Courses
2nd & 3rd Form (Years 7 & 8)
Pupils in the 2nd and 3rd Form receive basic instruction in a weekly session of 75 minutes. The 2nd Form is timetabled for one half of the year when they rotate with Design & Technology while the 3rd Form has a complete year of Art. The lessons over the two-year period cover basic Art & Design working methods. Projects are designed to enthuse and deliver the basic foundation skills such as drawing, painting, printmaking, ceramics, sculpture and textiles.
Teachers are encouraged to make the lessons as diverse and adventurous as possible and they should have some experience of the Artist-in-Residence during each year. At this early stage we link all practical work methods with some contextual Art History.
In recent years there has been an annual collaboration between the Art, Music, Drama and English Department with the 2nd and 3rd Form year groups. Each year the 3rd Form work to a theme - The Sea, Erik Satie, Minimalism, and Shakespeare - in these subjects and the culmination is a multi-media show in the Lent Term. For example, the 2nd Form learnt, rehearsed, designed and performed from scratch in one day their version of Jason and The Argonauts including making and painting all of the set, playing the music, creating some of the text and acting the parts.
Each year the 2nd Form has an Art Day in the penultimate week of the Michaelmas Term. This is usually a ceramic based project where all the pupils make a collaborative piece. Recent themes have included Sporting Figures at CH, the Band and the buildings in the Quadrangle.
LE Foundation (Year 9)
Pupils are able to opt for their GCSE subjects at Year 9, the LE, which gives them a three year period in which to answer the syllabus requirements. This first year is an important time in establishing the core skills and grounding of art and we have designed a course that teaches them the fundamentals:
- the formal qualities of art - colour, line, tone, shape, form, texture,
- primary sources - what they are and how to record them
- drawing - skills and techniques
- digital photography - how to use our cameras in conjunction with our Macintosh computers
- basic processes and mediums - painting, printing, ceramics, sculpture, textile, computer generated imagery, early photographic processes
- how to contextualize relevant artists
- how to analyse work and make comparisons with the work of others
The work generated in this year will not have a specific theme but will be added to the two units of coursework that they will undertake in the next two years.
The pupils gain an understanding of the resources, methods and analytical work that is required and while emphasis is given to high standards and the quality required to be successful at GCSE, it is also an important time in which to discover that making mistakes is not always negative in this subject. The pupils start to learn how to discover new ways of perceiving objects, images and artifacts, and broaden their acceptance of alternative aesthetics.
Teachers are encouraged to incorporate as many working methods as possible as a combination of technical disciplines serves to give the pupils a more representative feel of the options available and a sense of their own ability and talent. 45 minute prep is set for the pupils to realise back at house each week.
GCSE (Year 10 & 11)
Whilst the GCSE encompasses three years the two main units of coursework are undertaken in the UF and GE. The examination board is Edexcel and the course is 1027 Unendorsed Art and Design Full Course. Currently, the board requires two coursework components and a 10 hour terminal test examination that has an eight week preparatory period but this is due to change from September 2009 whereby there will be one component on Coursework followed by a ten hour timed test that can be prepared for any amount of time. There are four compulsory assessment objectives that are (AO1) Recording Observations, (AO2) Analyzing and Evaluating Images, (AO3) Developing and Exploring Ideas and Mediums and (AO4) realising a Personal Response. These AO's will be changing from September 2009 too.
Pupils are given a range of starting points from which they develop individual paths of discovery. In both the coursework and exam units pupils move between technical disciplines such as painting and drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, computer generated imagery, photography and textiles. Drawing forms a foundation skill that is used to gather information as well as idea development. Computers and digital cameras are also used to record information and develop visual ideas quickly. Outcomes are always varied and often involve a variety of mediums. Annotation of their work as well as placing their work in the context of Art history is required and is ever present in their journals. Though this is often articulated in text the pupils are encouraged to use visuals to say what they mean as our individual visual interpretation of words can differ radically.
The UF and GE attend a 75 minute prep session in the Art department each week.
Syllabus Specifications
AS
The examination board for AS and A2 is Edexcel and they follow the Art and Design 8AD01 Course. It is felt that this is the natural continuation from the G.C.S.E. course. This course enables the pupils to work across the complete range of disciplines on offer in the Art Department and they are actively encouraged to vary the mediums and dimension they use throughout their projects. Specialism by any individual in any area is not actively promoted as it is felt that, at this stage, they should still be exposed to new methods or ways of learning. This is hopefully reflected in the maturity and eclectic nature of the pupils work.
