The Google Site is only available to students and teachers of Aylesbury High School. The Google Arts Site contains extra resources and links to further learning and understanding.

The other quick links are to websites with extra resources.

We aim to encourage open-minded, creative, critical and reflective thinkers who have the courage and confidence to be independent as they reflect the world in a visual form.

We aim to provide a vibrant and dynamic curriculum that will give students the freedom to explore their creativity, inspire design ideas, whilst equipping them with the skills to continue the subject with confidence at A-Level and beyond.

Co-curricular opportunities foster a love for the subject and offer opportunities to develop imagination and leadership skills and encourage students to take on roles of responsibility.

Careers are linked to SOW and are relevant in line with the Gatsby Benchmarks.

Students continue to build on prior learning at Key Stage 3 having already developed foundation skills relating to the assessment criteria. Students will take an independent approach to their GCSE project and devise a topic to investigate that is usually personal to them.

Their ability to record, explore, experiment, analyse and make art is developed further through more risk and rigour. They apply a creative approach to problem-solving, and they are able to consider and develop original ideas from initiation to realisation. Students take ownership of their learning and can communicate this with Art staff through tutorials to make informed decisions and next steps for their work. They can express individual thoughts and choices confidently, they can take risks, experiment and learn from mistakes.

Students are encouraged to work outside their sketchbooks on large scales and to explore a range of ideas before producing realisations. The development process at GCSE is fundamental to the success of a project.

Co-curricular opportunities are vital at Key Stage 4 and the Art rooms are regularly used to further enhance their creative practice, House Art, regular competitions and trips to art galleries develop creative thinking.

Course content

Students are now at the stage to fully implement their learning which has been developing throughout their Art education.

In Year 12 students have the opportunity to explore, expand and consolidate their technical skills and grasp of the assessment objectives by using the whole of the first year as an exploratory and investigative year, learning and honing skills, and gradually developing a sense of their own strengths in the subject.

Year 13 students are able to use the time to fully consolidate their expertise and hone in on selected skills and disciplines, taking risks and developing their work in their area of focus for the Contextual Study and producing work relating to that theme.

The A Level course enables students to work both independently and collaboratively, important skills that will transfer into society in any role. Engagement with the arts helps our students develop a sense of their own identity and value. The course facilitates degrees in the creative industries as well as prepares students for a future in whatever career they choose. Employers value people who can think creatively and innovatively alongside qualifications. Studying art facilitates these things as well as time management, which is a fundamental skill set valued by employees. Studying the arts teaches determination and resilience – qualities useful to any career.

Visual art education opens possibilities and opportunities for our students to discover themselves, their creativity, values, ethics, societies and cultures. Sixth Form students are given the opportunity to continue to develop their creative practice through study periods and be involved in House Art and take on an Art Ambassador role. Visiting artists, life drawing opportunities as well as trips to London and the summer residential to Amsterdam/ Paris enable students to develop the abilities to think critically and imaginatively; it fosters intercultural understanding, and an empathic approach to cultural diversity through their learning.

Course content

To ensure that all students achieve mastery in specified knowledge, students are formatively assessed regularly at KS3 through assessment stickers, which can be teacher, self and peer-led and teaching is adapted accordingly. Students at KS3 will be assessed on the National Curriculum and at GCSE and GCE exam board assessment objectives A01 - 4 and 9-1. A* - U marking scheme. Assessment data is used to judge the success of the curriculum and progress towards mastery. Teaching time is allocated to the reteaching of specific knowledge and skills and refining work; any written or verbal feedback focusses on any key areas needed for improvement. The impact of the curriculum upon students becoming artists, designers or craftspeople who can make critical and analytical judgements is assessed through students’ engagement in unit activities, the amount of time spent on independent learning outside the classroom and whether students go to any galleries or museums, read publications or if students are interested in studying Art, Design or Applied Arts at A Level and university. The impact of the curriculum builds on skills throughout the key stages and prepares students for industry-led jobs.

Key Stage 3

Assessment:

Students at KS3 are assessed regularly throughout their projects. Our department's marking stickers enable our students to show what they have learnt and how they will make progress, as well as areas to target for the next lesson. Students are given the opportunity to revisit work when appropriate and use additional time to address targets. Students can use lesson time to self and peer assess. This may be written or done as a whole class gallery discussion. Students are assessed in line with the school's marking policy 9– 1 grading. Assessment is about recognising that we all make mistakes, identifying them and learning from the process. This approach develops resilience, as well as improves knowledge and the skills needed for Key Stage 4.

Cultural Capital:

The curriculum provides opportunities for students to broaden their school experiences through a range of enrichment opportunities. At Key Stage 3 students get the opportunity to speak with visiting artists, develop their cultural awareness and sense of belief through specific projects. For example, looking at diversity in art, looking at British Values celebrating different faiths and beliefs (Eid decorations) and encouraging respect for other people (war memorial art). Students are given career talks and these are embedded into projects at key points.

