Art and Design

Purpose of study 

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. 

We currently offer two 40-minute lessons as a double lesson per week in KS3, which means that the curriculum has in part been dictated by the teaching time available. KS3 students will sit termly assessments based on what they are studying three times per year – this means that students’ progress and performance is able to be monitored and tracked so that students can be clearly guided to improved outcomes and also fostering opportunities for the sharing of good practice and ‘what works’ across the department.

What is the intention of the KS3 curriculum?

Aims 

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

• Create - produce creative work, exploring their ideas and recording their experiences.  
• Make - 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.  
• Knowledge and Understanding - know about great artists, craft makers and designers, and understand the historical and cultural development of their art forms.  

Attainment targets 

By the end of key stage 3, pupils are expected to know, apply and understand the matters, skills and processes specified in the programme of study. 

Art and design – Subject content 

Key stage 3 

Pupils should be taught to develop their creativity and ideas and increase proficiency in their execution. They should develop a critical understanding of artists, architects and designers, expressing reasoned judgements that can inform their own work. 

Pupils should be 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. 

How will this be implemented?

• Art and Design projects are planned across each year of KS3. Each project has been designed to explore the major aspects of Create, Make, Evaluate and Knowledge and understanding. 

• Students will be encouraged to work both independently and collaboratively to understand principles of Art and Design in the wider context.
• Each project will focus on a particular discipline to build student confidence and knowledge. Active participation is encouraged for all students irrespective of ability. 

How will you judge the impact of this curriculum?

Students sit three assessments annually, which are cumulative. The assessment model, and the curriculum, are cumulative in their structure and so students are expected to know more, retain more and being able to use existing and newly acquired knowledge to engage in practical and theoretical knowledge.

The constituent parts of the assessments involve:

• Knowledge tests (completed in lessons). 
• Practical outcomes – students are increasingly expected to be able to choose and use materials and processes based on their suitability for a given task.
• Extended written work when evaluating projects and products they have produced with emphasis on quality of written communication.

Ultimately, teacher assessment should also be used to ensure that the curriculum is being delivered in an impactful way. Teachers should frequently reflect on whether students know more and are able to recall information and demonstrate understanding from earlier in the course as well as what they have most recently produced. They should look to ascertain whether students are becoming more comfortable with aspects of art and design and growing in confidence in articulating their initial thoughts and ideas.

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Art at Harris Academy Orpington

KS3 - Year 7

The purpose of study in Year 7 is to provide students with the building blocks for developing great, independent work. It is evident through historical baseline data that entry level ability is varied and somewhat lower than expected. The aim is to provide our students with a range of practical and critical experiences to enable them to build confidence and to produce creative future work that demonstrates their understanding and knowledge. Art in Year 7 is therefore very much a core skill-based programme focusing on the key visual language and formal elements, leading to projects that encourage imagination and creative thought. 

Term 1 pupils focus on the formal elements of art and recording from direct experience focusing on still life and a range of artists linked to the theme to develop their understanding of art history. 

In term 2 pupils focus on painting and colour mixing looking at abstraction, shape and colour from a range of modern and contemporary artists. They will create their own abstract composition inspired by listening to music.

In term 3 pupils will study natural forms and how Islamic art created intricate tessellated patterns to create their own rotational pattern using a variety of media, materials and techniques from printing, collage and painting.

Year 8

The purpose of study in Year 8 is to build upon the basic skills students started in year 7 to develop the confidence and understanding to develop more creative independent work. The aim is to provide our students with a wider range of practical and critical experiences to enable them to build confidence and to produce creative future work that demonstrates their understanding and knowledge. 

In term one the focus is again still life direct observational recording however pupils explore their own personal ideas using a range of wet and dry media.

Term two moves introduces the pupils into simple clay building techniques to make their own hand-built clay gargoyles, whilst studying the historical and cultural aspect of medieval architecture.

In the final term pupils explore historical and modern portraiture through a range of different media looking at how different artists convey emotion though the use of colour, process and techniques.

