Art and Design (Fine Art)

Assessment

At A Level, Art students benefit from 4 hours per week of lesson time at AS and 5 hours at A2. We use the OCR specification for A level Art and our option if H600: Fine Art. At KS5, the curriculum is designed to support students wishing to study art after post-18. At KS5 our students are supported to become independent creative thinkers and problem solvers. Working towards this goal gives students the practical skills, contextual knowledge and confidence to succeed in a number of careers, especially those in the creative industries. Students will use contextual studies, current trends and developments in Art to inform their creative process focusing on the four key assessment areas (A01 Develop, A02 Explore, A03 Record, A04 Present) when building their portfolio and exam units. Students will gain a real understanding of what it means to be a creative problem solver, alongside the knowledge, skills and confidence sought by higher education and employers. In the first year of A level students will initially challenge and expand their observational drawing skills exploring a wide range of materials and processes. In the Spring term an internally set theme is selected by the students and developed until the summer term focusing on the four key assessment areas of study. In the second year of the A level pupils will continue to develop writing and analysis skills in the form of a personal investigation which is linked to their practical portfolio Unit 01. This is completed at the end of January equates to 60% of their grade. The externally set exam Unit 02 (40% of the over grade) starts in February. Students select from the externally set themes to produce their artworks (A01 Develop, A02 Refine, A03 Record and A04 Present). The final outcome is produced in a 15 hour exam in early May. Throughout the year they attend exhibitions, external Art and Design workshops and events, enriching their knowledge of the diversity and range of the subject. A Level Students are expected to spend at least 3 hours per week on homework. They are expected to visit the department for these 3 study periods outside of lessons times, to gain additional teacher support, use the materials available and work in a quiet, spacious environment. A wide range of Fine Art materials are also available to buy from the Art Department, which is recommended so that students can do additional work at home. We have and continue to invest in equipment and new material developments to ensure our students have the resources required to extend and enrich the development of their art portfolios ready for university and art school interviews. We aim for our students in Y13 to leave as confident, independent, self- motivated creatives who have skills required for realisation and production of their creative ideas so they can go on to an Art and Design foundation or Degree course, and apprenticeships.