students need to keep a variety of readily available art materials at home so that they can complete their coursework in their sketchbooks. GCSE students are also required to purchase a sketchbook for every project.
At KS3 homework is set every other lesson, students are expected to spend about half an hour on their homework. At KS4 all students are expected to work independently on their sketchbooks at home, as a department we expect at least two hours worth of independent work each week.
Art student gallery has a sample of some of the work achieved by our students in the art department
www.aqa.org.uk is the GCSE board for Art and Design
www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/art/ is a useful GCSE resource