Art

GCSE Art and Design - GCSE Photography

Exam Board - AQA
Specification Code - 8202

What will I learn?

How will I learn?

You will be taught various techniques including:

• different ways to draw
• different ways to pain
• sculpting (construction) in various media
• how IT and photography can be used in art

You will be shown lots of examples of different art and design work (old, new and from different cultures) and you will carry out research and copy examples in order to develop your understanding and analytical skills.
In Year 10 & 11 these skills and techniques will be applied to larger, thematic projects, more in keeping with the requirements of the exam. You will work mainly in the art rooms, but also in other parts of the school and grounds, and in and around Bude.
You will be offered the chance to visit a local gallery, (Barnstaple, Bideford, St. Ives, Truro, Falmouth, Exeter or Plymouth have all been visited in the past).

How will I be assessed?

Candidates must demonstrate their ability to:

• AO1 Develop their ideas through investigations informed by contextual and other sources demonstrating analytical and cultural understanding
  
• AO2 Refine their ideas through experimenting and selecting appropriate resources, media, materials, techniques and processes
  
• AO3 Record ideas, observations and insights relevant to their intentions in visual and/or other forms
  
• AO4 Present a personal, informed and meaningful response demonstrating analytical and critical understanding, realising intentions and where appropriate, making connections between visual, written, oral or other elements

Course Structure

• Unit 1: Portfolio of Work 60%
  Containing the best extended project, final response and other finished pieces
  
  
• Unit 2: Externally Set Task 40%
  Exam paper given out beginning of February in Year 11. Pupils will have a practical 10 hour exam sat in May of that year

Our Expectations

• Attend all lessons
  
• Catch up with work missed
  
• Bring basic equipment to lessons
  
• The Art rooms are available at lunchtimes and Tuesdays or Thursdays after school
  
• Homework will be set regularly and be on Show my homework
  
• Visits to galleries can greatly enhance understanding, and should be encouraged

Topics

During the course, various topics will be explored, with the emphasis on improving and developing skills taught at Key Stage 3

Techniques and Media

• Drawing
  
• Painting
  
• Collage (2D and 3D)
  
• Printing (various)
  
• Clay work
  
• Other types of 3D construction
  
• Paper cutting
  
• Stencilling
  
• Tracing/projection
  
• Drawing pencils
  
• Colouring pencils
  
• Fine line pen
  
• Graphite sticks
  
• Water colours
  
• Ready mix paint
  
• Acrylic paint
  
• Inks/bleach
  
• Printing ink
  
• Felt pens
  
• Plaster bandage
  
• Plaster of Paris
  
• Clay
  
• Fabrics
  
• Oil pastels
  
• Chalk pastels
  
• Recycled junk
  
• Magazines Newspapers
  
• Photographs
  
  Web Links:
  https://www.studentartguide.com/articles/a-level-art-sketchbook
  http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/art/practicalities/analysingartistwork1.shtml

GCSE Photography

Specification: https://www.ocr.org.uk/Images/220463-specification-accredited-gcse-art-and-design-j170-j176.pdf

In Photography, pupils explore visual, lens and light-based processes to communicate ideas and meanings. They work with traditional and new media including photograms, cyanotypes and digital manipulation, developing confidence, competence, imagination and creativity.

The course exam board is OCR, this allows students to take both GCSE Art with AQA and Photography OCR as two sepreate courses at GCSE.

Pupils are encouraged to reflect critically on their own and that of others, judging quality, value and meaning. They learn to think and act as artists, craftspeople and designers, working creatively and intelligently. They develop an appreciation of photography and lens-based media. and its role in the creative and cultural industries that enrich our lives.

This specification provides students with a wide range of creative, exciting and stimulating opportunities to explore their interests in Photography. Year 10 serves to introduce students to fundamental concepts within the subject, exploring camera settings and usage, construction of a quality image and introduces post shot editing ang manipulation.

Confidence and access to a computer is essential to the course. as is the willingness to critically review, analyse and evaluate these are fundamental parts of the course. The ability to write analytically about your own work and the work of Photographers' is essential. Photography will develop skills to solve problems effectively, which is important in any area of study where critical thinking is essential.

