ArT

Our Art Department is always a hive of activity and our corridors and classrooms are bright and energetic spaces.

We have two specialist art rooms, each with a projector, IT and printing facilities. 

We wish to create an environment to engage, inspire and challenge pupils, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to experiment, invent and create their own works of art, craft and design. Our curriculum is designed so all pupils will know how art reflects and shapes our history, and contribute to the culture, creativity and wealth of our nation.

The highlight of the Art Department year is the Summer Art Exhibition every July. Curated and hung by staff at the department, it is the perfect opportunity to celebrate the artistic endeavours and achievements of our A-Level and GCSE pupils at the Lewis Court. 

 Key Stage 3

• The two-year Key Stage 3 Curriculum has been designed to build upon core art skills. Drawing has been given great importance in the new curriculum and we create opportunities in each project to explore a wide range of materials, whilst learning to observe and record in a multitude of interesting ways. 
• Pupils learn to; paint, draw, build structures with clay and cardboard, design graphics and text. Contextual studies complement pupils’ practical work and they investigate artists, designers, craftspeople and cultures to inspire their work.

Key Stage 4

Art GCSE allows for us to further extend practical skills, developed at KS3.

Pupils gain increased confidence in their creative abilities and ideas are more self-directed. Pupils attend two lessons each week and are provided with A4 spiral bound sketchbooks for each project.

Third Form is an opportunity to build upon creative skills, exploring drawing, painting, printmaking and sculpture. Pupils learn how to develop visual sketchbooks using a variety of media and new techniques. Pupils complete two coursework units (60% of the total mark available) beginning in April of Third Form through to November of Fifth Form. These projects are thematic and pupils learn to; develop their own ideas, explore new materials and techniques, find inspiration from contextual and cultural sources, review and evaluate their art work, and create a final work in response to their ideas.

An exam unit (40% of the total mark available) commences in January in the Fifth Form. With a range of starting points, pupils work independently for a number of weeks to prepare for a ten-hour exam in May. Two days are spent making a final outcome.

Key Stage 5

A-Level Art and Design provides pupils with opportunities to develop personal responses to ideas, observations, experiences, environments and cultures in practical, critical and contextual forms.

From September 2015, only minor changes are proposed for A-Level Art and Design, however, the qualification will have a new emphasis on drawing.

As the course progresses, pupils will be encouraged to develop an independent, enquiring and creative approach to your studies and to express your ideas in conventional and unconventional ways through a variety of media. A commitment to hard work and meeting weekly deadlines is a prerequisite for success on this course.