- Students develop understanding and appreciation of the creative arts in modern culture and history.
- Students develop subject-specific skills and use technology to express their personal response to a creative stimulus.
- Students investigate techniques used by artists, photographers and musicians from different times, places and cultures, and present their own work in response to this knowledge.
- Students are entitled to be inspired by the artform being studied, and challenged to create their best personal response to it.
- Students develop empathy and respect for others through study of art forms from differing times, places and cultures.
- Students have the opportunity to showcase their work, for example in performance, exhibition or virtual platforms.
- Students understand their individual creative journey and where this could lead them at post-sixteen and careers.
The Art and Photography GCSE results are consistently high and many students continue with their studies at Post 16 level. Students following these courses are encouraged to develop their own style and are introduced to a wide range of skills and processes to enable them to achieve their potential.
Students taking Art and/or Photography GCSE complete a portfolio of course work which makes up 60% of the total mark. The final coursework deadline is just after February half-term. The final exam usually takes place early in the Summer Term and involves a period of extended preparation and research followed by 10 hours over two days in the Art rooms to complete the final outcomes.
It is important to consider GCSE Art & Design as an option if you are interested in pursuing a career in the arts, for example architecture, interior design, graphics, illustration and digital media and computer game design. This is a broad course which gives students the opportunity to explore a range of practical skills through a range of two and three dimensional processes and new media and technologies. Students can use a wide range of materials and processes in the development of their ideas, including painting, drawing, sculpture, textiles, printmaking and photography and study the work of other artists, both historical and contemporary. There is also the opportunity for students to focus on certain media, for example they could specialise in Textiles or Fine Art.