Art and Design

CURRICULUM VISION

Our intent is to inspire students to act and think like artists, craftspeople and designers. We will build confidence and skills across a range of techniques through a creative process of practice, experimentation and refinement. We hope that all of our students can contribute to the cultural, social, political and emotional wellbeing of our community by creating artwork that conveys depth and meaning.

In particular our students will:

acquire knowledge and wisdom by learning thematically, developing their understanding of objects and artefacts through resource based learning.
be encouraged to develop self-expression, creative risk taking and embrace challenge.
explore how to appreciate the visual world and respond to it in an individual, personal and creative way,
develop an ability to assess social, moral, ethical and aesthetic values through the practice and appreciation of Art, Craft and Design.

What is Art and Design?

Art is something we do, a verb. Art and Design is an expression of our thoughts, emotions and intuitions which encourages imagination, observation, and decision making skills. It is about sharing the way we experience the world visually, and communicating concepts that sometimes cannot portrayed by words alone.

Why do we study Art and Design?

Learning through and about the arts enriches the experience of studying while at school as well as preparing students for life after school. Arts subjects build confidence and a sense of individual identity as well as encouraging self-expression and creativity and the development of technical skills. This can help with wellbeing and improving health and happiness. Studying arts subjects also help to develop critical thinking, the ability to interpret the world around us and an appreciation of art in society and different cultures.

What do we study?

Learning is associated with a theme, which helps students to develop their skills and understanding in context. Themes may include Renaissance Renew, Living in a World of Pattern, Vintage and Retro, Transformation.

At KS3 students will explore the elements of ‘Line, Tone, Shade, Colour, Shape, Form, Pattern and Texture’. Students learn about colour theory using the double primary system, record from observation and create mixed media work.
At KS4 students can choose to study Art at GCSE level where they can develop personal themes, based on issues around concepts reflecting society today, in a variety of 2 and 3D techniques. There is an emphasis on developing individual themes and building autonomous work practices. Work will be related to that of other artists and designers in a contemporary, cultural and historical context.

In the Sixth Form students can build on these work practices through the A level Art course. Developing in-depth experimentation, development, refinement and analysis by following personal themes and contextual research.

To view a full summary of our KS3 and KS4 Art curriculum please click here

To view information about Art A level at the Green School Sixth Form please click here

CURRICULUM IMPLEMENTATION

How do we study Art?

All students have the opportunity to explore painting, collage, mixed media and printmaking. They learn from observing demonstrations, looking at exemplar work, experimenting with techniques and by working individually or collaboratively. When studying Art, they develop a sense of craftsmanship and an appreciation of the practical and technical skills learnt through revisiting, refining and redrafting. Analytical and research skills are an integral part of all projects and support contextual understanding and appreciation. This is achieved through individual research, group discussions and presentations.

Presentation of Work

Work is completed in an A4 school sketchbook, and additional work is compiled into a personal portfolio. The presentation of work will sometimes require a written interpretation and should always be completed to the best of a student's ability. A finished piece of work is the result of a process of exploration and imagination. The process is as important as the final piece itself.

Home Learning

A creative process often requires more time than we have in a single lesson. Development of a theme outside of the classroom can take the form of research, sketching ideas and concepts or note making ready for the next lesson. It can be a set task from the teacher or an opportunity for students to choose to work independently.

Co - curricular activities

Our co-curricular activities for Art are predominantly based around projects linked to the local community or other curriculum areas. Examples currently include a community project with Hounslow Council where some of our high achieving Year 8 students are working with a local artist and students from The Green School for Girls to design panels for the redevelopment of a historic bridge in Brentford. The project should be finished by the end of Summer 2020, when the work will be on display in our local community. We also have an inter-house competition running in collaboration with the RE department which provides students with an opportunity to explore their faith through art. The top 10 pieces will be entered into the national NATRE competition. We also run an annual Trust Christmas Card design competition.

How parents/carers can support their children

There will often be additional resources and 'Reach Beyond Your Grasp' tasks available on the Google Classroom. Take time to ask your son about these and encourage them to have a go! School holidays are the perfect opportunity to visit galleries and museums, many of them will have workshops and exhibitions specifically aimed at 11-18 year olds on during these times. With the expansion of television channels available through Freeview, there are often factual art programmes being shown which you can watch with your son and use as a catalyst for discussion.

CURRICULUM IMPACT

Assessment

Formative assessment takes place in lessons through discussion and plenaries, students are encouraged to both self and peer assess work, providing constructive comments as well as giving a clear explanation of the thought process behind their work. Summative assessment of projects identifies strengths and improvements and students respond to this feedforward. There are formal examinations at the end of each year.

Careers Leading on from Art

There are many career choices in art, craft & design. Most students will do a 1 Year Foundation course at an Art College before applying to degree courses in more specialist areas of art such as fine art, sculpture, ceramics, textiles, printing, etc.
Art students may wish to go into a job where it is useful to have some experience of art or where they will need to use some of the skills from the course i.e. a career in advertising, marketing, design, architecture, publishing and the media, theatre, museums and gallery work.
To view more information about our school Careers programme please click here.

The Green School for Boys