At Bromley Beacon Academy, we recognise the vital role of art and design in allowing curiosity, creativity and self–expression to develop alongside resilience, confidence and critical thinking skills.
Art is a powerful tool that helps the students become aware of the world they live in, whilst nurturing cultural awareness and creativity. In creating a wide range of products and artwork, these skills can then transfer to other areas of the curriculum.
Those less confident in purely academic subjects, or with language barriers, can express themselves fully having an impact on our young learners, encouraging them to be risk takers, evaluators and reflective and engaged learners.
Our aim is to ensure all children and young people experience the richness of a broad arts curriculum providing every child and young person with opportunity to be inspired by the arts, nurturing artistic talent and develop our young people’s transferable life skills that arise from successful arts education whether it be use of imagination and considered risk taking, co-operation, tenacity, flexibility and responsibility as well as leadership and entrepreneurial skills. This in turn creates world citizens with an understanding of how art impacts and enhances societies and our surroundings. High priority is given to opportunities for discussion, commentating on what we have seen, and talking through ideas and plans for our own work.
There is a clear progression of skills, which build on prior learning – such as use of tools and techniques with increasing mastery. Each class in school keeps their own portfolio which records responses to art, photos of work and any involvement in whole school or community projects, engaging with a variety of art forms, to explore values, attitudes, feelings and meanings.
Intent
The focus across both sites should be on visual literacy. Students can: become familiar with > understand > implement > exploit – various core vocabulary and concepts within visual language paradigms.
The philosophy ‘stage not age’ should be a central theme in the T&L, but in broad terms:
- Years 7 & 8 – Familiarity nurtured through process based experimental work. Core theory introduced gently through discussion, and choice of set task. Students allowed/encouraged to experiment i.e. set task to cover very light level of theory, then if students wander off the set task, this should be lauded (development of independent ideas is critical throughout KS3, 4 & 5)
- Year 9 – Understand, at a deeper and more intellectual level, the core concepts of visual language paradigms; students drip fed foundational theory – relevant practical tasks set. Students allowed ‘free creative time’ following completion of set task in lessons – this is invaluable time spent organically developing ideas
- Year 10 – Increased independent judgement of success, measured against visual language paradigms; scaffolding, but students’ independent ideas to be explored; students should recap foundational learning of visual language paradigms, but academic study should allow for a significantly deeper level of enquiry and investigation of core theory
- Year 11 – Implement - students to develop ideas thoroughly – evidence this for GCSE units
- Year 12 – Same as years 9&10 combined – much deeper level of enquiry. Both core theory and practical processes should be understood to a deep level
- Year 13 – Exploit - same as 11 (though aiming for A Level [GCSE and A Level have near identical structure)
Implementation
Throughout the SoW, material will be covered, and re-covered multiple times, each time with the intention of embedding, and extending learning (as indicated – left).
T&L will take place largely through practical engagement with processes, and the creation of artworks. Relevant contextual studies will form the basis of ensuring the concepts communicated are relevant in a real-world capacity.
Impact
A deep understanding of visual language, and the visual literacy which would go hand-in-hand, will set students in a very strong position for success within the field of visual practice. Students wishing to engage in further study in the field, and those aiming to move directly into the industry would be equally advantaged by their strong understanding.
Few education centres place such a strong emphasis on visual theory (instead largely focussing on practice); underpinning practice with theory allows learners to make conscious judgements when creating their artworks, challenging the notion that some people are born with natural talent, and others simply ‘cannot draw’. Key to this approach is that Art is a taught and learned subject like any other, and anyone who makes the effort can find success.
Useful websites for students to investigate:
The scheme of work for Art is currently being update. Please check back soon.
To view core skills for Art, please click here.
