Teaching Staff

• P. Ackers (Director of Learning)
• R. Miller
• L Mulryan
• J Aitkin
• D Collingwood
• J Howard

Curriculum Intent in Art

We aim for our students:

• To become proficient in drawing, painting, sculpture and other Art Craft and Design techniques.
• To encourage students to produce creative work which explores, records and reflects on ideas and experiences in their own and others lives.
• To know a range of artists, craft makers and designers and understand historical and cultural developments in Art forms.
• To evaluate and analyse their own and others creative works using the language of Art Craft and Design.
• To achieve well and prepare students for future study.
• To realise the relevance of  Art Craft and Design in our modern culture whilst raising awareness of career choices and engendering a love of the subject.

Department Information

The creative industry in the UK is one of the fastest growing industries; it is driving economic growth across the UK and is on track to create one million new creative industries jobs by 2030. Visual Arts, Craft, Design and Photography are extremely important subjects and play a key role within our curriculum at King James.  The Art department is a very successful department and we offer a good selection of courses that allow students to develop skills in a wide variety of disciplines. Students develop a range of skills within the creative subjects we offer; we teach students the skills and techniques they need to express their creativity, develop themselves as critical thinkers, explore and express their own ideas as well as the ability to work well independently and collaboratively. We believe learning outside of the classroom is crucial and strongly value the experiences students gain when on visits to galleries, exhibitions and different cultural venues. We offer a range of visits each year with some being more to more local venues in KS3 as well as an annual international visit for KS4 and KS5.   

Key Stage 3

Year 7

All students in KS3 follow a fine Art, 3D and cultural scheme based around key themes. Students in Year 7 develop skills in colour, mark making, mixed media and 3D design. They are influenced by artists and designers and art from different cultures

Year 8

Students continue on their journey in year 8 and build skills and techniques, experimenting and learning through chance. Y8 students focus on team work and team building skills focusing on our learning wall and the thinking colours and 5r’s plus one. Students follow topics on the themes of contemporary art, 3d Cubist Heads and Aboriginal Journeys.

Year 9

Year 9 students are challenged to work as they would in GCSE and are given the opportunity to become independent and produce work to a given brief. Students develop further skills learnt in previous years and begin to explore further with new techniques and material including hot wax batik.

Learning Journeys