Art Curriculum Overview
Curriculum Intent
Art at our school is built on the belief that creativity is a powerful route to expression, reflection and personal growth. Our curriculum is designed to help students understand the world around them, explore identity and develop practical and conceptual confidence.
Through Art, students build strong knowledge of artistic movements, techniques, media and cultural contexts. They learn how creative practice has developed across time and across continents, exploring traditions from medieval manuscripts to Aboriginal storytelling and contemporary street art.
Students are encouraged to think and create with independence. From structured skill-building in Key Stage 3 to self-directed investigations at GCSE and A Level, they learn to make decisions about materials, composition, artists and outcomes.
Art is a subject of empowerment. Students are supported to express personal ideas, opinions and experiences visually, developing their own artistic voice. They are taught to analyse and respond to the world, using art as a means of communication and commentary.
Our curriculum is deliberately inclusive. Students encounter artists, stories and traditions from a wide range of cultures and backgrounds. Projects are designed to be accessible to all learners, with a focus on celebrating difference, nurturing confidence and building a sense of belonging through creativity.
Key Stage 3
Year 7
- Insects – introduction to the formal elements: line, shape, tone, form, texture, colour and pattern
- Illuminated Letters – typography, pattern and medieval design inspired by the Book of Kells
- Gorgons, Gargoyles and Grotesques – sculpture inspired by mythology and medieval architecture
Year 8
- Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) – cultural symbolism and clay sculpture
- Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art – storytelling through pattern, landscape and heritage
- Street Art – evolution of graffiti, portraiture and public message-making
Year 9
- The Language of Colour – symbolism, Fauvism and expressive painting
- Fantastical Forms – surrealism, Bosch, imagination and collaborative creativity
Key Stage 4 (GCSE Art)
Year 10
- Natural Forms – observational studies, sculpture, photography and organic structures
- Rise of the Machine: Mechanical Art – responses to technology, using a wider range of skills and exploring composition in more depth.
Year 11
- Continuation of coursework projects and independent refinement
- Externally Set Task (10-week project) leading to a supervised 10-hour exam
Students develop skills across drawing, painting, clay, photography, annotation, analysis, research and presentation. They work towards the GCSE assessment objectives through practical and contextual study.
Key Stage 5 ( A Level Art)
Year 12
- Still Life – tradition, composition and practical skill development.
- Portraits – identity, visual analysis and traditional techniques.
- Art History – movements, influences and contextual understanding
- Formal Elements – photography, experimentation and visual study
- Component 1: Personal Investigation begins – independent research and artist response
Year 13
- Personal Investigation continued – refinement, personal visual language and written element.
- Component 2: Externally Set Task (12-week project) leading to a 15-hour supervised exam
Students work with increasing independence, developing a personal practice supported by research, experimentation and critical reflection.
