Art and Design

Intent

To develop skills and critical thinking within art. Our aim is to broaden the students conceptions of how art is created, to move away from traditional expectations of art, opening their opportunities to explore and develop through different media and thematic response.

VIDEO: Is Art just pencil and paint?

VIDEO: Learn more about the Art and Design at MHS
 

Learning hours

Knowledge, Understanding and Skills

The national curriculum for Art and Design ensures pupils produce creative work, develop proficiency in various artistic techniques, and evaluate and analyse art. They also learn about great artists, craft makers, and designers, gaining an understanding of the cultural and historical developments that have shaped art forms.

In KS3 the focus is the fundamental elements that encompass the aesthetics of Art throughout history. These building blocks are commonly referred to as the “formal elements” and include line, tone, pattern, colour, texture, shape and form. The understanding of these elements as a starting point will support future learning and develop greater insights into artist analysis and evaluation with regards to own practice.

At KS4 we have a strong emphasis on drawing as a starting point to create confidence within our students before exploring and instilling the four assessments objectives through a range of practical techniques and outcomes. We focus on developing concepts and ideas based on a project theme, as this is the format for their externally set assignment and final exam, as a result and due to the nature of the subject there is always scope for varied interpretation and a range of creative outcomes being produced. The aim is for students to understand the process of developing ideas from a starting point to a final outcome; gaining knowledge on how to develop these ideas through refinement, reflection, technique process and inspiring artists.

The GCSE coursework unit (Component 1 is worth 60%) is divided into two separate projects to create two independently resolved components. Students will have the opportunity to become more independent in their choice of artistic influences throughout the course of the project that will be guided upon their own independent research. Students resolve their ideas making connections across their investigation to produce meaningful and imaginative outcomes. We make sure to build upon their strong foundation skills developed at KS3 yet embark on a more in-depth approach to produce sustained, developed and refined outcomes. Their second project will be more diverse in project theme options to prepare them in advance for their externally set assignment by Pearson. At this stage we will introduce them to idea of visual mind mapping from which students take a more personal and independent direction in their work. Both projects will conclude with a large-scale final piece in media of their choice.

5 year learning journey 

Specification

Edexcel Art, Craft and Design Specification- Link

Specification Summary 

Careers

Learning through and about the arts enriches the experience of studying while at school as well as preparing students for life after school.

• Artist
• Computer games designer
• Photographer
• Graphic designer
• Advertising and marketing 
• Illustrator
• Architect
• Fashion designer
• Gallery curator

Extra curricular opportunities

• Visit different Art galleries
• Take part in school-wide competitions during National Art Week
• Support at local primary schools as an Art Ambassador
• Street Art
• Art and Photography

Useful websites to support your learning 

Website	How it can support students
Pearson Edexcel Art and Design	The official qualification page, containing the specification and assessment information.
Pearson Course Materials and Exemplar Gallery	Provides assessment materials and examples of student work at different performance levels. Particularly useful for understanding the assessment objectives.
Student Art Guide	Excellent guidance on developing ideas, researching artists, experimenting with materials and presenting a successful sketchbook.
Student Art Guide – Sketchbook Ideas	Practical suggestions for layouts, annotations, artist studies and documenting the creative process.
Tate – Art and Artists	A reliable source for researching artists, artworks, techniques, styles and artistic movements.
Art UK	Offers access to thousands of artworks from collections across the UK, supporting artist and contextual research.
V&A Collections	Particularly valuable for researching textiles, fashion, photography, sculpture, ceramics, design and decorative arts.
The National Gallery	Provides high-quality images and information about significant paintings and artists.
Google Arts & Culture	Allows students to explore museums, exhibitions and artworks from around the world.
The Art Teacher – Grade 9 Examples	Shows examples of high-quality GCSE artwork and sketchbook presentation. The examples are not all Edexcel-specific, so students should also consult Pearson exemplars.
Save My Exams – Edexcel Art, Craft and Design	Provides a helpful overview of the qualification and its assessment structure.
Pearson Art and Design Videos	Video guidance covering the creative process and different aspects of Art and Design.