Art

The visual arts at the valley provides the opportunity for each student to learn and develop their own artistic style based on their own experiences and the world around them.

The materials and processes we use in art lessons encourage students to stretch their creativity, and to enrich their learning in a positive way promoting resilience through a trial and error ‘hands-on’ approach, help build confidence and promote a deeper understanding and broader knowledge base in other subject areas.

All year groups contribute towards the end of year art exhibition and fashion show.

Year 7

In year 7 students study a variety of topics which are designed to provide a strong base from which their knowledge of art and design can grow.

Students are given the opportunity to initiate a sketchbook and embark on an exploration of colour through researching artists such as Warhol, Matisse and Kandinsky to set themes.

Team work and communication skills enable the students to create artwork in the style of a researched artist and to take part in various Arts activities that allow the students to learn from each other, further developing those skills.

Year 8

Throughout this year, students are given the opportunity to develop their sketchbook techniques and begin to build a portfolio of work, studying a variety of topics aimed at building upon their knowledge gained in Year 7. They are taught how to record and investigate shape, colour, texture and patterns using a variety of materials, skills and processes, exploring media and taking inspiration from the world around us. Various art forms such as Urban Art, Pop Art and Illustration, provide the opportunity to learn new skills and to be able to recognise and appreciate the similarities and differences in art throughout different time periods and around the world. Taking inspiration from the world in which we live by doing arts projects based on the local community.

Year 9

Sketchbooks continue to be used for working into in Year 9, encouraging students to personalise their work by using them as reference books that contain images created in the style of other artists and as a visual notebook of skills and processes that have been learned.

Students will explore topics such as power and conflict and will be exploring performance art, photography and print making as part of their journey.

Team work and communication skills also have a greater focus in this year, enabling students to prepare for their journey to Btec Art and Design Levels.

Years 10 and 11

The art curriculum devised for these two years is set up to allow the students to follow Btec Art and Design and GCSE accreditations, as well as various Art/Craft options such as the Arts Award which may be linked to drama and music projects.

Students initiate a sketchbook and embark on a revision of their colour work through 2D and 3D work. Projects that are undertaken include Architecture and Portraiture, and include the study of such as Van Gogh, Escher, Opie, and Schwarz. These then lead to an exploration of skills and processes to include silk screen printing, collage, heat disperse dyes, sculpture, as well as a deeper focus on art techniques such as still life, perspective, figurative drawing, line, tone, and texture.

Students are encouraged to develop their knowledge of artists through personal study.