Art
The Art Department aims to inspire our students to become curious, 
confident and creative learners through their knowledge, skill and understanding of Art, Craft and Design. Nurturing a curiosity and enquiry into creative human endeavour across time, place and culture provides our students with cultural literacy and a confident sense of self-worth. We provide an environment within which students can explore their creativity and learn practical skills across a broad range of media, enabling them to express and communicate their ideas visually. Our Art ts aspire to build on prior knowledge, skills and understanding as they progress through their education, enabling them to develop their individual artistic voice with increasing confidence.
Art Curriculum Journey
At Key Stage 3 students are allocated the following time to Art lessons:
Year 7 – 3 hours a fortnight
Year 8 – 3 hours a fortnight
Year 9 – 2 hours a fortnight
The Art Department has three experienced members of staff.
Miss McLean – Subject Leader Art, Curriculum Leader The Arts,
Mrs Howarth – Teacher of Art, Head of Progress and Learning sixth form
Mrs Pendlington – Teacher of Art, Community Arts Co-ordinator
The Art and Design department at Sale Grammar school strives to provide an environment within which young people can explore their creativity and learn skills that enable them to express and communicate their ideas visually. Structured courses allow learners to build skills and confidence, enabling them to develop their work with increasing independence.
At KS3 students follow the Core Learning Objectives in Art for each year group.
The KS3 Art Department scheme of work is devised to develop student’s knowledge and understanding of the formal elements of Art and Design and how to apply these creatively. Students explore the work of artists in order to understand how they could apply their understanding of the formal elements with intent. Curiosity of materials, media, their own and others viewpoints of the world around them is nurtured to support students to become confident learners.
The curriculum in Year 9 extends students holistic understanding of applying formal elements when developing a Fine Art project with greater independence. The Summer Term scheme of work for Year 9 follows investigation of photographic artists and processes through personal photographic outcomes.
Within Year 7 and 8 students will be taught units of work on Line, Colour, Pattern, Texture, Form, Tone. Year 9 students will be taught a unit of work on Fine Art, followed by a shorter unit of work on Photographic processes and techniques. Art teachers devise their own approach to each unit of work leading to differing outcomes in each class.
The department has a commitment to cross-curricular, international and community engagement through Art.
Units of work also address the following:
Year 7: All students will study Indian Art and learn clay skills.
Year 8: All students will study African Art to support the charity ‘Made with Hope’ and learn clay skills.
Year 9: All students will study Chinese Art.
Assessment in Art at Key Stage 3 is through continual assessment across the schemes of work. Formative assessment takes place at a key pivotal point in the prep work stage, often using peer and self assessment in order that students respond to make better progress in the outcome. Summative assessment at the end of each scheme of work supports students progress with feedback that informs them of areas of success, along with a SMART target to respond to, either immediately or to develop within the subsequent scheme of work. This form of assessment supports students ongoing self awareness of the development of their strengths and a structure with which to develop those areas they find more challenging. The process of self reflection and the ability to act on this becomes a critical skill at Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 5 where all work is used as Non-Examined Assessment to inform their external examination grade. At this point the ability to reflect on their own practise and decision making, and make measured change is assessed.
For Students and Parents who are curious about what Art looks like beyond Key Stage 3, and how the study of Art might support future ambitions
Our students who study Art at GCSE are those who enjoy enquiry, th
rough a practical experience. In order that students can explore and investigate themes through a broad range of media and outcomes we follow the AQA GCSE in Fine Art. At the conclusion of KS4 many students have developed interests in pursuing art and design at Key Stage 5 while others feel confident in their manual dexterity skills that will support developing interests in engineering, medicine or dentistry. All of our students enjoy the opportunity to develop transferable skills as creative thinkers and as problem solvers.
A Level Art students are those who enjoy following a line of investigation through practical means, and those who want to refine their practical and creative skill. Students who have studied Art A Level at Sale Grammar School have been successfully accepted on degrees for Pharmacy, Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Interior Architecture, Film, Fashion Marketing, Fashion Design, Fine Art, Art History, Animation, Illustration, Computer animation, Russian and Spanish, Dentistry, Computer Game Design, Graphic Design, Photography, Jewellery Design, Liberal Arts, Business and Fashion.
