Art and Design at Saint George's

The Art department:-

Mrs C Martin (Head of Art and Design), Miss G Forde, Mr C Robinson

In the Art department we all teach a very wide range of Art and design disciplines to give the pupils a wide range of knowledge and experiences in the subject. We believe that each year group should experience a variety of processes and techniques in Art in both two and three dimensions in order to build up a good range of skills. In our department we teach pupils how to think for themselves when working on a project. We encourage them to be confident and skillful in their Art. We take our subject seriously and we expect pupils to do so too. We inspire pupils by what we have in the world around us as well as by showing them artists' work. We each have a good range af art books to use with pupils as well as a television and video, laminated pictures, a slide projector, access to computer projectors and computers for image manipulation, critical and contextual studies and internet research. In the department we have three art rooms. One of these rooms houses two kilns for firing clay and another room has an adjacent darkroom and is generally very well equipped for practicing both photography and textiles. We offer after school clubs and pupils are encouraged to come into the Art rooms both during lunch hour and after school to continue with project work or to do homework.

Year 7 Curriculum

All students in year 7 have one hour a week of Art. Pupils in year 7 experience the use of the seven visual elements in their projects: - line, shape, tone, colour, form, pattern and texture. By the end of year seven, pupils will be very familiar with these terms and will recognise the importance of them in Art and Design.

Key Stage Three Curriculum

All pupils in years 7 and 8 have one hour a week of Art. In year 8 the seven visual elements are reinforced from year seven and taught at a deeper and more advanced level. In years 7 and 8 pupils cover the following art and design disciplines in order to receive a wide range of experiences:- Observational drawing, drawing and painting, sculpture, design, ICT, mixed media, printmaking, textiles and critical and contextual studies. Observational drawing is the key to a good foundation in Art and Design and is taught to a high standard. The appreciation and study of other artists/designers work (critical and contextual studies) is also an integral part of Art and Design education and is used to inspire homework and classwork tasks as much as possible. We use a very wide variety of artists, craftsmen and designers to inspire work, ranging from the cave painters through to contemporary artists.

By the end of Key Stage Three pupils will have covered common Art themes such as 'The Portrait', 'The Figure', 'Landscape' and 'Still Life'. In Years 7 and 8 pupils experience pair work and group work activities as well as working individually. Homework at Key Stage Three is normally done in A4 sketchbooks. Homework tasks range from observational drawing and other practical tasks to internet and library research.

Key Stages Four and Five

Art and Design is a very popular option at GCSE and AS and A2 Level. We encourage pupils to take the an Art course if they are enthusiastic and commited to the subject. We follow the AQA syllabus for both GCSE and AS and A2 Level. GCSE entails coursework of 60% and an exam of 40%. Most of the GCSE coursework is completed in years 9 and 10. We do three coursework projects. In Year 11 pupils finish off coursework, then they do a mock exam which requires a few weeks preparation, then shortly afterwards we start to prepare students for their real exam. The AS and A2 couses are both similar in structure. Students do two coursework units and one exam unit within the academic year.

Art and Design Trips