About Art

The teaching staff in the Art Department have a wealth of knowledge and a varied range of skills and specialisms. Working closely together to provide a wide area of study.

There are three specialist art rooms catering for all students to experience pencil, print, canvas, mixed media, clay, textiles, and sculpture. We are always looking to offer more experiences and experimentation in ‘new ‘media.

This leads to a wide breadth of study to include the work of artists and craftspeople through gallery visits, artists in residence, and workshops.

The art rooms are visually stimulating and an exciting and enjoyable place to learn art.

Year 7 and 8 Art

Please use this link for an overview of the curriculum content for year 7 and year 8 art. 

Art Long Term Plan (Y7 and Y8)

Year 9, 10 and 11

Curriculum Intent for Art

Completing a GCSE in Art and Design allows you to broaden your creative thought and understanding especially with problem solving skills. You will research a variety of contemporary artists and photographers to inspire your own work and develop your drawing, paintings, and 3D skills. By gaining a qualification in Art, you are gaining skills in presentation as well as visual language, deconstructing images and building confidence with open discussions and creative thought.

There are many techniques in Art that are available such as print making, illustration, photography, and graphics and we aim to develop the skills you are most interested in. By Year 11, you will have the confidence to complete an independent sketchbook of ideas and a final piece

Content of course

Students will receive a new sketchbook in Year 9 and will begin looking at the set theme to start with. We cover many specialisms/topics that students can thrive from, such as:

• Natural Forms – Looking at plant life, cells, microscopic natural forms, shells, textures and colour. Students will experiment with printmaking, acrylic and watercolour painting.
• Landscape – Looking at related landscape artists, as well as scale, proportion, dimension and colour blending techniques. Students will experiment with acrylic, watercolour, collage and printmaking.
• Portraiture – Looking at portraiture related artists, developing scale in drawing and painting, using acrylic and watercolour paints. Students will be required to obtain primary sources in their coursework and exam work, taking their own photographs to work draw and paint from.

Assessment

• Students will develop coursework over Year 10 and 11. This is worth 60% of the entire Art GCSE.
• Exam preparatory time will start February in Year 11 lasting for 7 weeks.
• Students will then have a 10 hour set exam spanning over 2 school days. This is worth 40% of the entire Art GCSE.
• Students will have Grade Reviews during Year 10 and 11to help prepare for the final exam in Year 11.

Course Link: AQA Level 1/Level 2 GCSE (9-1) in Art and Design (Fine Art 8202)

Student Voice

Curriculum Intent for Creative Textiles

Taking a GCSE in Creative Textiles allows students to experiment with a variety of different materials and techniques such as weaving, hand sewing and machine sewing, printmaking, and even using digital images. 

Students will have the opportunity to research a variety of different textile designers and artists, identifying their inspiration and process then using their own primary sources will be able to create their own textile outcomes.  

Students will also develop drawing and painting skills for research and development purposes in sketchbooks.  

Mixed-media and collage is a fundamental part of the course and students will be able to experiment with layering and building up materials to create a textile/surface outcome. 

Content of course

• Outline – Students will look at the human figure and experiment with hand sewing. Students will investigate artists such as Rosie James, Sue Stone and Ed Fairburn.
• Natural Forms – Students will investigate relevant and related artists and create sample work in sketchbooks and larger scale.
• Landscape – Students will have the opportunity to explore the work of Ingrid Karlson, using mixed media materials such as paper, paint and fabrics.

Assessment

• Students will develop coursework over Year 10 and 11. This is worth 60% of the entire Creative Textiles GCSE.
• Exam preparatory time will start February in Year 11 lasting for 7 weeks.
• Students will then have a 10 hour set exam spanning over 2 school days. This is worth 40% of the entire Art GCSE.
• Students will have Grade Reviews during Year 10 and 11to help prepare for the final exam in Year 11.

Course Link: AQA Level 1/Level 2 GCSE (9-1) in Art and Design (Textile Design 8204)

Student Voice

Curriculum Intent for Art Photography

Taking photographs allows students to see the world through different perspectives. We aim to give students the opportunity to use SLR cameras both in school and on various trips. Students will be able to visit historical architecture, local landscapes and cityscapes.

Using Adobe Photoshop students will learn how to edit their photographs and present them in various styles both digitally and on presentation boards.

We aim for students to think as creatively as they can and will have opportunities to come up with their own photo shoot ideas that they can complete independently, allowing students to develop their own style of photography.

Content of course

Students will start the year 9 course looking at how to use the SLR camera and will begin looking at still life natural forms to develop camera skills, especially with zooming and focusing. Students will then look at the following through Years 10 and 11: 

• Natural Forms – Edward Weston (artist) shells, flower form, frozen natural forms, and decaying forms. 
• Architecture – Visiting historical buildings such as Victoria Baths in Manchester. 
• Landscape – Looking at landscape related artists, local landscape photo shoots,   independent homework projects that students can do in their own time. 
• Cityscape – Manchester Centre/Salford Quays, looking at contemporary architecture. 
• Portraiture – Looking at portrait related artists/photographers and creating photo shoots in a similar style to gain inspiration for independent photo shoots. 

Assessment

• Students will develop coursework over Year 10 and 11. This is worth 60% of the entire Photography GCSE. 
• Exam preparatory time will start February in Year 11 lasting for 7 weeks. 
• Students will then have a 10 hour set exam spanning over 2 school days. This is worth 40% of the entire Photography GCSE. 
• Students will have Grade Reviews during Year 10 and 11to help prepare for the final exam in Year 11. 

Course Link: Pearson Edexcel Level 1/Level 2 GCSE (9-1) in Art and Design (photography) 

Student Voice

Home Learning Policy for Art

The home learning policy for this subject is currently under review and will be published when complete.