Which subjects combine well with Photography?
English, Business Studies, Psychology, Sociology and Drama. Photography is a subject that draws from and reacts to a variety of aspects of life. Dependent on your particular interest you may wish to combine other GCSE to develop a more specific career. For example, photography and drama would provide skills that would be valuable in the film industry or commercial photography and also photography used for exhibition. Photography and Business Studies would be useful for commercial photography and an Art career or curating career. The subject encourages one’s ability to think creatively, through research and analysis of photographers work you will learn to emulate and develop their methods of making, development of ideas, practical experimental and creation of outcomes resolving your thoughts.

Transferable Skills
You will develop skills in creative and practical problem solving, developing ideas through research, practical application, analysis and critique and gain better organisation. These transferable skills gained through study of Photography are, in general, of wide applicability.

A Level Fine Art

Course Aims:

• Fine Art
  
• Graphic Design
  
• Textiles   

Learning Methods:

Career Opportunities:
There are opportunities in all areas of fine art, graphic design, 3D design, fashion, textiles, photography and architecture. The list is endless.

Entry Requirements:
Normal Sixth Form requirements. A grade 6 or above in Art is required. In exceptional cases students who have attained a grade 6 in Design Technology or Textiles will be admitted to the course or by interview and viewing of a student’s portfolio.

Assessment Objectives

• AO1 Develop ideas through sustained and focused investigations informed by contextual and other sources, demonstrating analytical and critical understanding.
  
• AO2 Explore and select appropriate resources, media, materials, techniques and processes, reviewing and refining ideas as work develops.
  
• AO3 Record ideas, observations and insights relevant to intentions, reflecting critically on work and progress.
  
• AO4 Present a personal and meaningful response that realises intentions and, where appropriate, makes connections between visual and other elements.

Course Structure

Unit 1: Personal investigation 60%

Containing a personal project, which explores a diverse range of media and appropriate artists/cultures. This culminating in a final response/responses. Practical work is underpinned by an illustrated essay of minimum 1000 words. It is a requirement of the related study that all source material and research are listed and acknowledged in a bibliography. Marks are also awarded for creative presentation of this essay. Evidence of independent research and visit to galleries can also be gathered and documented in the form of a research journal.

Unit 2: Externally Set Task 40%

Exam paper given out beginning of February in Year 13. Pupils will sit a 15 hour practical exam in May of that year.

Our Expectations

• Attend all lessons
  
• Catch up with work missed
  
• Bring basic equipment to lessons
  
• Pupils are encouraged to work in the classrooms throughout the day, after school and lunchtimes.
  
• Homework will be set regularly and be on Show my homework
  
• Visits to galleries are essential and inform their understanding, and practical work.

Topics

During the first year (y12), various topics will be explored, with the emphasis on improving and developing skills taught at Key Stage 4. The structure of this foundation year also implements new practice and defines expectations. During the second year (y13) students will refine their practice and produce a personal project, essay and research journal.

Techniques and media

• Drawing
  
• Painting
  
• Collage (2D and 3D)
  
• Printing (various)
  
• Clay work
  
• Other types of 3D construction
  
• Paper cutting
  
• Stencilling
  
• Tracing/projection
  
• Drawing pencils
  
• Colouring pencils
  
• Fine line pen
  
• Graphite sticks
  
• Water colours
  
• Ready mix paint
  
• Acrylic paint
  
• Inks/bleach
  
• Printing ink
  
• Felt pens
  
• Plaster bandage
• Plaster of Paris
  
• Clay
  
• Fabrics
  
• Oil pastels
  
• Chalk pastels
  
• Recycled junk
  
• Magazines Newspapers
  
• Photographs

Student Artwork

Visit The Art Department Blog

View other Budehaven Blogs

https://www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/as-a-level-gce/art-and-design-h200-h600-from-2015/

https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/art-and-design/as-and-a-level/art-and-design/specification-at-a-glance

ART
The Art department meets the curriculum intent by empowering and inspiring students to be creative and see the world through an exciting and new lens.  The Art curriculum challenges our students to be culturally inquisitive, technically diverse and to artistically critique historical, modern and postmodern artists and their work.  The curriculum is consistently and rigorously delivered with scope for questioning; dexterity in creative application of media and drawing skills; preparing young people for onward study after KS5; and more generally for the appreciation and understanding of the art and its importance in human culture.

