The Art and Design Faculty aims to provide a dynamic and interactive learning environment which allows students and staff to develop and exploit their creative talents.
The curriculum at Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 offers a broad range of art, craft and design activities, designed to engage students in learning the artistic skills needed to express themselves creatively, take calculated risks and fulfil personal potential whilst exploring and developing artistic understanding and practical skills.
Art
Curriculum INTENT
The broad and ambitious curriculum at Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 offers students the opportunity to engage in a range of art, craft and design activities designed to help all students make progress, whilst celebrating personal achievements and academic success. Students will be challenged with a curriculum that builds upon prior knowledge, whilst introducing new skills and experiences to help students fulfil their personal potential and ambition. Students are encouraged to explore a breadth of ideas on their creative journey across the art specialisms and develop personal responses to a variety of themes using both traditional skills and new technologies.
Curriculum End Points
KS3 Art & Design
By the end of KS3 students will be able to –
- Take creative risks, experimenting with different techniques, materials and processes
- Produce creative work, explore different ideas and record in different forms.
- Become proficient in a range of different media including drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking and digital art
- Evaluate, analyse and discuss their own and others work using subject specific language, developing self-awareness and appreciating the opinion of others.
- Explore and appreciate a wide range of contemporary and historical artists, crafts people and designers
KS4 Art & Design/ Photography/ Textiles/ Graphic Communication
By the end of KS4 students will be able to-
- Develop ideas through the exploration of different sources, demonstrating their understanding of a wide range of contemporary and historical artists, crafts people and designers.
- Refine their work by exploring ideas through experimentation, developing proficient use of subject specific media and techniques.
- Record their ideas, observations and artistic journey through a number of forms including drawing and annotation.
- Present a meaningful, personal response to their research and explorations, demonstrating an understanding of the artistic process.
- Evaluate, analyse and discuss their own and others work using subject specific language, developing self-awareness and appreciating the opinion of others, using this feedback to develop their own artistic judgement.
KS3 Curriculum Map
visual arts ks3 learning journey.pdf
Curriculum in Year 7
A series of tasks and activities are designed to test the students’ artistic abilities on entering Wright Robinson. There is as much breadth as possible in order to ascertain where students’ skills may lie. Students are given demonstrations, direction and guidance where appropriate, but a certain amount of independence is expected when completing classroom tasks, as well as homework.
Key skills covered in Term 1: Mark making, primary and secondary source observational drawing skills.
During term 2, students explore a number of artists and begin to develop an understanding of design, colour theory and the application of paint. The skills from term 1 are re-visited and developed , as students respond to the theme ‘Identity’. Students also have the opportunity to work 3-dimensionally with clay, explore collage techniques, research and respond to the work of selected artists and consider the creative presentation of sketch book pages.
Homework plays a key role in providing evidence of individual abilities, practising skills and gives an opportunity for students to demonstrate practical and creative strengths. It will therefore include a range of approaches – observational work, design opportunities, independent research and literacy/annotation based tasks.
How we assess:
| Autumn Term | Spring Term | Summer Term | |
| Overview |
Students will complete a series of tasks exploring different drawing techniques to assess their artistic ability. Students will work from imagination, secondary source images and primary source objects to assess baseline skills. |
Students creative and artistic understanding will be assessed through the personal research and presentation of relevant artists work. Design, composition and colour theory will be assessed through the development of a painting inspired by the artist. |
Students use of 3-dimensional media will be assessed through the creation of a clay thumb-pot. Key skills used throughout the year will be assessed through the development of a final piece based upon the theme of 'Identity.' |
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How can parents help?
- Ensure students are provided with basic art equipment to use in school, including a pencil, rubber and a sharpener. Further equipment could also include pencil crayons, felt tip pens and watercolour paints in order to complete homework tasks and practice skills at home.
- Encourage students to draw for fun! Work from different sources, including from images, imagination and real life objects.
- Look for opportunities to visit galleries, exhibitions and museums.
Curriculum in Year 8
Students respond to the theme of ‘Man-Made V Natural Forms’ and start the year completing a series of primary source drawings in a range of media. These will be developed into repeat pattern ideas using a range of subject specific techniques. Students then develop use of media and creative knowledge in a series of fine art responses to the theme of the Natural World. Secondary source material and the work of relevant artists are used to influence and inspire creative outcomes.
Techniques explored: – range of graphic media, collage, print-making and mixed media approaches. In the final term students can experience the development of ideas using digital design processes, textile techniques, working to a graphics based design brief or photographic work.
How we assess:
| Autumn Term | Spring Term | Summer Term | |
| Overview |
Key drawing skills developed in year 7 will be revisited and assessed through the completion of observational studies of natural forms. Students creative and artistic understanding will be assessed through the personal research and presentation of a relevant artists work. |
The understanding of pattern and design will be assessed through the development of a number of repeating patterns using a range of different media and techniques. | Key skills used throughout the year and the previous year will be revisited and assessed through the completion of a final outcome based upon the theme of 'Man-made V Natural Forms.' |
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How can parents help?
- Ensure students are provided with basic art equipment to use in school, including a pencil, rubber and a sharpener. Further equipment could also include pencil crayons, felt tip pens and water colour paints in order to complete homework and practice skills at home.
- Encourage students to draw for fun! Work from different sources including from images, imagination and real life objects.
- Look for opportunities to visit galleries, exhibitions and museums.