Year 9

The purpose of study in year 9 is to further develop pupil confidence and understanding and prepare them for their options at KS4. The projects develop their skills and knowledge of a variety of techniques, and knowledge of a variety of artists in order to raise their awareness of a range of cultures and genres of art.

The first unit in term 1 is based on drawing and observation and builds up a portfolio of various painting techniques and materials towards an outcome based upon the theme of food whilst linking to Pop artists studied throughout the term. Pupils will develop their drawing and painting skills in the Autumn term before moving on to focus on new printing techniques to create a repeat pattern 3 reduction print lino-print outcome. 

Students will research the how the figure is represented in a range of art forms over time. They will use wire to form an individual figurative sculpture to create a group installation inspired by the Holocaust memorial for Kindertransport. They will also analyse how artists and photographers have depicted movement on a flat surface and use both the photographic process, digital manipulation, and paint to create an outcome inspired by movement. Students look at how art is used to highlight awareness and/or commemorate important and sometimes challenging moments in history.

In the summer term of year 9 students will be given a design brief to create an artwork for a magazine where they use image and text to highlight a global or social issue important to them. Various artists who use the written word in their work will be researched to help inspire their ideas. This encourages students to think more widely about the purpose of art within the wider world as a medium but also as a future career choice.

KS4

In Year 10 art students have two double lessons a week where the students start their BTEC coursework. BTEC is broken into two units. Unit 1 coursework paper is released in November – last year's theme was Narrative. It is completed in year 10 and is worth 60% of the overall final GCSE grade. Students may have the opportunity to retake unit 1 in year 11 depending on their result in year 10. 

Unit 2 is set by the exam board and started in January of year 11. Last year’s client brief was art and design work for a music event. The course is vocational, where they will learn the importance of research and responses to design briefs, roles, responsibilities, creative processes and approaches in the arts sector. They will build sector specific knowledge and technical skills that show an aptitude for further learning, both in the arts sector and more widely.

Year 10 builds upon skills, knowledge and techniques in the y9 but aims to develop pupil’s ability to sustain an idea for longer by building in a series of outcomes along one theme – This year the design brief is a cookbook cover for vegetarian recipes. Pupils will research a range of artists to inspire their ideas before starting their own food-based outcomes. They then adapt their design using digital processes for the cookbook cover. Pupils learn to present their work in a portfolio which they can then present to the client. 

In year 11 prior to starting unit 2 students will complete a practise unit. They will start a new design brief for the mock unit on Biomimicry. Pupils research a range of artists, designers and architects to inspire their ideas before starting their own artwork which promotes Biomimicry for a Botanical Garden.  Pupils also learn to present their work in a portfolio which they can then present to the client.  They produce their mock unit 2 outcome during their mock exam usually in November.  

In February the exam board Edexcel release the Externally set assignment unit 2 which is worth 40% of their final BTEC grade. The key element is to develop pupil’s independence in developing a personal idea based upon the unseen theme. Students then have 12 weeks preparatory period where they research and explore their ideas for their 8-hour exam at the end of their BTEC course in late spring. They will need to research and develop ideas which culminates in a written exam where they explain their ideas and how they link to the client brief. After the practical exam they must prepare their client portfolio for assessment.

KS5

At KS5 students have 4 double lessons a week. In year 12 students start unit 1 with a 6-week introductory unit which includes media workshops where students experiment with a range of techniques under the theme of ‘Structures’. This allows students to then develop their personal ideas into their chosen medium of Fine Art, or Photography. The course encourages independence however group and individual tutorials are set depending on where students’ ideas take them.

In the late Spring student are given an end of year exam unit to research, plan and prepare their ideas for the exams in June. These two units will contribute to their Personal Investigation unit worth 60%.

In year 13 students continue to develop, research and explore their ideas for their Personal Investigation unit started in year 12. Alongside this they start their personal study essay which is 18% of their total grade and is between 1000 and 3000 words based upon their chosen theme. Unit 1 deadline is the end of January.

In February the exam board releases the Externally Set Assignment. Students will have 3 months to develop their ideas, research a range of artists and experiment with a range of media and materials for the final 15-hour exam in May. This unit is worth 40% of their final A level grade.