KNOWLEDGE RICH
As a knowledge engaged curriculum, we believe that knowledge underpins and enables the application of skills; both are entwined. As a department we define the powerful knowledge our students need and help them recall it by scaffolding our curriculum in such a way that students continually revisit skills and build upon them each year, tackling increasingly challenging concepts. As each step in a learning journey develops, it incorporates a deeper understanding of prior learning. Student progress is documented through sketchbooks and journals along with checklists for key concepts and ideas. We encourage conversation, discussion, critique, and debate about pupils’ own work and about the work of artists and designers. This embeds and extends our students’ knowledge of artistic concepts and principles along with the appropriate language for discussing works of art. When teaching design principles students are expected to think, respond, and create as a professional would.
We build the Cultural Capital of our students by providing students with a means to engage with and understand the world around them and their relationship with it. Embedded in our curriculum is the exploration of the work of other artists and designers from a vast spectrum of backgrounds, genders, ethnicities, and beliefs. We learn about how the world and its artefacts are represented and about the ideologies running through them. Cultural awareness is developed through creating, investigating, making, and doing. This journey gives our students a voice with which to express their thoughts, feelings about and responses to the world around them.
Through the use of KO’s and tasks linked to the curriculum, students increase their working knowledge by gaining insight into key areas within each topic. In KS3 all pupils are required to produce work in an Art book.  In y7, Line & Colour and in y8, Portraiture and the Built Environment are the foci. In Y9, Coastal - Seascape & still life based. Y9 pupils work in a folder so that the work can be freer and, alongside this, produce their own creative sketchbooks after the core knowledge and techniques have been covered in specific set assignments. In KS4 Art, pupils explore the topic ‘Art Around the world’ and ‘My space in European Art’. In KS4 Photography, pupils explore ‘Still life’ and ‘Portraiture’. In KS5 Art, student’s Personal investigation is rooted in current affairs, with students researching news stories and events to inspire and inform their project. In KS5 Photography, pupils’ investigation is underpinned by the topic’ Exposure’, which encourages exploration into the human condition, or their relationship to the natural world.  Please also see the Art Curriculum Map for further details.

KNOWLEDGE RETENTION
Our curriculum in Art, Design and Photography forms a backbone to our ethos statement. Examples of how our curriculum supports the ethos statement are by providing an enriched experience in which students work with the broadest range of materials and contexts. Working with different materials, processes, tools and technologies sparks pupils’ curiosity, provides intrinsic motivation, pride in their work and their developing skills. Engaging with different design contexts and materials creates highly engaged and motivated learners as they become able to explore the wider world and their place within it. Providing stretch and challenge encourages students to strive for their best, developing increased confidence with each creative obstacle they overcome. We aim to provide an environment in which students are happy to take risks, ask themselves questions about their creative journey and retain knowledge through inspired research and practical exploration.
The use of Knowledge organisers, especially in KS3 & 4 are focused on embedding challenge, meta-cognition, memory techniques and literacy into our curriculum.  As a department we can identify, through our challenge questions, discussion and quizzing, the ways in which pupils embed the knowledge and key concepts covered in the curriculum. Our mid-term tests are a recent addition to our Assessment Programme and as such we are developing them and the use of data continually. Practice, extension, challenge has been used effectively to revise and build pupils learning, bridging gaps that are evidenced through in-class and more formal assessments.

KNOWLEDGE ACCESS
In Art, Design & Photography we also implement our curriculum through teaching methods that promote an understanding of not simply what, but why we are learning and how this learning might impact and enhance their overall learning experience at Budehaven Community School. We provide contexts that are relevant and take in to account the particular interests of individual learners to enhance their experience of the subject and deepen their understanding and ability to apply key concepts and ideas to a multitude of every- day situations. We feel it is this approach that enables all pupils to access the subject more readily.
Understanding key words and concepts is essential in pupils’ ability to access the content and capitalise on their learning.