Community Links:

Students at Key Stage 3 are encouraged to develop their creativity, independence, judgement and self-reflection through their art. Classroom displays reflect a sense of pride in their artwork and this is also demonstrated by creative outcomes across the wider curriculum. Students’ art is celebrated through the art blog, newsletters, Twitter account, website and around the school. Students are able to use the art rooms at lunch to further explore their art or learn new skills unrelated to their classroom art in a club run by Art Ambassadors. All students have the opportunity to enter House Art and external competitions.

Knowledge & Skills:

The knowledge embedded into students at Key Stage 3 is to learn to use a range of techniques to record their observations in sketchbooks, journals and other media as a basis for exploring their ideas. They will learn to use a range of techniques and media, including painting, to increase their proficiency in the handling of different materials. They will learn to analyse and evaluate their own work, and that of others, in order to strengthen the visual impact or applications of their work on the history of art, craft, design and architecture, including periods, styles and major movements from ancient times up to the present day. The knowledge embedded into the curriculum prepares students for Key Stage 4.

The Art curriculum has been designed to engage with and stretch our students. To be able to allow for critical thinking, evaluate learning through discussion, building on confidence and resilience.

Key Stage 4

Assessment:

Students at GCSE are assessed regularly throughout their projects. Sketchbooks are checked and targets given. Students have one-to-one tutorials to enable them to confidently communicate their ideas. Students build on their learning from lesson to lesson, addressing targets and making progress. Students are assessed in line with the GCSE specification and the school's marking policy 9 -1 grading.

Students build on resilience by self and peer assessment, students recognise the marking scheme and exemplar materials provided and become more confident in assessing their own work. They begin to appreciate assessment as a useful tool to review their work and identify gaps in their learning.

Cultural Capital:

The curriculum provides a vast amount of opportunities for students to broaden their school experiences through a range of enrichment opportunities. Students get the opportunity to see live artwork in galleries or through visiting artists and make reactions about it and be able to question it. Students are able to explore the visual world we live in, to communicate this through creating and making, to experiment with different media, processes and techniques, to develop a cultural appreciation through visual and analytical language to promote British values.

Community Links:

Students continue to develop their creativity, independence, judgement and self-reflection through their art. Student work is celebrated with a final summer exhibition showcasing their achievements. Students are given opportunities to work as a team entering House Art competitions.

Knowledge & Skills:

Throughout the GCSE, students will know and understand how sources inspire the development of ideas, drawing on: the work and approaches of artists, craftspeople or designers from contemporary and/or historical contexts, periods, societies and cultures, contemporary and/or historical environments, situations or issues, and other relevant sources researched by the student in their chosen area.

They will know about the ways in which meanings, ideas and intentions can be communicated through visual and tactile language, using formal elements, including: colour, line, form, tone and texture. They will know the characteristics, properties and effects of using different media, materials, techniques and processes, and the ways in which they can be used in relation to their own creative intentions and chosen area. They will know the different purposes, intentions and functions of art, craft and design in a variety of contexts appropriate to their work.

Engagement with the arts helps our students develop a sense of their own identity and value. This in turn develops personal responsibility within our school and the wider community. The knowledge embedded into the curriculum prepares students for Key Stage 5.

Key Stage 5

Assessment:

Students at GCE are assessed in a similar way to GCSE with regular discussions about progress and targets. Students' one-to-one tutorials enable them to make independent choices about their learning. Interim creative assessment days facilitate the learning journey, allowing time for students to fully engage with their set themes, producing quality responses.

Cultural Capital:

Students are immersed in opportunities to broaden their understanding of the visual world and know how to create and make art. This learning can lead to many careers in the creative industries. Students have the opportunity to become Art Ambassadors, run clubs for lower schools, enter prestigious competitions like The Royal Academy Summer Show and have visiting speakers and artists, i.e. Adebanji Alade. Residential trips allow for a broader learning experience and give our students the opportunities to discover themselves, their creativity, values, ethics, societies and cultures, and so students not only develop their creative learning but develop skills that are transferable to other areas of the school.

Community Links:

Students work with local and national organisations such as the National Trust / Waddesdon House to create installation pieces. Students have the opportunity to become House Art Captains, organising and promoting the arts in the wider community. Student art is showcased in the summer exhibition.

Knowledge & Skills:

Students at A Level will develop their knowledge of intellectual, imaginative, creative and intuitive capabilities. They will have investigative, analytical, experimental, practical, technical and expressive skills, aesthetic understanding and critical judgement. They will show independence of mind in developing, refining and communicating their own ideas, their own intentions and their own personal outcomes. They will show an interest in, enthusiasm for, and enjoyment of art, craft and design. They will have knowledge of working with a broad range of media. They will have knowledge of an understanding of the interrelationship between art, craft and design processes and an awareness of the contexts in which they operate. They will have knowledge and experience of real world contexts and, where appropriate, links to the creative industries. They will have knowledge and understanding of art, craft, design and media and technologies in contemporary and past societies and cultures. They will have an awareness of different roles, functions, audiences and consumers of art, craft and design. The knowledge embedded into the curriculum prepares students for opportunities for all learners to go into higher education. Studying arts subjects increases social mobility and provides and contributes to the creative industries.

The marking criteria for Art, especially at Key Stage 3 (Years 7-9), change frequently according to the task. These charts show how the feedback might look.

Artists - develop