| Faculty Staff Mrs Boyce Mr Blackburn Miss George Miss Murrin Miss Proyer Mrs Moxey | Role Head of Faculty Photography & Graphics Photography, Art & Graphics Art & Textiles Textiles & Art Textiles & Art |
Curriculum Statement
The art faculty supports our students to aspire through their learning experiences to standards of excellence intellectually, practically, and aesthetically. The curriculum we provide is rich in skills and knowledge. Through our curriculum, we aim to provide students with an experience that is exciting and to ensure that our students combine practical skills with creative thinking, developing highly valuable and transferrable skills for future careers and life.
Through our art curriculum, students are taught not only how to use formal elements within their art work such as line, tone, colour, space, texture etc., but to also analyse how formal elements are used as powerful communication tools to create effect. Students’ experience a variety of media, techniques and processes over their studies. In KS3 students will develop their skills and understanding with progressive complexity and sophistication.
We support students in learning to co-operate and negotiate and be able to share good practice and learn from others. We actively promote looking at the work of others, celebrating other cultures and encouraging diversity.
Students choose their own creative pathway in Year 10.
Please contact Mrs Boyce dboyce@slft.org.uk for further information on the visual arts curriculum at Walderslade Girls’ School.
Year 7
Fine art – Students explore the theme ‘abstract expressionism.’ They learn about the artist Yayoi Kusma using a range of techniques and processes such as collage and blending colour. They create an installation through collaborating with their peers, as well as learning about the skills needed to an create an imaginative self-portrait.
Fashion textiles – Students explore the theme ‘Mexican Textiles. They learn how research artists, fashion design and simple hand embroidery techniques, creating an embroidered sugar skull outcome.
Graphics – Students explore the theme ‘Product design and branding’. They learn about corporate branding by researching well-known brands as well as logo design, creating their own slogan, target marketing and design, before creating their own 3D product.
Year 8
Fine art – Students explore the them ‘cubism and fauvism’. They learn about about how they can explore themes of identity, relationships and togetherness inspired by Justina Blakeney’s artworks. They learn about drawing from different viewpoints and how colour can affect work. Students create a cubist portrait
Fashion textiles – Students continue to explore the theme ‘Mexican Textiles’. They learn about new textile and fashion artists, more advanced embroidery techniques, before creating an embroidered portrait.
Graphics – Students recreate a ‘redesign’ for the National Geographic. They explore a variety of art/graphics-based skills and techniques to redesign the logo for National Geographic as well as design and create a set of new postage stamps to promote the company. This will include experimenting with lettering and typography, logo designing and stamp printmaking.
Year 9
Fine art – Students explore the theme ‘an imagined world’. They learn about the artist Nikki de Saint Phalle and how your imagination can create envisioned experimental societies. They learn about 3D processes before creating their own Nikki de Saint Phalle sculpture.
Fashion textiles – Students continue to explore the theme ‘Mexican Textiles. They learn about new textile and fashion artists, including advanced embroidery, embellishment techniques and how to use the heat press. They produce an embellished tote bag.
Graphics – Students create Merchandise for Diwali ‘festival of light’. They will use their prior knowledge of graphics techniques and processes developed in year 7 and year 8 to create a series of merchandise to celebrate Diwali the ‘festival of light’. Diwali symbols and icons will be explored through a variety of designers and illustrators to develop students’ ideas for their final outcomes. This will include, designing; a rangoli lantern, a paisley bandana or wristband, a mandala tote bag and a series of Instagram icons and stickers.
Keystage 4 & 5
Fine Art
Year 10
Art and Design – Fine art
Exam board: AQA
Term 1
Students are introduced to exemplar sketchbooks, presentation styles and assessment objectives. Understanding the purpose of the formal elements are shown through experimental techniques and risk taking. Demonstrations are provided through workshops.
Term 2, 3 and 4
Students are introduced to the theme ‘portraiture and distortion.’ They are taught new printing techniques including mono printing, etching and lino printing. They explore visual concepts such as realism, distortion, viewpoint, close-up, contrast and tone and are encouraged to independently research further appropriate examples. Relevant artists provide inspiration for them to progress with their own ideas.
Term 5 and 6
Students are given the opportunity to practice all the skills, techniques and concepts they have learnt throughout the year into a mock exam project in preparation for their externally-set assignment.
Year 11
Art and Design – Fine art
Exam board: AQA
Term 1 and 2
Students extend their skills and understanding in response to a theme that provides the opportunity to contribute to the requirements of all the assessment objectives. They take increasing responsibility for the development and direction of their creative journey in preparation for Component 2 (controlled assessment).
Term 3, 4 and 5
Externally set assignment (ESA). Students have the opportunity to improve any component 1 projects. This includes personal learning checklists to support individual progress. Teachers introduce and discuss all of the starting points with students. The ESA is treated exactly how the mock exams are taught.
Year 12
Art and Design – Fine art
Exam board: AQA
Term 1
Students learn a range of appropriate skills, techniques and processes to gain an understanding of technical principles that will enable them to realise and develop their skills and ideas ready for their personal investigations. They develop an understanding of how to use visual language and key art vocabulary when analyzing and writing about their own and others work. They develop an understanding of compositional elements when creating artworks as well as develop experimental techniques.