For those students who are interested in pursuing Art and Design beyond school, the accepted route to apply to study on a degree is by first completing a Foundation Diploma in Art and Design – commonly referred to a ‘Art Foundation’. This one year course enables students to explore a broad range of media and disciplines within Art and Design, before making a decision on which Art School to apply to study for their degree. Our students have been successful in being accepted on Art Foundation at: Manchester School of Art (MMU), Leeds School of Arts (Le
eds Beckett University), University of Brighton, Central St Martins (UAL). Some of the most exciting and highly regarded degree courses are delivered by ‘Art Schools’ or ‘Art Colleges’ affiliated to universities, rather than the traditional ‘red brick’ Russell Group Universities and we support our students in understanding and aspiring to apply to the best courses that will provide them with a positive start for their future aspirations. If you are interested in finding out more about the very particular routes into tertiary education in The Arts you might choose to investigate some of the following Art Schools to find out more: Manchester School of Art - MMU, Central St Martins -UAL, Chelsea College of Arts - UAL, Camberwell College of Arts – UAL, The Bartlett – UCL, The Slade – UCL, Kingston University London, School of Design and Creative Arts – Loughborough University.
We encourage past students to visit the Art Department and to share their progression with current students through the development of their portf
olio’s of work, and through discussion about how they have used the knowledge and skills that they learnt from studying Art at school to inform their future decisions. A Level students share advice and tips on how to manage portfolio requests and interview tasks when applying for tertiary study with Year 12. Where possible we encourage students to engage in understanding career routes through discussion and conversation with specialists when we visit Museum and Galleries.
Art Around the School
Art work of all students is celebrated in displays around the school environment for all to enjoy.
Community Art
Each year all of our art students create a community art whole school installation in response to a theme, such as marking armistice day, responding to Young Minds 'helloyellow' campaign, or nurturing a positive mindset in response to our pandemic experience.
Family Learning Workshop
Our out of hours community art programme is devised to support and encourage students in Key Stage 2 through their transition into Key Stage 3.
Our Family Learning workshop provides Year 7 students with the opportunity to make art with a family member, supporting families in understanding the change of environment from primary to secondary school.
Our Year 5 Gifted and Talented art workshop offers students and primary schools the opportunity to stretch and challenge themselves, learning about new artists, skills and techniques in Art.
Visual Arts Summer School
Our highly successful Visual Arts Summer School brings together stu
dents from Years 4, 5, 6, and 7. Guest artists lead on workshops covering a range of art and craft activities which culminate in an exhibition celebrating achievement.
Our sixth form student leader ‘Art Ambassadors’ excel at supporting our young participants in our community arts programme, nurturing and encouraging them to enjoy and feel proud of their achievement in Art.
The Art Department
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
KS3 World Building Art M35 |
Year 8 Art Club M35 |
Year 9 Community Art M35 |
Year 7 Art Club (Manga) M35 |
Art History Sketchbook Club (Anyone even if you don't study Art M35 |
Read, Research and Investigate Art
GCSE Art and Design - BBC Bitesize
DK – The Art Book - isbn 9780241239018
Key Stage 3 Learning Objectives
YEAR 7 CORE LEARNING OBJECTIVES IN ART
Year 7 students will be taught units of work on Line, Colour, Pattern, Texture, Form, Tone. In addition to investigating the work of a range of artists, students will also investigate art and culture from India.
