Art

The Art Department encourages students to explore, enjoy and develop their creative thinking and artistic skills. This is primarily achieved through Assessment Objectives, which offer a wide range of opportunities to experience the rich and varied approaches to making and appreciating art, craft and design. Further opportunities are available in the form of the key stage 3 Art Club supported by the pupil Art Leaders, and an open department policy for GCSE/BTEC pupils. Visit us @NoadswoodArt

We believe art is an invaluable experience in a student’s education. It offers them the opportunity to be creative learners and thinkers, to have a sense of individuality and a freedom of expression. This enables the development of self-worth, problem solving and critical thinking skills. Art can also provide a platform for individual learning and is often seen as an enjoyable part of the student’s day.

Year 7

Year 7 students attend three 60 minute lessons per fortnight. They have the opportunity to experience a range of techniques including painting and drawing, researching art and artists, printmaking and sculpting with clay.

Students learn artistic knowledge, skills and understanding that will help them develop their own creative abilities and enable growth in their enjoyment and appreciation of art, craft and design.

Year 7 Art & Design is divided into modules (assessment objectives). Each module focuses on a different area of assessment and creative focus. This enables pupils to get to grips with various techniques, process and materials. The AOs are as follows:

AO1: Developing drawing skills – The still life, natural forms

AO2: Exploring and making with clay – Dragon heads

AO3: Pop art – Pop culture, art history, and techniques

AO4: Printmaking – Poly-printing skills and techniques

Year 8

In Year 8, students attend three 60 minute lesson per fortnight. They have the opportunity to build and refine a range of techniques including painting and drawing, researching art and artists, printmaking.

Students develop skills, knowledge and understanding, introduced in Year 7 that will help them become more independent practitioners in art, craft and design.

Continuing from Year 7, Year 8 Art & Design is divided into modules (assessment objectives). Each module focuses on a different area of assessment and creative focus. This enables pupils to develop techniques, process and materials. The AOs are as follows:

AO1: Developing and progressing drawing - The still life, man-made forms

AO2: Developing and progressing painting – Hockney landscapes

AO3: Developing and progressing printmaking – Narrative illustration

Year 9

In the final year of key stage 3, pupils studying Art in Year 9 will be taught via phases, which will enable them to develop and apply the skills, knowledge and understanding within art in preparation for key stage 4. Year 9 pupils explore and investigate the following themes, supported by learning how to write and analyse artwork and concepts:

Drawing – The figure

Sculpture – Clay gargoyles and grotesques

Painting - Abstraction and composition

Photography – Portraiture

Textile art – Manipulating fabrics

Year 10 and 11

In years 10 and 11, the art department offers pupils four different level 2 qualifications. Three pathways at GCSE and one BTEC.

The GCSE art courses are Fine Art, Textile Design, and Photography. Students work towards of a portfolio of work and an externally set exam. The portfolio makes up 60% of the final grade with the exam contributing 40%. Students’ portfolios must include a sustained project developed in response to a subject, and a selection of further work. Preparation work plays an important role in the development of ideas and the creative process, and contributes to the grade awarded. This allows students to explore and experiment with media, designs and ideas before producing final outcomes. All students are required to investigate sources and analyse the work of other artists. They should also be able to record insights using drawing, and appropriate specialist vocabulary. Themes explored across the pathways include: Landscape, portraiture, autobiography, grotesque sculpture, plus additional topics. 

Students who follow the BTEC First Art course explore a vocational approach to art, craft and design. This course is modular and portfolio based and consists of 4 units, one of which is an externally set assessment worth 25% of the overall grade. This Level 2 qualification is equivalent to GCSE Art & Design. To achieve a pass in this qualification, students are required to pass all units studied. Units studied are:

Unit 1: Specialist pathways in art and design – Lepe Country Park

Unit 2: Creative project in art and design – Externally set task

Unit 3: Communicating ideas in 2D – Promoting the city

Unit 4: Communicating ideas in 3D – Marwell

 

The Art Department uses AQA for its GCSE course and PEARSON for its BTEC First course.