'Inspiring minds, igniting creativity, and pushing the limits within Art and Technology'

Intent 

The Art and Technology curriculum aims to foster the exploration of creative interests while introducing key formal elements, ideas, and specialisations within the realm of Art and Technology. The curriculum is designed to inspire students to enhance their practical skills, cultivate creative thinking, embrace risk-taking, and nurture independence.

The Art and Technology learning journey, strives to:

• Expose students to a diverse range of Art and Design movements, enabling them to explore various techniques employed throughout Art and Design history. While simultaneously empowering students to develop a profound sense of self through their own work.
• Engage students with different art forms and design works, so that they learn to perceive deeper meanings, contextual nuances, and symbolic elements, enabling them to express and comprehend original concepts and ideas.
• Provide students with ample opportunities to record and develop observations using a wide range of materials, workshops, and challenges. This enables them to explore their own ideas as well as those of established artists and designers.
• Engage and encourage students in the process of self reflection and actively challenge their creative thinking by embracing risk-taking and pursuing independent learning.

Meta-concepts

The following meta-concepts underpin our curriculum:

• Creativity - The use of imagination or original ideas to create something.
• Resilience - To persist, adapt, and overcome challenges, setbacks, or criticism, while remaining committed to their creative vision and expression
• Independence - Not having to depend on anyone or anything else.
• Inference - A conclusion reached based on evidence and reasoning.
• Experimentation - Action or process of trying out new ideas, methods, or activities.
• Expressive - Effectively conveying thought or feeling.
• Exploration - The action of exploring an unfamiliar area.
• Reflection - Serious thought or consideration. 

Art and Technology curriculum sequence 

Implementation

The Art and Technology curriculums are designed to carry students from little to no knowledge through to independently driven art and design work that each student is proud to call their own. Each project is planned so that skills, techniques and knowledge are developed and built upon ready for the students to make their KS4 choices. Our meta-concepts underpin each of our disciplines so that the learning is embedded through both theory and practical elements.

Key Stage 3

In Key Stage 3 (7-9), students have two Art lessons a fortnight where each project covers half the year and three Technology lessons a fortnight where the students rotate through different disciplines every term. This format allows the students to work on and develop their understanding across a range on art and design areas.

Year 7 -  Our curriculum in Year 7 provides students the opportunity to learn from scratch the skills and formal elements across Art, Textiles, Graphics and Resistant Materials as well as develop on what they have already learnt during their primary school experience. We aim to expose the students to real life examples of these elements to help build a foundational understanding of each subject and how they relate to future career opportunities.

Year 8 – As the student’s progress into Year 8, they build and develop on their key skills. They have project specific opportunities to up skill and develop their practical understanding of materials and techniques. Each project provides the students with a chance to personalise their work and build on their own design sense of self.

Year 9 – Year 9 provides the students with projects that will help guide them on their KS4 journey, looking at how to develop their own skill set and continuing to find their design voice. These projects provide further opportunity to every student to diversify their art and design knowledge through further exposure to professional artists and designers.

Key Stage 4

Art and Design is an option at KS4 (10-11) and students can choose across four Art and Design disciplines (Fine Art, Graphics, Textiles and 3D Design), each specialism follows a program of developing and actualising a core set of skills, larger projects and their exam project. Across the two years, students are given six lesson a fortnight and work exclusively within their chosen specialism. Here they can showcase what they have learnt, build on and develop new skills that support their own art and design journey.

Year 10 and 11- Throughout the two years each student goes on their own journey which starts from their first teacher-led project slowly progress to their independent stimuli focused work which showcases their own personal Art and Design narrative. Each project is cohort specific to ensure they get the most out of every learning experience. As they progress through the two years, their choices in Art and Design directions become more personal and focused. Every students can showcase their understanding, experimentation and exploration of materials and techniques they have learnt through their educational journey and present this is a meaningful way. The exam project at the end of Year 11 continues this development of self, through unseen project stimuli that allows complete independent drive and accomplishment. 

GCSE specification- Art & Design Technology

Impact

The Art and Technology curriculum has a significant impact on students in the following ways:

• Encouraging creativity, imagination, and self-expression, allowing them to explore various art and design materials, skills and techniques.
• By engaging in hands-on activities and projects, students develop critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills.
• They also learn to appreciate and analyse work, broadening their understanding of different cultures and perspectives.
• Art and Design education fosters confidence and self-esteem as students witness their own creative growth and accomplishments.

Overall, the curriculum empowers students to be inspired, ignite creativity and push the limits within Art and Technology.