Curriculum overview
The Art & Design curriculum is stimulating and vibrant, embracing both two and three-dimensional work. We aim to encourage creativity and imagination. The creative process is a balance of thinking and acting creatively. It involves taking risks to progress and produce original outcomes.
The Art & Design Department celebrates the individuality of each student whilst taking their studies further into GCSE. Our curriculum has been designed to cater to all abilities and aptitudes for this subject and to guide our students to out-perform their initial capacity. A range of techniques, processes and methods, using traditional media and digital languages, will prepare our students to demonstrate creativity and confidently develop skill sets to create a body of work drawn from their experiences and surroundings.
Within the department we embed a basic skill set of formal elements: line, tone, shape and form, colour, texture and pattern. Students immerse themselves in the fundamental practical skills required to construct and deconstruct concepts and forms. This is achieved through the understanding of the formal elements and applying them into a series of visual works. Observational study is a core component of the basic skills and drawing from real things is a key starting point in many of the projects. Projects can vary from year to year but are linked to the basic skills.
We nurture creativity by helping students to establish original purpose and intention in their work - stimulating and rewarding curiosity and exploration by encouraging confidence and the willingness to take risks, building on intrinsic motivation and facilitating opportunities for choice and discovery.
We ensure students discover social and cultural diversity through the study of the issues that shape our own lives, our communities, beliefs and the wider forces of globalisation.
We create opportunities for all students to access an inclusive and personally differentiated curriculum appropriate to their individual aspirations. We develop the individual through independent and collaborative work often seen in the Art & Design industry.
Assessment
- Exam Board: Eduqas WJEC
- Qualification: GCSE
- Component 1 - Portfolio (60%)
- Component 2 - Externally set assignment (40%)
Links to Future Study & Careers
Students who study GCSE Art and Design can go on to study Art and Design A-Level or a BTEC Level 3. These qualifications can lead to studying a wide range of subjects at university in specialised areas of Art and Design or onto exciting art based apprenticeships. Some universities require you to have a foundation degree in Art and design. It is therefore worthwhile looking at colleges and universities that have a good reputation for these. An Art and Design qualification is extremely flexible and highly valued in jobs such as architecture, graphic design, interior design and film, to name just a few. You may aspire to become an artist or photographer (including fashion, portrait or documentary), working in film – including stage and scene design, CGI, cinematography, games design or animation. Other career paths include web design, illustration, curator, working in advertising and branding, and art therapy.
Curriculum map
Please click here for the GCSE Art curriculum map