Art and Photography

Teaching Staff

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

Intent Statement

We aim for our students:

  • To actively engage in the creative process of art, craft and design in order to develop as effective and independent learners, and as critical and reflective thinkers with enquiring minds
  • Develop creative, imaginative and intuitive capabilities when exploring and making images, artefacts and products
  • Become confident in taking risks and learn from experience when exploring and experimenting with ideas, processes, media, materials and techniques
  • Develop critical understanding through investigative, analytical, experimental, practical, technical and expressive skills
  • Develop deep knowledge and understanding of art, craft and design in historical and contemporary contexts, societies and cultures
  • Develop an awareness of the different roles and individual work practices evident in the production of art, craft and design in the creative and cultural industries
  • Develop and apply relevant subject-specific skills in order to use visual language to communicate personal ideas, meanings and responses.
  • Develop and refine ideas and proposals, personal outcomes or solutions with increasing independence
  • Reflect critically upon their creative journey, and its effectiveness in relation to the realisation of personal intentions.

 

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 4

This Art Department follows the AQA Art and Design specification offering Fine Art, Photography and Art/Craft/Design GCSE courses. The course is made up of 60% coursework where students work on a theme based project and produce a final exhibition. The exam is 40% and is also theme based. Students are given six to ten weeks to prepare studies and a final design plan. They then have ten hours working time to produce the final piece. This is the process for the exam where students have 10 weeks preparation followed by a 10 hour exam. The aim of the course is for students to create a unique, lively and individual approach to work and to meet the full range of assessment objectives through experience in a range of processes, media, materials and techniques which are appropriate to their aptitudes, interests and abilities. We take our students on gallery visits to complement their studies and inspire their work further.

Unit 1: Coursework 60% of final grade

Unit 2: Exam  40% of final grade

 

Year 10

Students will complete workshop based lessons within Y10 where they will build up a range of different skills. They will experiment with different techniques and processes as well as how to research and analyse the work of other artists, photographers and practitioners. Students will learn to be critical and develop their own thoughts and ideas about their own intentions and outcomes.

Year 11

During Y11 students will continue to develop a range of skills but will start to develop as more independent learners as they complete their Mock or identity project. They will have more freedom to decide on the direction their own journey will go. They will use the skills they have learnt in Y10 and build on them as they produce their own responses to their starting points. During the exam students will be working to strict timescales and time management will be key and form part of their planning. Students will go on to plan their exhibition and select the most successful work to showcase.

 

Art

Year 10

Year 11

Culture research, experimentation and sampling

Identity research, experimentation and sampling

Culture Outcome

Identity Outcome

Natural Forms Research, experimentation and sampling

Exam Preparation

Natural Forms Outcome

Exam Outcome

 

Fine Art

Year 10

Year 11

Natural Forms introduction (series of workshop lessons)

Evolution research, experimentation and sampling

Natural Forms Research, experimentation and sampling

Evolution Outcome

Natural Forms Outcome

Exam Preparation

Discovery / Evolution 

Exam Outcome

 

Photography

Year 10

Year 11

Introduction to the course, learning the basics

Genres project

Themes project

Mock exam project

Identity Project

Exam Preparation

Genres Project

Exam Outcome

 

Learning Journeys

Art

Year 10 Year 10 Learning Journey ART.pdf
Year 11 Learning Journey - Photography - Year 11.pdf

 

Photography

Year 10 Learning Journey - Photography - Year 10.pdf
Year 11 Learning Journey - Photography - Year 11.pdf

Art and Photography

Art and Photography Art - Art and Photography - Learning Journey.pdf