Art

Curriculum Overview - Art

Curriculum Intent: At Cardinal Hume, Art students are taught about the importance of creativity and expression. We inspire and challenge pupils to experiment, invent and create their own works of art, craft and design. As pupils progress, they are able to think critically and develop a more rigorous understanding of Art and Design. They will learn about different types of Art and a variety of techniques through the history of Art, understand how Art contributes to culture and learn that Art can be expressive, have meaning, feeling or a narrative. Each project teaches various skills, that build each year as pupils progress and mature. These lead to a creative, personal response.

Curriculum Implementation:

Students in Art learn in four main areas. Creativity by developing and refining ideas in each project, with increasing maturity. They become proficient with technical skills by practising these in a variety of media. These are repeated throughout the year and key-stages. These skills are built upon as students move through the school, as more difficult media is introduced, such as watercolour paint, then acrylic paint, then finally onto oil paint. They learn how to evaluate and analyse creative works, using subject specific language, beginning with analysis frameworks as scaffolding in KS3 and leading to a more in- depth, insightful essay at A-Level, to support their personal investigation. They also learn about history of Art and the cultural development of artists, craft makers and designers. In KS3 assessment takes place at the end of each module, with an average grade that is taken from various assessments and areas of study. In KS4 and 5, predicted grades are given based on the standard of work and then students are assessed using the assessment objectives for each course, when students have a full body of work.

Year 7 is designed to reinforce and build on KS2 Art, building dexterity/fine motor skills in a variety of media. Pupils will learn about the formal elements and will start with basic drawing skills such as proportion, line and tone to represent an object. They will then create their own compositions as a personal response. In Mod 2 they will then learn about colour, meaning in Art and basic techniques of water-colour painting, followed by an ‘’Isms’ project in Mod 3 that introduces them to some of the important movements in Art history. Each project has links to famous Artists in the History of Art. They will also learn how to express emotion through colour and their Art.

Year 8 is designed to give students experience of different types of Art and a variety of media. Projects are more creative and less prescribed than Year 7. Pupils look at alternative ways of drawing, illustration & print making. Each project has links to famous Artists and illustrators. Pupils will learn to be creative and make their own decisions based on their personal taste. They will learn about Surrealism as an Art movement and build on painting skills learned in Year 7.

Year 9 is designed to build on skills learnt in previous years and introduce contemporary Art. Design briefs are left more open to personal choice, encouraging independence. Street Art is introduced, with deeper meaning and more complex concepts such as protest and political Art. Further techniques such as stencil Art and acrylic painting are introduced. Each project has links to famous Artists, mostly more modern or contemporary Artists. In Module 3 students look at graphic design and create work based around a music theme.

GCSE builds on skills developed in Year 9 such as analysis, developing ideas and technical ability in a variety of media. A mini, teacher-led workshop project titled ‘Skulls & Bones’ is taught initially in year 10, leading to independent learning. Students then choose from four open project titles. (My Generation, Messages, Fantastic & Strange and The Human Condition) in a sustained project that carries through the first term of Year 11. There is an emphasis on teaching the artistic process of research and analysis, personal choice of artists, media and techniques, designing and refining ideas and a personal response to their own topic. From the beginning of Term 2 in Year 11, students undertake the controlled test (component 2), choosing from 7 titles, where they develop work that culminates in a 10 hour piece of work carried out in controlled conditions.

The BTEC Tech Award gives students the opportunity to develop their skills in both 2D and 3D media and gives them a taste of how artists and designer work within the art and design industry. In Year 10 of the course students are given the opportunity to explore a variety of both 2D and 3D materials and techniques and build their confidence using these to communicate their ideas. They will develop their presentation skills through using a sketchbook and through building a digital portfolio. In Year 11 of the course, students undertake an externally set coursework unit and exam. These determine the final grade that students will achieve.

A-Level Fine Art is very similar to GCSE but with further depth. Teaching is more one to one, with technical skills taught in the student’s chosen media. There is a focus on the artistic process and assessment criteria and an independent, person investigation is carried out. Year 12 focuses on workshops, leading to component 1, the personal investigation. (coursework). From February 1^st in Year 13, students begin component 2, the controlled test, that culminates in a 15 hour piece of work carried out in controlled conditions.