At AS there are two units in which they must submit:
- Unit 1. Coursework
- Unit 2. Externally set assignment
There are four assessment objectives that include:
- AO1. Develop, Sustain, Focus, Understand
- AO2. Experiment, Select, Review, Refine
- AO3. Record, Observe, Reflect
- AO4. Present, Respond, Realise, Connect
This course strives to further develop the individual interest and technical strengths of the pupils involved. The one-year of work is structured in that it closely follows the examination board's criteria and each pupil is furnished with a conceptual starting point. Ideas are developed via journals, incorporating a variety of disciplines in the development of their projects, namely, painting and drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, computer imagery, digital photography and textiles. Again, emphasis is placed on an individual response and placing their work in context with the work of others. This leads to a diverse range of outcomes.
One of the key aims of this year is to strengthen their understanding of the seriousness and conceptual content with which artists make their work. It is also a time to continually reassess artwork and to question its meaning whilst trying to see from a variety of perceptions. It is hoped that through this process of questioning and re-questioning that the pupils will broaden their aesthetic and perceptual understandings further, with greater maturity, and begin to approach 'making art' with greater purpose and need.
The current AS project is based on Brian Eno's 'Oblique Strategies'.
The exam unit requires that the pupils research and develop a journal of work all with the same starting point which is set by the exam board. There is no longer a time limit on the amount of time set for the preparatory work and within this unit they must meet all the assessment objectives (listed above). There is an eight hour timed test at the culmination of the preparatory period.
The pupils have 4 hours of prep each week which they complete over two evenings in the Art Department.
Syllabus Specifications
A2
Pupils follow the Edexcel Unendorsed Art and Design 9030 Course.
There are two units in which they must submit:
- Unit 3. Coursework Unit
- Unit 4. Externally Set Assignment
All four Assessment Objectives, which are the same as the AS but are marked to a higher standard, must be present in each unit. (See Edexcel Specifications)
The course starts with Unit 3. The pupil selects a topic of study and it is expected that aspects of their experiences on the AS course to date influence their choice. As well as being a practical unit a written text of 1000-3000 words is required with accompanying research. The emphasis will be placed upon it being a practical, making experience but they must have adequate analytical research with which to realise a fluently articulated and considered argument. The essay's theme has to reflect their practical work in some way and is decided upon by the pupil in discussion with their teacher.
During the course of this year it is hoped that the pupils will be prepared to experiment with their learning further still but may have found an area, process or subject that they have found particularly captivating. It is expected that there skills will continue to improve making a marked step up from AS standard. The exam unit - based upon an externally set theme - takes the same format as the AS, whereby the pupils have unlimited time to prepare for the 12 hour timed test.
The pupils have 5 hours of prep each week which they complete over two evenings in the Art Department.
Syllabus Specifications
Further Education
Each year a number of pupils are supported with their Art College Foundation Course applications building a portfolio of work and interview technique. They apply to a range of the most renowned colleges in the country and all have been successful in being awarded places at their first choice colleges which included Central St.Martin's, Chelsea, Camberwell, Wimbledon, Byam Shaw and Brighton. Whilst it is preferable that pupils study Art at A Level the requirement for Art Colleges is 5 GCSE's including English and Maths as well as a portfolio of work.
Whenever possible, work experience/placements are organised for Grecians so that they can have an empirical understanding of the business that they are entering. For example, four pupils worked in the MA Fashion Department at Central St.Martin's under the tutelage of the course leader, Professor Louise Wilson OBE, before the MA students final fashion show. They assisted these students in every way from sewing on accessories to modelling the garments. They were also invited to the final show and received tickets to other London Fashion Week shows.
Architecture has become a very popular career choice over recent years and most courses require pupils to study Art and Maths or Physics at A Level. Most courses require some form of artwork to be presented at interview so we strongly advise pupils to opt for Art in the Sixth Form if they wish to apply. Pupils have recently been successful in applying to some of the top courses in the country at University College, London, Cardiff, Manchester and Edinburgh.
Life drawing is an essential element for any pupil wishing to apply for an Art degree so we run a six week course in the Michaelmas term for these pupils.