Investigate sources including analysis of artist reference
- Research visual qualities of artists’ work
- Comment upon how background knowledge of the artist has informed the style or development of their work
- Explain this knowledge in their own words through annotation
- Use images to support their analysis of artists
- Explain how their research has inspired their own work in a written project evaluation
- Locate secondary sources to begin to develop their practical work
Refine work through experimentation of ideas and media
- Create experiments with appropriate media
- Use experiments to inform a developed piece of work
- Demonstrate control with a variety of different tools
- Demonstrate understanding of the formal elements in art
- Annotate their experimentation to outline successes
- Select from their observations when working towards an outcome
- Plan compositions and/or 3D designs in thumbnail drawings
Record ideas, observations and insights
- Record initial ideas
- Record through annotation
- Record through observational drawing
- Demonstrate manipulation control with a drawing tools as appropriate to outcomes
- Demonstrate manipulation control of the formal elements (line, tone, form, pattern, texture, colour) with regards to drawing
Complete a final outcome
- showing influence from the artists investigated in the topic
- containing visual elements that have been explored through prep work for the topic
- using media that has been manipulated with control
YEAR 8 CORE LEARNING OBJECTIVES IN ART
Year 8 students will be taught units of work on Line, Colour, Pattern, Texture, Form, Tone, learning to strengthen their understanding and skills learnt in Year 7 to a higher standard of control and creative application. In addition to investigating the work of a range of artists, students will also investigate art and culture from Africa.
Investigate sources including analysis of artist reference
- Compare and contrast visual qualities in artists’ work
- Collect information about the background knowledge of artists’ with reference to how this has informed the artists’ work
- Explain this knowledge in their own words through initial annotation and extended writing
- Collect images to support their analysis of artists
- Write about how their research has inspired their own work
- Use primary and secondary sources to begin to develop their practical work
Refine work through experimentation of ideas and media
- Create a set of experiments with appropriate media
- Make selections for the most appropriate of experiments to inform a developed piece of work
- Demonstrate a good level of manipulation control with a variety of different tools
- Demonstrate a good level of manipulation control of the formal elements in art
- Annotate their experimentation to outline successes
- Revisit their observations in order to work towards an outcome
- Plan compositions and/or 3D designs in thumbnail drawings
Record ideas, observations and insights
- Record initial ideas
- Record through annotation demonstrating a focus for development within the project
- Record through observational drawing
- Demonstrate good manipulation control with drawing tools as appropriate to outcomes
- Demonstrate good manipulation control of the formal elements (line, tone, form, pattern, texture, colour) with regards to drawing for purpose
Complete a final outcome
- Showing visual influence from the artists’ investigated in the topic
- Containing visual elements that have been explored or recorded during prep work for the topic
- Using appropriately selected media that has been manipulated to a good standard with control
YEAR 9 CORE LEARNING OBJECTIVES
The curriculum in Year 9 extends students holistic understanding of applying formal elements when developing a Fine Art project with greater independence. In addition to investigating the work of a range of artists, students will also investigate art and culture from China. The Summer Term unit of work for Year 9 follows investigation of photographic artists and processes through personal photographic outcomes.
Investigate sources including analysis of artist reference
- Compare and contrast visual qualities in artists’ work
- Understand how the background knowledge of the artist has informed the style or development of their work
- Write confidently to explain this knowledge in their own words through initial annotation and extended writing
- Selectively collect and use images to support their analysis of artists
- Write confidently about how their research has inspired their own work
- Locate primary and secondary sources to begin to develop their practical work
Refine work through experimentation of ideas and media
- Create a set of experiments with appropriate media
- Improve the quality of the most appropriate of the experiments in a developed piece of work with independence
- Demonstrate a high level of manipulation control with a variety of different tools
- Demonstrate a high level of manipulation control of the formal elements in Art
- Annotate their experimentation to outline successes in relation to the topic
- Consistently revisit their observations becoming more selective as they work towards an outcome
- Plan compositions and/or 3D designs in thumbnail drawings
Record ideas, observations and insights
- Record initial ideas incorporating reference to the 4 titles on the objective table
- Record through annotation demonstrating a focus for development within the project that comes from what has been observed
- Record through sustained observational drawing
- Demonstrate a high level of manipulation control with a drawing tools as appropriate to outcomes
- Demonstrate a high level of manipulation control of the formal elements (line, tone, form, pattern, texture, colour) with regards to drawing for purpose
Complete a final outcome
- showing clear visual influence from the artists investigated in the topic
- containing visual elements that have been explored and recorded through prep work for the topic
Key Stage 4 Learning Objectives
|
Exam Board |
AQA |
|
Assessed by |
Non-examination assessment - Portfolio Non-examination assessment - Externally set assignment |
Overview
The AQA course aims to stimulate curiosity and creativity through Art. It allows students to develop the skills to explore, create and communicate their own ideas through investigation of themes or starting points. Examples of themes from previous years have been as broad ranging as ‘Strange and Fantastic Beasts’, ‘Collections’ and ‘Light and Dark’. This course provides students with the opportunity to explore a variety of techniques and materials giving students a greater understanding of the visual language of Art and Design. Skills will be demonstrated through the development, refinement, recording, realisation and presentation of their ideas. Emphasis within the mark scheme is on demonstrating creative personal ideas in a practical experience through art work, handling art media skillfully and selectively.
