Creative Studies Art
Curriculum Aims
Creative studies Art seeks to provide opportunities for all students to access the creative process, express themselves and work independently to create satisfying outcomes. Students will explore visual, tactile and other sensory experiences to communicate ideas and meanings. They will work with different media, developing confidence, competence, imagination and creativity. Students will be exposed to a variety of inspirational sources and stimulus from the world around them. They will be inspired by the work of artists, designers and craftspeople from various backgrounds and cultures, who have worked through key points of history, up to and including current working artists. They will learn to appreciate and value images and artefacts across times and cultures. As the students move through the school, they revisit concepts with increasing levels of depth. This enables them to develop an awareness of their own artistic progress in terms of both skill and confidence. They reflect critically on their own and other people’s work judging quality, value and meaning.
Our Curriculum Journey
At Ashley High School we nurture creativity, emphasising the importance of sharing ideas and good practice. Creative Studies Art develops creative problem-solving skills, empathy and effective communication. We encourage self-expression, independence and reflective thinking enabling our students to flourish as well rounded individuals. All students study Creative Studies Art in years 7, 8 and 9. In year 10 students have the option to follow a one-year qualification at Entry Level.
Intent
At Ashley, Creative Studies Art is a progressive development of skills, practiced and embedded over time which stimulates creativity and imagination. It is designed to provide visual, tactile and sensory experiences in response to the world around us. Students will be given the opportunity to work with a variety of media, techniques and tools and is designed to work alongside other areas of the curriculum providing enhanced and meaningful context for learning about great artists, craft makers and designers as well as developing an appreciation and understanding of the cultural development of their art forms.
Following the guidance from the National Curriculum, we aim for our students to:
- Produce creative work, exploring their ideas and recording their experiences
- Become proficient in drawing, painting, sculpture and other art, craft and designer techniques
- Evaluate and analyse creative works using language of art, craft and design
- Know about great artists, craft makers and designers and understand the historical and cultural development of their art forms
Implementation
At Ashley, specialist teachers provide high quality art lessons in years 7, 8 and 9, one a week, ensuring students are engaged, challenged and inspired. They are provided with their own sketchbooks to make initial sketches, develop skills, record ideas and develop creativity. Lessons are delivered in a multi-sensory way with visual, verbal and practical teaching strategies employed. We recognise prior learning is the foundation for skill progression and explicit links are made between areas of learning. This allows students to make connections between art history, techniques and artists. PowerPoints are used to introduce the students to artists, craft makers and designers through which they learn about the life of famous artists, their personal ambitions and artist challenges. PowerPoint resources are also used to introduce step by step instructions for techniques such as colour mixing. This information is presented at a reading level that it makes it accessible to students within the art lessons and is supported with images. Cross curricular links are promoted to allow a deepening understanding across the curriculum.
Impact
At Ashley students produce creative, independent work which shows exploration of their ideas and records their experiences. They are confident to explore, experiment and take risks and value the process that they have gone through to produce the finished product. They self and peer evaluate and appreciate the process of making improvements and developing their mastery of art and design techniques.