Visual Arts

In the Visual Arts faculty, we aim to provide a rich, inspiring and broad curriculum, which will ensure that our students will have a deep appreciation of the place of art and design within the wider world. We aim to ensure that our curriculum:

Provides learners with a depth of knowledge of artists and craftspeople in order to produce creative work, explore their ideas and visually record their experiences.
Thematic projects provide students with a structured approach to explore and ultimately master the key knowledge and skills essential for art and design including painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, sculpture and textiles. These are well designed, inclusive and carefully sequenced to provide all students with an engaging, inspiring and challenging foundation of creative practice for future progression.
Ensures that all students regardless of their ability, background or starting point have the opportunity to express their creativity in a meaningful way. Our curriculum and implementation of it, engenders high expectations and challenge in order to build students’ perseverance and self-belief.
Instils students with confidence to enable them to independently explore wider contexts of art and design including applied arts to consider the importance of art for our society.
Provides students with opportunities to take their curriculum beyond the classroom to develop their love of learning, independence and creative thinking. Opportunities such as The Memory project, Royal Academy workshops, local and national competitions and our links with UAL and St Albans Museum provide our students with multiple opportunities to foster a love and appreciation of art and design.
Is delivered by expert and highly experienced teachers to support our students to develop confidence in order to maximise their potential to achieve and raise their aspirations.
Recognises the place of art and design in supporting wellbeing and as a vehicle for expressing and understanding thoughts, feelings and relevant social issues.
Provides regular opportunities for our students to share their ideas and work in groups to promote the importance of collaborative practice and the creative opportunities that arise when sharing our ideas with others. This supports learners to become confident and erudite and are able to lead, persuade and challenge
Is delivered in a respectful, creative and nurturing environment where each and every student can feel that their thoughts are respected and valued.

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Key Stage 3

At Key Stage 3, we offer a range of thematic projects that will help our students develop a variety of skills in traditional and new media. Our projects have been carefully designed to introduce students to a spectrum of artists and craftspeople in order to facilitate their understanding of art in its broadest context. Students will also develop artistic confidence and visual recording skills through structured and engaging lessons.

Thematic projects provide students with a structured approach to explore and ultimately master the key knowledge and skills essential for art and design including painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, sculpture and textiles. Thematic projects are complimented throughout the academic year with opportunities for students to complete art and design activities that promote our whole school character programme and also reflect upon our British Values. Scheduled events such as our annual whole school Christmas Card Competition, annual Remembrance art project and annual Drawing week in association with the National Campaign for Drawing ensure our students are provided with the opportunity to stretch and challenge themselves as artists with opportunities for their achievements to be recognised at a whole school level.

We also offer Year 9 modules which enable students to learn more about our offer at KS4 level to enable them to make an informed choice before they begin. At KS5 level we offer Fine Art, Photography and Textiles to ensure our students have the opportunity to complete more than one specialism to appropriately prepare them for Art foundation at a higher level if desired.

Key Stage 4

GCSE Art and Design at Sandringham offers students the opportunity to select Fine Art, Photography or Textiles to expand their practical and conceptual skills. During the course, students develop artistic skills, creativity, imagination and independence while creating personal work in their chosen media. Particular emphasis is placed upon the acquisition of visual recording skills.

Art and Design Portfolio: For this unit, students will produce a portfolio of work showing their personal response to a starting point. Students will hand in a portfolio and final piece.

Art and Design set task: For this unit, Students will be given a selection of starting points to choose from and will produce a visual response during a practical exam. Students will produce preparatory studies to support their exam work.

The faculty follows Edexcel Art and Design Suite and more information about the course and subject specification can be found at http://qualifications.pearson.com/en/home.html

Key Stage 5

We offer A Level Art and Design in Fine Art, Photography and Textiles.

Our students are encouraged to work independently and grow into confident artists as they explore a variety of media and techniques. Our students’ work is highly personal, engaging and innovative. We enjoy celebrating their achievements in our annual summer exhibition. We provide opportunities for students to visit galleries to support their studies and exhibit their work in external exhibitions.

Practical Portfolio and Related Study: Students produce a major project that has personal significance. Students complete a related study of a minimum 1000 words.
Controlled Assignment: Students select one starting point from an early release question paper. Students complete a fifteen-hour practical exam to develop their ideas into a final outcome.

More information about the course and subject specification can be found at www.ocr.org.uk

How parents/carers can support learning.

We would encourage parents and carers to spend time reviewing student’s sketchbooks and artwork to celebrate their success. We would encourage trips to local museums and galleries such as St Albans Gallery or galleries in London such as The National Gallery. Holidays are opportunities for our artists to engage with artwork from the local area. A trip to Cornwall for example could provide an opportunity to explore the St Ives School which played a key role in the developments in British art from the 1940s to the 1960s. We are always happy to provide guidance so please do get in touch or reference our Super Curriculum for ideas.

Extra Curricular Activity

We provide regular opportunities throughout the academic year such as St Albans Legacy project, The Memory project or The Royal Academy Young Artists Award. We run weekly KS3 Art and Photography clubs. We run an annual residential trip for our young artists. We encourage our our students to participate in our Young Arts Leaders programme. We are a creative hub for UAL Future Creatives. We are delighted to be part of a highly innovative wider Arts team at Sandringham and continually seek to collaborate to provide cross-curricular opportunities for our students such as Arts Week and collaborative ELD days.