At Kents Hill Park the Art & Design curriculum provides pupils with the opportunity to gain the skills, knowledge and confidence to create outcomes using creativity and imagination. Pupils experiment creatively with artistic techniques and gain knowledge about artistic movements whilst developing creative confidence. The curriculum is a cyclical process; pupils revisit the design process with each new project, the intention being; skills, knowledge and confidence are built upon and grow. The main aim is to promote a joy of creativity. In order to do this, carefully planned units are delivered to ensure pupils are able to succeed in their creative efforts and appreciate artistic elements in the world around them. The intention is to provide pupils with a curriculum within which they will succeed within and beyond the classroom. The aim is to strengthen self-esteem early on and build confident risk takers who imagine ambitious creations within their current studies and into the future.

Staff and Facilities

Mrs Morley-Smith, Head of Art & Design, has a particular interest in print making and ceramics. Miss Wood is a textiles specialist; a fan of bright bold patterns, she has a knack for finding artists and designers who utilise traditional design with modern flair.

Our Art & DT Technician, Mr Macdermott, is a professional ceramicist who brings a wealth of skill and talent to our department. He has a background of working in the wider community, facilitating private lessons and working with young offenders.

Our dedicated art classrooms boast their own kiln among their facilities, allowing our pupils to explore and express themselves through multiple artistic media.

Enrichment

Each lesson is viewed as a springboard to promote research and experimentation. Far more than can be completed in a single hour lesson is introduced so that pupils with an interest in art & design can use the art room at lunchtimes and after school to pursue their line of enquiry. We celebrate a diverse range of designers in our ‘Artist of the Month’ scheme. Pupils are introduced to designers that they might not necessarily come across in their formal art lessons and are encouraged to create work inspired by them. The Open University in Milton Keynes has provided huge inspiration for us at KHP; they have a sculpture trail that has formed the basis for much of our design work throughout lockdown. It is amazing to have such fabulous artwork on our doorstep. At KHP we work closely with MK Gallery who are able to facilitate trips and visits. We have a trip to Stowe House planned to work with their school art department and hope to travel further in the next year as we plan a trip to the coast!

Curriculum

Year 7 Curriculum

Our Year 7 curriculum is based around still life and explicitly teaches all aspects of the formal elements of art. We take a practical approach, pupils are taught how to monoprint and paint alongside learning about colour theory, the relationship between form and tone and how mark making can suggest a range of different textures. These textures are explored further using clay. Drawing skills underpin the entire curriculum and form part of every lesson. Pupils begin to learn how annotations can both explain their process and evaluate their outcomes.

Year 8 Curriculum

Our Year 8 curriculum is a carefully selected tour of art history. Using what they have learned about colour theory in Year 7, pupils create Cubist inspired painted paper collages. Pupils are challenged to design three dimensional forms to create a sculpture based on ‘differing viewpoints about technology’. Pupils then go on to learn about print making and experiment with their own printing, looking at chiaroscuro photography. Drawing skills underpin the entire curriculum and form part of every lesson. Pupils’ annotations begin to reflect their personal opinions.

Year 9 Curriculum

Our Year 9 curriculum is inspired by ‘The Environment’ we contrast natural landscape formations with dramatic cityscapes before we look more closely at the coast. Pupils bring together all that we have learnt about the formal artistic elements to work in a variety of artist’s styles in both 3D and 2D. In Year 9 pupils learn about reductive print making. During their final lessons of KS3, pupils are challenged to develop their own work based on the theme of ‘Our Environment’ Drawing skills underpin the entire curriculum and form part of every lesson. Pupil’s annotation begin to tie together their artistic journey and comment on which elements will be developed further in their personal practice.

Pupils studying Art & Design at KHP do so with the exam board Eduqas. We begin Year 10 with a fast paced skills based project with the title of ‘Close Up’, pupils must be independent and willing to spend homework time on carrying out photoshoots early on in the course to ensure they have a bank of images from which to work. The zoomed in nature of this first project means that many of the outcomes with appear abstract whilst providing us with the opportunity to look closely at lines and textures. As always, knowledge of the formal artistic elements will underpin much of what we do.

After their first ‘Close Up’ project, pupils will be given a selection of different art project titles to choose from. By this stage pupils really should be independently driving the direction of their own artwork. This should ensure that outcomes are personal and meaningful. The final of the three project pupils undertake for their GCSE is their externally set exam title. EDUQAS will set a range of starting points in January of Year 11 from which pupils must choose one. They will then spend 12 weeks working on their final project which forms 40% of their final GCSE grade.