Curriculum in Year 9
In Year 9 students experience a taste of the discreet Art and Design subjects offered at GCSE level in Wright Robinson College. Students explore the theme of ‘Animal Planet. 'Through this, students revisit media from earlier years such as drawing, painting and printing, building upon their knowledge and understanding of these key techniques. Students are also given the opportunity to explore 3D surface pattern as well as the use of new technologies and digital camera skills.
How we assess:
| Autumn Term | Spring Term | Summer Term | |
| Overview |
Key drawing skills developed in previous years will be revisited and assessed through the completion of primary source drawings from natural form objects. Material selection will be assessed following the development of an individual mixed media response to the artist’s work. |
The use of surface relief pattern will be assessed following the development of observational drawings. Students understanding and use of digital media will be assessed through a range of digital outcomes and developments of their drawings. The use of basic Photoshop skills will be assessed.
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Key skills used throughout the year and the previous year will be revisited and assessed through the completion of a final outcome based upon the theme of 'Animal Planet.' |
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How can parents help?
- Ensure students are provided with basic art equipment to use in school, including a pencil, rubber and a sharpener. Further equipment could also include pencil crayons, felt tip pens and water colour paints in order to complete homework and practice skills at home.
- Encourage students to draw for fun! Work from different sources including images, imagination and real life objects.
- Look for opportunities to visit galleries, exhibitions and museums.
Curriculum in Year 10
At GCSE level students can decide to continue to study the following GCSE discreet areas following the AQA examination board -
Throughout the year students are introduced to a range of appropriate materials, processes and techniques reflecting the breadth of art, craft and design across all areas. They are given guidance in exploring and experimenting with a range of resources, materials and techniques and are expected to work more independently as the course progresses. Students begin the process of developing the knowledge, understanding and skills of the GCSE in Year 10 through the delivery of units of study which are designed to ensure that the four assessment objectives are fully met. Themes for exploration could be ‘identity’, ‘landscape’, 'detail', 'architecture' or other starting points which have previously appeared on the AQA externally set task paper.
Units of study for each group are appropriate for a broad experience of domains, disciplines, and approaches. Skills and techniques are revisited throughout the year and new skills are introduced within a student-centered approach.
Students will become increasingly independent in demonstrating their ability to:
- Record – primary and secondary source drawing in a range of media that will demonstrate a more independent approach
- Annotate – considered written notes should reflect understanding of artistic processes and intentions.
- Research – students show an understanding of intention when investigating other artists’ work with considered creative presentation of information and analysis.
- Develop – initial drawings and research are developed in selected media, materials, techniques or processes.
How we assess:
| Autumn Term | Spring Term | Summer Term | |
| Overview |
Students will begin their coursework portfolio for Unit 1 of the course. Students will be assessed on their development of ideas, and their ability to demonstrate critical understanding of relevant artists. Use and confidence with re-visited and new skills will also be assessed throughout the term.
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Students are assessed on the development of ideas in response to skills developed in term 1. Assessment will focus on the refining, developing, reflecting and recording of ideas in appropriate forms. |
At the end of year 10, students coursework will be assessed as a whole and marked using official AQA assessment objectives. Areas of development will be identified. |
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Curriculum in Year 11
In Year 11 there are three main elements to all art and design subjects. During the first term students are introduced to the art and design ‘exam’ process through the completion of a mock ‘Externally Set Task’. The exam papers, which have a range of starting points from previous years’ externally set task, are delivered to groups in September with clear guidance and examples of how the different ‘questions’ could be approached. Students experience the freedom of selecting what they will explore for the rest of the term before they produce an outcome (or outcomes) in a supervised amount of time. This is usually a 5 hour, day long session so that students will know what to expect in March when they will be expected to complete the ‘real exam’ over the course of two days (10 hours). After being marked as a standalone ‘exam’, this project will then become coursework and possibly selected as part of the portfolio of work (unit 1), which accounts for 60% of GCSE grade.
In the second term the ‘real’ exam paper (AQA Externally Set Task/Unit 2) is distributed during the first week of January. Students produce exploratory preparatory work until the middle of March when the 10 hour supervised sessions take place. All work is marked (prep work and the outcome/s) and this Unit 2 element accounts for 40% of the final GCSE award.
In April and May students work on the selection, development and refinement of their ‘Portfolio’ Unit 1. This coursework makes up 60% of the GCSE grade. Marks for unit 1 and unit 2 are submitted to the AQA by the end of May.
How we assess:
| Autumn Term | Spring Term | Summer Term | |
| Overview | Students will be assessed on a mock exam. Marks will be awarded using the official AQA mark scheme and assessment objectives. |
Students will complete the AQA Externally set task (Unit 2) this will form 40% of the overall GCSE final grade, Coursework (Unit 1) will be assessed and will form 60% of the overall final grade. |
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How can parents help?
- Ensure students are provided with basic art equipment that can be used in school. This should include a pencil, rubber, sharpener and black pens. Further equipment would also be beneficial to help students to develop work independently in their own time. This could include good quality pencil crayons, felt tip pens, paints and brushes.
- Encourage students to work independently in their own time in order to develop their coursework. This can include set homework tasks and the development of own ideas.
- Encourage students to access specialist equipment and resources during extra-curricular sessions within the faculty at lunch time and after school.
- Look for opportunities to attend exhibitions, galleries and museums and to engage in art around us.