Education in Art & Design should seek to develop sensitive, imaginative, creative, visually and artistically literate individuals with the capacity to grow aesthetically, emotionally and intellectually through active expression and reflective appreciation. It should stress the development of individuality, underlining the unique and the personal, thus permitting each student to discover his or her own particular talents, interests and limitations.

Through study in Art & Design students should be able to increase their knowledge, understanding and responses to both themselves and the world in which they live. Original creative thought and personal expression need to be encouraged in order to develop intuition, independence, imagination and sensitivity.

Education through Art & Design can go a long way to restoring the concept of individuality by encouraging and facilitating personal responses to stimuli, the development of invention, fluency, discrimination, perception, self-expression, self-criticism, self-motivation, perseverance and determination.

The current trend in society is leading away from the concept of individuality. Through the power of mass-media advertising people are encouraged to conform to and accept undifferentiated values. Mass production has removed much of the individuality from artefacts and stifled creativity.

Year 7, 8 & 9  pupils have 1 lesson per week = 120 minutes per fortnight.

Timetable permitting, Art is delivered through a carousel system of 3 x 12-week modules, comprising:

Drawing

Pupils should be able to use Line and Shape, Flat and Graduated Tones and Colours to create the illusion of 3 dimensions on a 2-dimensional surface. Pupils should also be able to measure and use Drawing instruments where appropriate.

Design

Pupils are taught to understand that 'composition' is the technique of combining a variety of elements together (ie. line, shape, pattern, texture, colour, tone, form, space) in a controlled fashion in order to form a satisfying visual statement.

When composing visual images, pupils should have an understanding of the relevance and importance of harmony, balance, proportion, configuration, arrangement, symmetry and asymmetry.

Ceramics

Pupils will learn to understand the 'Clay Cycle' and the 'Firing Cycle'.

They will experience, understand and be able to use a range of techniques and processes in order to make ceramic forms, eg. pinching, coiling, slabbing, modelling and carving.

They will be able to apply surface decoration to ceramic forms, eg. impressing, carving, adding and scraffito.

They will use glazes and oxides to add colour and enhance the surface quality.

• Three full-time specialist Art staff
• One technical support (1.5 days per week)

Three specialist Art rooms, comprising:

• One Ceramics room
• Two large Art & Design studios
• Plus one kiln-room and store-room

This staffing and room allocation enables us to continue a 'carousel' system at Key Stage 3 (see below), whilst students at Key Stage 4 have a broader freedom to use the facilities within other rooms and the advice and opinions of other teaching staff within the department.

There are currently 4 Year 11 groups and 4 Year 10 groups. All groups are mixed ability. All groups remain with the same teacher for 2 years.

We currently offer the AQA GCSE syllabuses. Students may select one from which to develop their ideas.

• Syllabus 3202 - Fine Art

This is by far the most popular course although the following are available for those who wish:

• Syllabus 3201 - Unendorsed
• Syllabus 3205 - Three Dimensional Design

All students who opt to study Art & Design at Key Stage 4 have an equal opportunity of sitting a GCSE examination.

September 2007 saw the introduction of NCFE Level 2 Animation.

This course, currently available to Year 10  also attracts pupils from other schools in the area.