Art & Design

The art curriculum has highly structured teaching programmes to take into account individual learning needs. All pupils are challenged and supported to do their best and to develop their talents, creativity and potential to the full. Students through their knowledge and awareness are able to fulfil the schools mission statement of ‘Serving the Lord with Joy’.

We have organised a programme that develops a variety of skills in different media on a range of scales, in both 2 and 3 dimensions and involving individuals, groups and whole classes. We carry out drawing, painting, collage, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, ICT and a little textile work.

We use books, the internet, videos, slides, postcards and resource cards to familiarise the students with artists' work. We also visit art galleries to view relevant exhibitions.

It is compulsory for all students to have sketchbooks and usually these become very personal and valued items, even with the youngest students. The importance we place on homework is a contributory factor to our success.

We hold high quality exhibitions in the school every year where we display the work of GCSE and A level students so it can be marked by the examination boards (currently AQA for GCSE and Edexcel for A level).

Extra Art

There are opportunities to work in the art rooms at lunch times and after school. This is for doing work linked with KS3 class and homework and for KS4 and A level coursework. Advice can be sought from a teacher or older student at these times and materials that may be unavailable at home are provided. Students will often be encouraged to attend a specific session to receive individual help.

Educational visits

In 2010 Year 7 students visited Tate Modern to study how figures had been depicted by different artists; this was in preparation for work in Year 8. Year 10 visited ‘Picasso: Challenging the Past’ at the National Gallery to see how Picasso himself had been influenced by other artists. GCSE and A' level students are informed of and encouraged to visit as many exhibitions as possible where it is relevant to their particular work.