Art

The Art Department aims to inspire our students to become curious, confident and creative learners through their knowledge, skill and understanding of Art, Craft and Design.  Nurturing a curiosity and enquiry into creative human endeavour across time, place and culture provides our students with cultural literacy and a confident sense of self-worth.  We provide an environment within which students can explore their creativity and learn practical skills across a broad range of media, enabling them to express and communicate their ideas visually.  Our artists aspire to build on prior knowledge, skills and understanding as they progress through their education, enabling them to develop their individual artistic voice with increasing confidence.

Art Curriculum Journey 

At Key Stage 3 students are allocated the following time to Art lessons:

Year 7 – 3 hours a fortnight

Year 8 – 3 hours a fortnight

Year 9 – 2 hours a fortnight

The Art Department has three experienced members of staff.

Miss McLean – Subject Leader Art, Curriculum Leader The Arts,

Mrs Howarth – Teacher of Art, Head of Progress and Learning sixth form

Mrs Pendlington – Teacher of Art, Community Arts Co-ordinator

The Art and Design department at Sale Grammar school strives to provide an environment within which young people can explore their creativity and learn skills that enable them to express and communicate their ideas visually. Structured courses allow learners to build skills and confidence, enabling them to develop their work with increasing independence.

At KS3 students follow the Core Learning Objectives in Art for each year group.

The KS3 Art Department scheme of work is devised to develop student’s knowledge and understanding of the formal elements of Art and Design and how to apply these creatively. Students explore the work of artists in order to understand how they could apply their understanding of the formal elements with intent. Curiosity of materials, media, their own and others viewpoints of the world around them is nurtured to support students to become confident learners.

Within Year 7 and 8 students will be taught units of work on Line, Colour, Pattern, Texture, Form, Tone. The curriculum in Year 9 extends students holistic understanding of applying formal elements when developing a Fine Art project with greater independence. The Summer Term scheme of work for Year 9 follows investigation of photographic artists and processes through personal photographic outcomes.  Art teachers devise their own approach to each unit of work leading to differing outcomes in each class.

The department has a commitment to cross-curricular, international and community engagement through Art.

Units of work also address the following:

Year 7: All students will study Indian Art and learn clay skills.

Year 8: All students will study African Art to support the charity ‘Made with Hope’ and learn clay skills.

Year 9: All students will study Chinese Art.

Assessment in Art at Key Stage 3 is through continual assessment across the schemes of work.  Formative assessment takes place at a key pivotal point in the prep work stage, often using peer and self assessment in order that students respond to make better progress in the outcome.  Summative assessment at the end of each scheme of work supports students progress with feedback that informs them of areas of success, along with a SMART target to respond to, either immediately or to develop within the subsequent scheme of work.  This form of assessment supports students ongoing self awareness of the development of their strengths and a structure with which to develop those areas they find more challenging.  The process of self reflection and the ability to act on this becomes a critical skill at Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 5 where all work is used as Non-Examined Assessment to inform their external examination grade.  At this point the ability to reflect on their own practise and decision making, and make measured change is assessed. 

For Students and Parents who are curious about what Art looks like beyond Key Stage 3, and how the study of Art might support future ambitions

Our students who study Art at GCSE are those who enjoy enquiry, through a practical experience.  In order that students can explore and investigate themes through a broad range of media and outcomes we follow the AQA GCSE in Fine Art.  At the conclusion of KS4 many students have developed interests in pursuing art and design at Key Stage 5 while others feel confident in their manual dexterity skills that will support developing interests in engineering, medicine or dentistry. All of our students enjoy the opportunity to develop transferable skills as creative thinkers and as problem solvers. 

A Level Art students are those who enjoy following a line of investigation through practical means, and those who want to refine their practical and creative skill.  Students who have studied Art A Level at Sale Grammar School have been successfully accepted on degrees for Pharmacy, Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Interior Architecture, Film, Fashion Marketing, Fashion Design, Fine Art, Art History, Animation, Illustration, Computer animation, Russian and Spanish, Dentistry, Computer Game Design, Graphic Design, Photography, Jewellery Design, Liberal Arts, Business and Fashion. 

For those students who are interested in pursuing Art and Design beyond school, the accepted route to apply to study on a degree is by first completing a Foundation Diploma in Art and Design – commonly referred to a ‘Art Foundation’.  This one year course enables students to explore a broad range of media and disciplines within Art and Design, before making a decision on which Art School to apply to study for their degree.  Our students have been successful in being accepted on Art Foundation at: Manchester School of Art (MMU), Leeds School of Arts (Leeds Beckett University), University of Brighton, Central St Martins (UAL).  Some of the most exciting and highly regarded degree courses are delivered by ‘Art Schools’ or ‘Art Colleges’ affiliated to universities, rather than the traditional ‘red brick’ Russell Group Universities and we support our students in understanding and aspiring to apply to the best courses that will provide them with a positive start for their future aspirations.  If you are interested in finding out more about the very particular routes into tertiary education in The Arts you might choose to investigate some of the following Art Schools to find out more:  Manchester School of Art - MMU, Central St Martins -UAL, Chelsea College of Arts  - UAL, Camberwell College of Arts – UAL, The Bartlett – UCL, The Slade – UCL, Kingston University London, School of Design and Creative Arts – Loughborough University.

We encourage past students to visit the Art Department and to share their progression with current students through the development of their portfolio’s of work, and through discussion about how they have used the knowledge and skills that they learnt from studying Art at school to inform their future decisions.  A Level students share advice and tips on how to manage portfolio requests and interview tasks when applying for tertiary study with Year 12.  Where possible we encourage students to engage in understanding career routes through discussion and conversation with specialists when we visit museum and galleries. 

Art Around the School 

Art work of all students is celebrated in displays around the school environment for all to enjoy. 

Community Art

Our community art programme is devised to support and encourage students in Key Stage 2 through their transition into Key Stage 3.  Our sixth form student leader ‘Art Ambassadors’ excel at supporting our young participants in our community arts programme, nurturing and encouraging them to enjoy and feel proud of their achievement in Art.

Family Learning Workshop 

Our out of hours community art programme is devised to support and encourage students in Key Stage 2 through their transition into Key Stage 3.

Our Family Learning workshop provides Year 7 students with the opportunity to make art with a family member, supporting families in understanding the change of environment from primary to secondary school. 

Our Year 5 Gifted and Talented art workshop offers students and primary schools the opportunity to stretch and challenge themselves, learning about new artists, skills and techniques in Art. 

Visual Arts Summer School

Our highly successful Visual Arts Summer School brings together students from Years 4, 5, 6, and 7.  Guest artists lead on workshops covering a range of art and craft activities which culminate in an exhibition celebrating achievement.

Our sixth form student leader ‘Art Ambassadors’ excel at supporting our young participants in our community arts programme, nurturing and encouraging them to enjoy and feel proud of their achievement in Art.

The Art Department 

  

Key Stage 3 Learning Objectives

Key Stage 4 Learning Objectives

Key Stage 5 Learning Objectives