Learning through the arts helps us to explore, shape and communicate our sense of identity and understanding of the world.

KS3 Art, Design and Photography

In Year 7, we look at the Formal elements focusing on Colour. Pupils investigate colour theory and the work of the Pop Artists. They improve their observational drawing skills by drawing the colourful packaging of sweets/chocolates from real life adding tonal shading and detail. They then develop their ideas and experiment with paint, print and pen to produce their own ‘Pop Art’ Mixed Media final piece. They develop their knowledge of Art theory by researching into Abstract Painting and the work of Wassily Kandinsky. Pupils draw and paint to music, developing their understanding of colour theory further and ‘freeing them up’ to paint in a more emotive way. Pupils produce large scale abstract paintings. In the Summer Term we aim to get outside and so look at the work of the Impressionists painting ‘plein air’ around our beautiful grounds. We look at mixing techniques of the impressionists and observe how the light changes the landscape. Pupils work together to paint on a large scale.

Year 8 pupils look at the natural world for inspiration. This begins by looking ’Under the Microscope’ to inspire their work. Looking at nature in detail, pupils investigate artists such as Giles Revell to inspire their own mixed media paintings. We then visit the Plymouth Aquarium in the Spring Term, which is an exciting opportunity to see fish up-close to observe the shapes, colours and patterns they have. Pupils then look at the issue of ‘Plastics in Our Oceans’ and develop their ideas for a recycled plastic sculpture of their own. Continuing with the theme of nature, pupils then look at the work of the artist and architect Antoni Gaudi, and develop their own designs for organic architecture or a ceramic final piece.

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Year 9 Pupils begin the Final KS3 year with a project entitled ‘Me, Myself & I’. Pupils work on their self-portraiture skills and subject knowledge of the proportions of the face. Then they develop their ideas of portraiture into a more personal design for a print. Pupils produce a final Lino print /collage in the style of the German Expressionists. Following on from looking at themselves for inspiration we ask them to look at the world around them, and its numerous conflicts to inspire a thought provoking project on ‘Conflict’. We look at the numerous war artists’ works and work that has been inspired by conflict in the past, such as Picasso’s ‘Guernica’ painting. Pupils are encouraged to develop their ideas in a more meaningful way. Pupils then develop their own mixed media /collage work on a conflict of their choice.In the final term of year 9 we like to start the GCSE course and begin observational studies and research for one of two GCSE projects: ‘Natural/Man-made Structures’ OR ‘Multiculturalism’