Art

Vision

At Birchwood we aim to deliver a broad and balanced curriculum for all children that links to the school values of;

Knowledge – to learn new things, to learn from successes and failures, to learn to adapt and do things better

Aspiration – to inspire inquisitiveness & curiosity, to strive for excellence in trying to produce the best outcomes and to enjoy their experience of Art

Kindness – to be empathetic in understanding the intentions of the production of art, to encourage a calm, thoughtful and positive learning environment where students support each other and enjoy each other’s progress and to reflect on their own and other’s achievements.

We want to inspire a love of Art and creativity that allows students to create practical work, explore their ideas and record their experiences in many different forms whilst increasing their understanding and awareness of Art and its place in society. Students will study the disciplines of drawing, painting, printing, 3D work & other art, craft, and design techniques. Our KS3 curriculum is based around the building blocks of The Formal Elements of Art (line, tone, colour, shape, pattern, form & texture). These elements are linked to everything we see and do and are weaved into and revisited throughout all the KS3 projects & into the KS4 projects where we take a thematic approach to learning.

Students will develop a greater awareness of artists, crafts makers & designers by analysing their work and expressing reasoned judgements that can inform their own work. Contextual sources are embedded into the curriculum across both key stages and within all projects to build cultural capital and link to the world we live in and to young people’s own interests. Our project themes aim to engage all and enable students to develop a passion for the subject by gaining new ways of seeing, thinking, doing and being. Most of all we want all children to enjoy and achieve through their art experience whilst developing valuable transferable skills for future careers and life.

How do we build on what students learn at KS2?

We want to ensure that our students are thoroughly supported in their transition from KS2 to KS3 art. In order to do this, we work with local primary schools so that our curriculums complement one another. In year 7, we purposely prioritise revisiting and rebuilding on the following:

The formal elements of Art; line, tone, colour, shape, pattern & texture
Drawing from different sources and from observation
Links to artists, craftspeople & designers
Developing & recording ideas in a sketchbook
Experimenting with various art, craft & design techniques to further develop their visual language and practical skills

How do we cover the KS3 National Curriculum and beyond?

We believe that covering the KS3 National Curriculum is hugely important, but we also recognise how crucial it is for students to be exposed to wider knowledge beyond this.

Department for Education: National Curriculum – Art and design key stage 3

We ensure that we cover the KS3 National Curriculum by covering the following:

Use a range of techniques to record their ideas in sketchbooks as a basis for exploring their ideas
Use a range of techniques and media, including painting
Increase their proficiency in the handling of different materials
Analyse and evaluate their own work and that of others, in order to strengthen the visual or applications
Develop a critical understanding of art, craft and design expressing reasoned judgements that can inform their own work
Learn about different artist, art periods, styles and movements

Beyond the curriculum, we provide:

GCSE Art club
GCSE Intervention sessions & workshops
Enrichment sessions
Whole school House challenges which are centred on national and international competitions and events
Faculty Trips – local & national
Visits to FE college end of year shows

What do we cover in KS4 and how do we aspire towards KS5?

We ensure that our curriculum revisits key ideas that are covered in key stage 3.

Year 10: Developing a GCSE Portfolio of work through analysing artists, experimenting with different materials and techniques, recording ideas in a sketchbook, presenting final outcomes and making a strong personal response to the starting point theme.

Year 11: Developing GCSE Portfolio & an Externally Set Assignment using the project structure to recap on different drawing, painting and other media as well as introducing new techniques, processes and materials at a more sophisticated level, providing a tool belt of practical applications needed to pursue more independent creative lines of enquiry along an open-ended theme/framework. They will be encouraged to analyse, explore and develop ideas at a deeper level through more extended written annotation, reflections and judgements to enable them to examine their own practise and their identity as an artist and present a body of work which encompasses a range of techniques, styles and approaches.

We want to ensure that our students are ready for life beyond KS4. As part of this preparation, we dedicate time to….

Discussion of diverse careers available to them in the Creative Industries
Raising awareness of the different creative pathways available to them beyond GCSE
Developing their research, organisation, resilience, initiative, problem-solving and communication skills to provide foundations for every aspect of school life and beyond