Term 2 – 6
Students build on their previous knowledge and experiences in term 1 and 2 to develop their personal investigations at an advanced level. The personal investigation allows students to freely explore ideas in intriguing ways through experiments and refinements. The written material is between 1000 and 3000 words and fully supports their own work. Students learn more advanced skills about how to use sources by learning how to effectively access, retrieve and record information relevant to their theme. They make clear, explicit connections between their selected sources and the development of ideas in their practical work.
Year 13
Art and Design – Fine art
Exam board: AQA
Term 1 and 2
Students continue to complete component one.
Term 3, 4 and 5
Externally set assignment (ESA). Students are prepared to work independently to develop a personal and meaningful final exam project. Students develop their project from a range of possible starting points. They are not restricted on the scale of work, media or materials used for the 15 hour supervised period.
Photography
Year 10
Art and Design – Photography
Exam board – AQA
Term 1
Students are introduced to basic camera controls and photographic techniques, through arrange of short activities related to composition, focal point and handling Nikon/Canon DSLR cameras.
Term 2, 3 and 4
Students learn new photoshop skills and techniques are explored as well as practical methods to develop and refine students photographs. They continue to develop knowledge and understanding of the skills and approaches learnt in the introductory phase. They explore visual concepts such as abstraction, realism, distortions, surrealism, viewpoint, close-up, contrast and tone.
Term 5 and 6
Students are given the opportunity to practice all the skills, techniques and concepts they have learnt throughout the year into a mock exam project in preparation for their externally-set assignment.
Year 11
Art and Design – Photography
Exam board: AQA
Term 1 and 2
Students extend their skills and understanding in response to a theme that provides the opportunity to contribute to the requirements of all the assessment objectives. They take increasing responsibility for the development and direction of their creative journey in preparation for Component 2 (controlled assessment).
Term 3, 4 and 5
Externally set assignment (ESA). Students have the opportunity to improve any component 1 projects. This includes personal learning checklists to support individual progress. Teachers introduce and discuss all of the starting points with students. The ESA is treated exactly how the mock exams are taught.
Year 12
Art and Design – Photography
Exam board: AQA
Term 1
Students are introduced to experimental photography techniques through a range of workshop-based lessons. They learn a range of appropriate skills and photographic techniques to gain an understanding of technical principles that will enable them to realise and develop their skills and ideas ready for their personal investigations.
Term 2 – 6
Students build on their previous knowledge and experiences in term 1 and 2 to develop their personal investigations at an advanced level. The personal investigation allows students to freely explore ideas in intriguing ways through experiments and refinements. The written material is between 1000 and 3000 words and fully supports their own work. Students learn more advanced skills about how to use sources by learning how to effectively access, retrieve and record information relevant to their theme. They make clear, explicit connections between their selected sources and the development of ideas in their practical work.
Year 13
Art and Design – Photography
Exam board: AQA
Term 1 and 2
Students continue to complete component one.
Term 3, 4 and 5
Externally set assignment (ESA). Students are prepared to work independently to develop a personal and meaningful final exam project. Students develop their project from a range of possible starting points. They are not restricted on the scale of work, media or materials used for the 15 hour supervised period.
Fashion & Textiles
Year 10
Art and Design – Fashion Textiles
Exam board – AQA
Term 1
Students are introduced to extended hand embroidery skills, including chain, twisted, stem and statin stitch: Dyeing fabrics; rust dye; computer aided design; acetone printing; applique and reverse appliques, including cyanotype.
Term 2, 3 and 4
More advanced skills and techniques are explored as well as practical methods to develop and refine students’ outcomes such as a corset. They continue to develop knowledge and understanding of the skills and approaches learnt in the introductory phase. They research and explore further techniques and processes inspired by famous designers’ collections.
Term 5 and 6
Students are given the opportunity to practice all the skills, techniques and concepts they have learnt throughout the year into a mock exam project in preparation for their externally-set assignment.
Year 11
Art and Design: Fashion Textiles
Exam board: AQA
Term 1 and 2
Students extend their skills and understanding in response to a theme that provides the opportunity to contribute to the requirements of all the assessment objectives. They take increasing responsibility for the development and direction of their creative journey in preparation for Component 2 (controlled assessment).
Term 3, 4 and 5
Externally set assignment (ESA). Students have the opportunity to improve any component 1 projects. This includes personal learning checklists to support individual progress. Teachers introduce and discuss all of the starting points with students. The ESA is treated exactly how the mock exams are taught.
Year 12
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate in Art and Design: Fashion
Task 1 (September)
Students design their own seasonal outfits using digital or traditional illustration. They learn pattern-cutting techniques to create sewn sample sections that are fully documented.
Task 2 (January)
Students design a collection of 3 garments. They consider how their designs will be interpreted and what impact their design choices will have. They create sewing patterns for their designs and construct samples before selecting their final outcome to be made and presented.
Task 3 (March)
Students organize critiques of their work. They have to generate their own questions to help them evaluate their working processes, final outcomes, presentation and response to feed back.
Year 13
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate in Art and Design: Fashion
Students work on independent development of Unit 1 Externally Assessed work
Week 1: Independent research to theme
Week 2: Development of independent ideas
Week 3: Artist research for relevant artists and designers linked to theme
Week 4 – 9: Development of Final Outcome
Week 10-11: Consolidation of sketchbook pages for external assessment
Week 12: Externally set assessment