Art and Design

In Year 7 students begin by developing basic tonal skills in a variety of wet and dry media which they then use to create their own still-life paintings.  They then move on to a ‘Right to Write’ project that explores Vincent Van Gogh’s Self Portrait of 1889. Students then produce their own self portrait from what they have learnt in their essays.

Year 8 students begin with a project that explores the mythical “Green Man” character which ends with an A2 oil-pastel study. They also produce a Right to Write essay within this project that looks at the work of Arcimboldo’s surrealistic nature portraits.   Students then move on to a Landscapes project that investigates the use of mixed media and expressive painting.

In Year 9 students begin with a project looking at the human figure which culminates in a 2D response looking at the work of the Futurists, and a 3D sculpture after looking at the reclining figures of Henry Moore and the stick-like figures of Alberto Giacometti.  Students then finish Key Stage 3 with a project looking at typography which they then interpret as either an acrylic painting or a 3D letter. Students will then complete their ‘Right to Write’ essay on the impact of Constructivist design and typography on Bolshevik ideology.

Course description:

This course is a natural extension of KS3, focusing on Fine Art and Graphic Design.

The course will: Improve existing practical skills and offer opportunities to learn new ones.

• Students will increase their Art History/artist knowledge and appreciation, and how to have it make a positive impact on their work.
• They will refine their ability to tell when something looks ‘right’
• They will develop an insight into aesthetics, as well as knowledge about composition and design.

They will learn the skills, techniques and processes to develop ideas into visual form and by being informed of the diverse and exciting world of Art and how to look and use other artists work in idea development. Finally, they will be encouraged to develop an educated opinion and appreciation of Art forms and what is around them.

Students study GCSE Unendorsed Art and Design that consists of two broad units: Natural Forms and Landscapes. Students are encouraged to follow independent lines of enquiry with teaching staff at hand to guide and advise.

Students are currently entered for their GCSE through AQA examination board.  Students must submit a portfolio that reflects 45 hours of supervised work undertaken in the classroom.  This accounts for 60% of their overall grade.  The remaining 40% of the grade is a 10 hour terminal exam that the students prepare for over an eight week period.

At Key Stage 5 students work within a dedicated sixth form area that is open to them at all times. The environment is similar to a working studio rather than a classroom, with each student having their own studio space with room to display work.

Students follow an endorsed AQA A level course for two years on Fine Art. There is a 15 hour examination at the end of the two years that is internally marked and then externally moderated. This 15 hour timed-piece would be the culmination of around two to three months of research and preparation.

In their first year students explore a series of skills based workshops which feed into a thematic project. They then sit a mock exam paper to prepare them for Year 13. At the start of Year 13 they focus on a Personal Investigation that displays a clear progression of ideas towards a final piece with explicit links to other artist(s) or practitioners. This includes a 1000 word essay on their chosen theme.

Students are expected to repeat their study time at school independently and produce 5 hours of work per week outside lessons.

Extra-Curricular Activities

Clubs are offered outside of lessons to support learning beyond the classroom.  They are offered to both Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 students who wish to expand their experiences further.  They are run after-school.

At the core of our approach to marking at JRCS is task marking.

In non-practical subjects one substantial piece of work will be task marked at least once every eight hours of teaching. Students will respond to the tasks and they will be checked by staff. In between that time students’ work may be peer or self-assessed or briefly checked by staff.

It is likely the same piece of work will be assessed for literacy. Staff will mark work using the literacy marking code: 

Levelling and Assessment

KS3

To develop a growth mindset and reflect ‘life after levels’ work in KS3 books will not usually be levelled; assessment will be formative and highlight how students can improve. Students will record areas of strength and development on their ‘reflection sheets’ which will be at the front or back of the book. At the end of each term a level is reported for students in each subject, which reflects all their work over that term. These are found on students’ pale yellow progress cards, which are stuck into their planners. These cards show students whether they are in line to meet their end of key stage target. With the move away from National Curriculum levels, the school is trialling a new ‘skills thermometer’ and 1 to 9 levelling in English. Other KS3 subjects will be using NC levels for the remainder of this year.

KS4

KS4 practice exam questions and mock exams are likely to be graded. This work might not be in student books. Students will record grades and areas of strength and development in their ‘reflection sheets’ which will be at the front or back of the book. All students receive an attainment and predicted grade at the end of each term. These are found on their pale yellow progress cards, which are stuck into their planners. These cards show students whether they are in line to meet their end of key stage target.

KS5

At KS5 students take a series of VIMAs (Sixth Form Milestone Assessments) during their course. Students receive developmental comments to help them improve their work. Each VIMA result includes four parts: the grade for that assessment, a comparison of the grade with their expected progress grade (EPG), a Learning Capability mark and a prediction of their end of year grade (PEG). The outcomes of these assessments and other graded work will be in student folders. They are also sent home to parents. A summary of VIMA marks and the students’ expected progress grade is also recorded in their planner.

Further Information

All drawing should aim to fill the page unless specifically asked not to.  Students should always clearly label any sketches of artwork with the name of the artist, name of work and date created. All work is to be mounted by students from Year 8 onwards prior to assessment. Students should use a folder to transport work to and from home (folders can be purchased through the art department or students can provide their own if they wish). Students should annotate ideas that are not clear visually.