Art

At Middleton Technology school we offer a well-rounded and creative art curriculum. Throughout KS3 we use themes to investigate a variety of artwork from ancient cultures, well known art movements as well as more contemporary practitioners. We focus on teaching key skills throughout the 3 years which use the 7 formal elements of art: line, shape, form, colour, tone, pattern and texture. This is underpinned by drawing and being able to ‘record what you see’.

 

We pride ourselves on not only providing the opportunity to learn basic art skills but to have access to a wide range of materials, from collaging, print making, 3D construction and ceramics. Students will be asked to analyse work by others and use self-reflection and discussion to evaluate their own work. They will also have a chance to explore their creativity and imagination, and through risk taking, they will develop resilience and independent thinking skills, being able to express themselves in new ways.

Year 7

In year 7 the themes consist of bugs, self-portraits and fish. We introduce the basic skills such as observational drawing, adding tone through shading, mark-making and colour theory. Giving students a chance to learn the fundamentals whilst trying a variety of materials such as paint, pens, ink, oil-pastels, water-colours, collage, wax-resist and clay. Students will be guided through drawing realistic beetles and designing 3D Egyptian scarabs. They will also learn to draw the proportions of a face, creating a range of self-portraits using different media and styles. They will then move on to making a Japanese Koinobori kite and collaborating on larger scale work. They will be inspired by art from the Egyptians, Japanese festivals, impressionism, pointillism and Fauvism. As well as contemporary art from artists such as Kehinde Wiley, Anthony Gormley and Rosalind Monks.  

Year 8

In year 8 we continue to build on these skills whilst adding more opportunities to learn about design and 3D construction. The topics covered are Masks from another culture, graffiti/street art and architecture. Students are asked to use what they have learnt though research into a culture such as African, Venetian or Mexican to design their own mask and then translate that into 3D, concentrating on the constructions skills and fine decoration needed to produce their own mask. They also explore lettering and more graphic design skills to compose their own graffiti style tag. After looking at successful graffiti artists such as Lady Pink, Jon Burgerman and Banksy, they will have an opportunity to experiment with stencils and low-level card relief. Students then produce their own work based on a topic that they choose. Lastly, students look at a range of artists that use architecture as a basis for their work such as Ian Murphy and Rowan Lekie, and architects that design their building as a piece of art such as Hundertwasser and Gaudi.  

Year 9

In year 9, those existing skills are used to explore art in a more applied way.  In their first topic; Pop art, they will learn the huge effect artists such as Warhol, Lichtenstein and Blake had on art and culture from the 1950s up to modern day with contemporary pop artists such as Ron Magnes and Lobo continuing the style. Students use a combination of design and observational skills to produce their own composition, poly print and collage in a pop art style. In their second topic, students look at illustration and how it is used across a range of industries including advertising, films and book illustration. Again, we encourage our students to look at a wide range of artists from Quentin Blake to Tim Burton. After experimenting using materials and techniques inspired by professional illustrators, students are then given a brief in which they make their own choices when producing a final outcome. 

Year 10

At KS4 students will have 3 lessons per week; they will follow the AQA Art and Design specification. Students will cover a wide range of art and design specialisms and produce a personal and independent portfolio of work. The starting points range from natural forms, food and drink, celebrations and identity. Each student is given a project guide and framework with the essential areas that have to be studied to ensure they meet all the assessment objectives.

GCSE Art and Design provides students with a wide range of creative, exciting and stimulating opportunities to explore their interests in ways that are both personally relevant and developmental in nature.

This two unit specification enables students to develop their ability to actively engage in the processes of Art and Design – to build creative skills through learning and doing, to develop imaginative and intuitive ways of working and develop knowledge and understanding of media, materials and technologies in historical and contemporary contexts, societies and cultures.

Assessment is by Unit 1: Portfolio of Work (Controlled Assessment) 60 per cent and Unit 2: Externally Set Task 40 per cent. It is a strong foundation for further progression to Art and Design related courses such as A-level Art and Design and enhanced vocational and career pathways.

Year 11

At KS4 students will have 3 lessons per week; they will follow the AQA Art and Design specification. Students will cover a wide range of art and design specialisms and produce a personal and independent portfolio of work. The starting points range from natural forms, food and drink, celebrations and identity. Each student is given a project guide and framework with the essential areas that have to be studied to ensure they meet all the assessment objectives.

GCSE Art and Design provides students with a wide range of creative, exciting and stimulating opportunities to explore their interests in ways that are both personally relevant and developmental in nature.

This two unit specification enables students to develop their ability to actively engage in the processes of Art and Design – to build creative skills through learning and doing, to develop imaginative and intuitive ways of working and develop knowledge and understanding of media, materials and technologies in historical and contemporary contexts, societies and cultures.

Assessment is by Unit 1: Portfolio of Work (Controlled Assessment) 60 per cent and Unit 2: Externally Set Task 40 per cent. It is a strong foundation for further progression to Art and Design related courses such as A-level Art and Design and enhanced vocational and career pathways.