Art and Design
We offer a broad-based practical Art and Design course intended to provide students with the opportunity to work with a wide range of media and learn different processes and techniques - for example: clay, print, stitch, collage, wire and drawing. Students will be taught how to generate ideas and how to use practical art to research and develop ideas with independence, using existing artists work to inspire their decision making. Students who study Art and Design are learners who are curious and who become independently confident and creative.
Outline of Course
Component 1 Portfolio 60%
The portfolio requires students to submit two projects of practical work. They are assessed on their ability to develop an idea from conception to completion through a creative journey of investigation. Students will be taught how to research and analyse artists work to inspire their ideas, to draw for different purposes whilst recording or developing an idea, and to experiment with a wide variety of media whilst developing their idea. Emphasis is on the integration of these elements through creative practical work supported by annotation. Starting points for the projects are set by the teacher.
Component 2 Externally Set Assignment 40%
AQA will set a selection of starting themes. Students will have a period of preparatory time in which to research and develop their chosen theme through a practical project. This will be followed by an exam time of 10 hours in which students create a final piece of work.
At the end of the course every student will be required to put up an exhibition of their work, including sketchbooks. This exhibition, together with the Externally Set Assignment, will determine the grade awarded to each student.
Key Stage 5 Learning Objectives
Art & Design
Students studying Art and Design at A-Level at Sale Grammar School will follow the AQA specification. Initially students will follow a broad teacher led course of ‘art, craft and design’. The initial taught project is designed to support students in the following areas:
- Develop greater depth of understanding in ways of analysing artists work in order to develop their own skills and ideas.
- Observational drawing skills.
- Work in an increasingly creative and diverse manner with a range of different media.
- Extend their range of practical skills.
- Take manageable creative risks in their art practice prior to their assessed project, for example working on an ambitious scale, working with media they are less familiar with, or new processes of creative development.
- Build confidence and experience in ways of approaching the challenge and ambition needed for AQA Personal Investigation assessed component.
Sketchbooks, visual diaries, and prep studies are intrinsic in the approach to practical work. Investigating and understanding the work of practitioners is critical and the Art Department will provide opportunities to visit galleries and museums where appropriate.
Both components are NEA. AQA Art and Design is a practical course, with a supporting written element within Component 1. The written element is based on the students practical work and related artist analysis within their Personal Investigation
Students enjoy smaller class sizes which allows all students studying Art and Design to build individual teacher/student relationships. This is important in ensuring students can develop their creative art work in personal and independent directions.
A-Level
Component 1: Personal Investigation Coursework – 60% of the A-Level.
- Personal Investigation based on idea, issue, concept or theme
- Supported by 1000 - 3000 words of a critical nature
- Supporting written work should be directly linked to practical work
- From February of Year 12 students will begin to start their independent theme including primary source research into works of art in galleries and museums
- Year 13 Component 1 will continue investigation of the theme with greater independence.
Component 2: Externally Set Assignment Externally Set Assignment – 40% of the A-Level.
- Separate question paper containing a choice of eight exciting starting points
- Assignment issued to students on 1st February in the second year of the course
- Students produce a clearly defined selection of work which will lead to finished pieces or pieces
- Supervised time for the unaided piece is 15 hours at the end of the assignment
- All prep work completed through sketchbooks, visual diaries and prep studies is submitted at the beginning of the 15 hours which usually takes place in April.
At the end of the course students present their work in an exhibition, which is open to students, friends and family in the final summer term.