Art Department

	Curriculum

	Years 7 - 9	We aim to give students a wide range of activity with a leaning towards Fine Art. Pupils will gain skills in painting, learning how to use colour and tone effectively. An important part of creating successful paintings is learning about composition and how to achieve space in a picture. All pupils will also do a term of sewn textiles and a term of sculpture work. The sculpture term involves a special Sculpture Day, which includes a trip to The Tate Gallery. Throughout their Art education, we maintain a strong belief in the importance of drawing. Indeed about a term each year from 7 to 9 is given over to this discipline.

	Years 10 - 11	Pupils can choose art as a GCSE option, specialising in Fine Art. In Year 10 they will have a broad experience of Fine Art, working in mixed media including lino and silkscreen printing and sculpture. In Year 11 they will concentrate on developing their painting and drawing skills. By the time they reach their final exam they have really reached a high standard and found a convincing personal style! They make two trips to museums during the course. The exploration and understanding of different artists work is incorporated within their studies. We follow the Edexcel syllabus for both GCSE and A Level.

	Years 12 - 13	We offer three A Level courses: 'Fine Art Painting and Drawing', 'Photography' and 'Fine Art Textiles' In 'Fine Art Painting and Drawing' students follow an ambitious course designed not only for them to reach a very high standard of skill and understanding, but also for them to experience and learn about a range of working styles so, in time, they can find their own identity. Students studying Fine Art attend our 12 session Life Drawing evening class. In Photography students learn how to use manual SLR cameras creatively, they process and print their own films in the darkroom. They learn a wide range of printing techniques from the conventional to the more experimental. They also learn to use Photoshop effectively. Fine Art Textiles In Fine Art Textiles students are encouraged to be ambitious and experimental. To explore the exciting possibilities of working with different fabrics and materials using a variety of techniques from machine embroidery, fabric painting, dying and manipulation to felting making, screen printing and more. The end result is a series of textile pieces that maybe two or three dimensional. Textile students also attend our 12 session Life Drawing evening class


		The Art Department has had 100% success in students getting into universities to study a Foundation course in Art at such places as St Martin's School of Art and Middlesex University. At the end of every year the Art department holds an exhibition of GCSE and A Level coursework in the Gym. Click below to see this year's exhibition. Throughout the year, work from all year groups is shown in Art Room and corridor displays.