Art and Design

Curriculum Overview 

KS3 – Year 7, 8 & 9

In Year 7 and 8, students will rotate on a carousel through Art and Technology specialisms. They will undertake two hours of Art and Design each week for one term. 

Year 7 – ‘I discover’

Sculpture (Alberto Giacometti)

Students will complete one project on ‘Human Figure’ as an introduction to the key knowledge and skills that they will need for further study. Students will recognise the role of an artist, craftsperson and designer through the discovery of Alberto Giacometti’s work. Alberto Giacometti was a Swiss artist and sculptor who became one of the most influential sculptors of the 20th century. His work was particularly influenced by the artistic styles such as Cubism and Surrealism and he was fascinated with different materials and textures.

Students will make purposeful investigations and will discover the formal elements in art including; line, shape, space, form, tone, texture, colour and composition. They will record from his work, communicate their ideas and experiment with a range of techniques and processes relevant to their intentions. Students will later build their creative thinking skills to invent a Giacometti inspired sculpture that they will make as a collaborative piece of art.

Year 8 – ‘I explore’

Textile art (David Hockney)

In year 8, students will explore the theme ‘My Academy’. They will revisit the formal  elements in art through investigating the vibrant landscape paintings and digital work created by David Hockney. David Hockney is one of the most important painters of the 20th century. He was born in Bradford and was involved in the Pop Art movement in the 1960s. Hockney is best known for his photo collages and paintings of Los Angeles swimming pools but there’s a lot more to him as he looks at things in a different way.

Taking inspiration from his work, students will apply a range of creative and technical skills combining both art and textiles. This will include recording from their surroundings, reviewing and modifying their own work and using appropriate experimentation to inform their ideas. Students will present their own personal response by creating a textile art piece inspired by David Hockney’s style.

Year 9 – ‘I focus’

In year 9, students will study Art and Design once a week for the full academic year. The curriculum framework is designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills so that students can act and think like artists, working intelligently and creatively.

Students will complete two projects over the year and will cover the themes ‘Culture’ and ‘Portraiture’. They will analyse and develop responses to initial starting points and will extend and refine their skills via a trial and error process. Students will develop a range of ideas considering their own strengths and areas of development. They will be encouraged to express their individuality through personal responses and will gain an understanding of how art influences society by changing opinions, instilling values and translating experiences across space and time.

Printmaking (Esther Mahlangu)

In the first project, students will analyse the work created by Esther Mahlangu. Esther Mahlangu has devoted her life to sharing her cultural heritage with the world. She is considered a visionary as she was the first person to reimagine Ndebele designs on different platforms. Traditionally, Ndebele women painted colourful geometric patterns outside of their homes. Esther Mahlangu said that she was worried young people in South Africa were losing a sense of their roots.

Students will investigate and develop ideas, using the qualities of materials and processes to realise intentions when designing and making. They will present a personal response via printmaking techniques inspired by Esther Mahlangu’s cultural heritage.

Drawing and Painting (Pablo Picasso)

In the second project, students will interpret, respond and justify how ideas and meanings are conveyed in the portraits created by the artist Pablo Picasso. Artists have used a variety of approaches to create portraits over time. Pablo Picasso is known for co-founding the Cubist movement with Georges Braque. Inspired by African sculpture, Picasso used simple shapes and a small range of colours to paint objects, people and landscapes. This gives many of his cubist paintings a sculpted look, as he would often move around the model or objects that he was painting, and painted them from different viewpoints within the same painting. This adds to the abstract look of his artworks.

Students will use visual language, techniques and contexts to realise personal intentions when presenting a meaningful response inspired by Pablo Picasso’s cubist portraits.

AQA – GCSE Art and Design: Fine Art, Photography & Textile design

At Wardle Academy, we offer three titles under the AQA Art and Design GCSE qualification. This includes Fine art, Photography and Textile design. Students will have five lessons over a two week period and will be provided with extra support and additional time outside of lesson time organised by their teacher.