Vocabulary Exposition
Tier 2 & 3 vocabulary is broached regularly in lessons and evidence of use of these key words and phrases is required in the artist research unit for each year group and the introduction of new topics that all pupils’ study. The Knowledge Organisers are the cornerstone resource for facilitating vocabulary in the subject and quizzing and use of these resources is frequent.
In KS4 and 5 all students are issued with a glossary of key terms at the start of the course. These are utilised by students in their image analysis and annotation of their own and artist’s work.

Reading Instruction 
Opportunities for reading in Art come through independent study tasks, particularly in KS3, which are set as homework.  Feedback on these tasks provides the instruction on how to improve the use of literature in art.  We have recently introduced reading and comprehension tasks through google forms, with the intention of rolling these out for all KS3. This addition will assist in imbedding contextual references, informing and mastering critical and analytical understanding. This addition will be under review after the lockdown period ends.  There is also scope for more reading in the classroom and we are on a journey in terms of developing this further. This is appropriate because the focus of lessons is on developing artistic skill. Knowledge can only be harnessed if enough time is spent on developing pupil’s practical skills.

Writing Instruction
As would be expected the predominant aspect of Art lessons and activities are based on researching and producing various forms of art depending on the Key Stage.  Writing in Art is focussed on commenting on the links between the students’ art pieces and the research that underpin them. This can be seen best in the portfolio work supporting the development of the art being undertaken in lessons.  In KS4 particularly when focussing on writing for exam preparation modelling becomes an important aspect in lessons and scaffolding here enables all to achieve. Writing frames/ sentence starters are provided for both KS3 and 4. In KS5 all pupils are required to write a related study, so image analysis and methods like the 5 C’s are embedded into students’ regular practice.

STUDENT FOCUS
SEND and students overcoming disadvantage are prioritised in the classroom and for feedback.  Scaffolding of learning and support are in place along with strategic seating plans to facilitate all reaching the same standards.
Most Able students are encouraged to produce exceptionally high-quality work, both in class and at home. Stretch activities or extension tasks are evidenced in sketchbooks. We have recently run a TED talk enrichment club, primarily for KS4 (but also MA KS3) which promotes and develops pupil’s ability to articulate their ideas and opinions on artist’s work. Key stage 5 pupils have also had the opportunity to give presentations, which provides a perfect platform for empowering and building confidence in preparation for interviews.
In KS4 & 5 we run trips to galleries and exhibitions, which provide both opportunity and enrichment for disadvantaged and MA pupils.
Student focus in our curriculum goes far beyond what is taught in lessons, for whilst we want students to achieve the very best examination results possible, we believe our curriculum goes beyond what is examinable. As a department we offer students extra-curricular clubs in Photography and Art to invite students to develop their skills and knowledge further in these areas. Inspiration for such activities if sought from current exhibits, trends within the field and experimentation with advanced materials in an environment similar to a studio. We take students to both local and national art galleries to participate in workshops and exhibitions such as the Eden project ‘ARTiculation workshop’, The RAMM in Exeter and the Burton art gallery in Bideford. We select work of excellence from our students throughout the year, which are then published on our art blog, website, and Facebook page and celebrated through our termly ‘WOW’ competition. We run a termly exhibition, in our own BAGS- encouraging links with Drama and Music.  Our students also curated the current exhibition ‘So Surreal’, which is currently on show in the Bistro gallery and will be also exhibited in the local community at the Castle in Bude (which we do every year). We have also contributed to many public exhibitions and projects over the last few years, celebrating students work and encouraging pupil’s exposure to Art culture e.g. ‘Bude at War’, ‘The Cruel & Curious’-  ‘Nocturne’ and  ‘Reflects Arts & Minds’. During FLD we run a y7 environmental ‘Clean & Create’ workshop, printing, weaving and general upcycling of single used plastic. Pupils get the opportunity to work with local artists, while learning more about sustainability.  Y7 Ambassadors have been identified to help create ‘The Pearl Bamford’ sustainable garden- creating a beautiful space out of a current wasteland (joining Art, Science and DT).