Art and design

Art, craft and design embody some of the highest forms of human creativity. A high-quality art and design education should engage, inspire and challenge pupils, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to experiment, invent and create their own works of art, craft and design. As pupils progress, they should be able to think critically and develop a more rigorous understanding of art and design. They should also know how art and design both reflect and shape our history, and contribute to the culture, creativity and wealth of our nation.

The curriculum for art and design aims to ensure that all pupils:

produce creative work, exploring their ideas and recording their experience
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.

At Key Stage 3, pupils are taught to develop their creativity and ideas, and increase proficiency in their execution. They develop a critical understanding of artists, architects and designers, expressing reasoned judgements that can inform their own work.

Pupils are 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.

At Key Stage 4, the curriculum encourages students to:

actively engage in the creative process of art, craft and design in order to develop as effective and independent learners, and as critical and reflective thinkers with enquiring minds
develop creative, imaginative and intuitive capabilities when exploring and making images, artefacts and products
become confident in taking risks and learn from experience when exploring and experimenting with ideas, processes, media, materials and techniques
develop critical understanding through investigative, analytical, experimental, practical, technical and expressive skills
develop and refine ideas and proposals, personal outcomes or solutions with increasing independence
acquire and develop technical skills through working with a broad range of media, materials, techniques, processes and technologies with purpose and intent
develop knowledge and understanding of art, craft and design in historical and contemporary contexts, societies and cultures
develop an awareness of the different roles and individual work practices evident in the production of art, craft and design in the creative and cultural industries
develop an awareness of the purposes, intentions and functions of art, craft and design in a variety of contexts and as appropriate to students’ own work
demonstrate safe working practices in art, craft and design

ART CURRICULUM INFORMATION FOR YEARS 7-11

Year	Term	Units of Work	Assessments
7	Autumn	Formal Elements	All 4 key strands
	Spring	Pop Art	All 4 key strands
	Summer	Landscapes	All 4 key strands
8	Autumn	Illustration	All 4 key strands
	Spring	3D character design	All 4 key strands
	Summer	Banksy – Street Art	All 4 key strands
9	Autumn	Skulls & faces	All Four Assessment Objectives
	Spring	Portraits & personal artist research	All Four Assessment Objectives
	Summer	Portrait outcomes	All Four Assessment Objectives
10	Autumn	The Sea	All Four Assessment Objectives
	Spring	The Sea outcome / Architecture	All Four Assessment Objectives
	Summer	Architecture research and outcome	All Four Assessment Objectives
11	Autumn	Student Lead Theme	All four Assessment Objectives
	Spring	Externally Set Exam	All four Assessment Objectives

GCSE COURSE INFORMATION

Qualification & Board	AQA GCSE Art and Design
Course Content (for A level, how this follows on from GCSE)	Component 1: Portfolio Each student presents a portfolio of work, including: 1) A sustained project developed in response to a theme, evidencing the journey from initial engagement with an idea(s) to the realisation of intentions. This will give students the opportunity to demonstrate, through an extended creative response, their ability to draw together different areas of knowledge, skills and/or understanding from across their course of study. 2) A selection of further work resulting from activities such as skills-based workshops; mini and/or foundation projects; responses to gallery, museum or site visits and independent study. Component 2: Externally set assignment AQA will provide a separate externally set assignment for each title, each with seven different starting points. Students must select and respond to one starting point from their chosen title. The externally set assignment provides students with the opportunity to demonstrate, through an extended creative response, their ability to draw together different areas of knowledge, skills and/or understanding in response to their selected starting point. The extended creative response must explicitly evidence students’ ability to draw together different areas of knowledge, skill and/or understanding from initial engagement with their selected starting point through to their realisation of intentions in the 10 hours of supervised time. Students must ensure that the total submission for Component 2 evidences coverage of all four assessment objectives and evidence of drawing activity and written annotation.
Potential Career paths	A Level Art based subjects
Assessments (incl. field work / assessed practical)	Component 1: Portfolio 60% Component 2: External Set Assessment 40% (Portfolio of work plus 10 hour exam) Each Assessment Objective is marked out of 24, Total available marks 96 Assessment Objective 1: Develop ideas through investigations informed by contextual and other sources demonstrating analytical and cultural understanding. Assessment Objective 2: Refined ideas through experimenting and selecting appropriate resources, media, materials, techniques and processes. Assessment Objective 3: Record ideas, observations and insights relevant to the students intentions in visual and/or other forms. Assessment Objective 4: Present a personal, informed and meaningful response demonstrating analytical and critical understanding realising intentions and where appropriate making connections between visual, written, oral or other element.
Core or Option	Option
No Option Choices (GCSE only)
No. GCSE / A Level equivalent	ONE GCSE

BTEC COURSE INFORMATION

Qualification & Board	BTEC first award - Art and Design
Course Content (for A level, how this follows on from GCSE)	BTEC gives pupils a more vocational experience, allowing them to work as a professional craftsperson to meet specific briefs. Pupils will work to these design briefs to meet the criteria for each of the 4 units of work. Each unit of work has it’s own learning aims. Units are equally weighted at 25% each, and Unit 2 is an externally set brief from the exam board.
Potential Career paths	A Level Art based subjects
Assessments (incl. field work / assessed practical)	Unit 1: Introduction to Specialist Pathways in Art and Design Learning aim A: Use specialist materials, techniques, equipment and processes in response to client briefs Learning aim B: Record formal elements within specialist pathways UNIT 2 - Creative project in Art and Design Learning aim A: Develop creative ideas, skills and intentions in response to a project brief Learning aim B: Produce final outcomes that meet the requirements of the brief UNIT 3 - Communicating Ideas in 2D Learning aim A: Explore 2D visual language and working practices Learning aim B: Investigate how artists, craftspeople and designers communicate in 2D. Learning aim C: Communicate ideas using 2D knowledge and skills in response to a brief UNIT 5 - Developing an Art and Design Portfolio Learning aim A: Explore the purpose of a portfolio Learning aim B: Compile a portfolio to support progression Learning aim C: Present a portfolio of work to others
Core or Option	Option
No Option Choices (GCSE only)
No. GCSE / A Level equivalent	ONE GCSE