Studying Art at Bloomfield Collegiate School

Curriculum Leader: Mrs Emma McFerran

Our vision

Welcome to Art and Design at Bloomfield Collegiate, our curriculum offers a dynamic and immersive learning experience designed to cultivate creativity, technical skills and critical thinking.

Art and Design is a subject which communicates ideas, expresses emotions and reflects the world around us. We celebrate diversity through a knowledge rich curriculum which explores different cultures and challenges preconceptions. We foster creativity and self-confidence by engaging all pupils to express themselves imaginatively.

Pupils at each key stage have opportunities to explore the formal elements of art in two and three dimensions using a wide range of media and techniques to develop practical skills. Pupils develop visual literacy in order to critically analyse and evaluate a broad range of art and design works which inspire their own personal responses.

Pupils explore the work of a wide range of fine art, craft and design practitioners to develop the knowledge, expertise and vision necessary to succeed in today’s diverse and ever-evolving creative industries.

Key Stage 3 Topics

Our Key Stage Three curriculum is designed to allow pupils to gain experience in a breadth of disciplines and develop visual literacy through exploration of the formal elements of Art and Design in their own and other artists’ work.

Year 8

Woodland Animals ceramics project

Mark Hearld inspired collage project

Botanical Illustration

Land Art Collaborative Project.

Year 9

Ocean inspired ceramics vessel project

Ocean inspired Textiles- Batik and embroidery

Smoothie Graphic Design Project

Introduction to Printmaking: monoprint and polyprint

Year 10

Animals in Fine Art

Animal Cultural Masks- Mixed Media Construction

‘My Favourite Things’ Still Life Project

Trash Fashion- Upcycling and tie dye techniques

GCSE Specification and summary:

This CCEA GCSE course introduces students to the fundamental concepts and techniques in art and design. Throughout the course pupils explore a broad range of media including drawing, painting, printmaking, photography, textiles and ceramics. The course provides an opportunity for increased independence and specialism within media and genre as units progress.

Component 1 Part A Exploratory Portfolio: 25% of GCSE

Pupils develop a portfolio of work through teacher-led tasks which provide opportunities to experiment and gain experience across a range of disciplines. Pupils will explore the processes and contexts of artists and designers and learn how to use the formal visual elements of art and design.

Component 1 Part B Investigating the Creative and Cultural Industries: 35% of GCSE

Pupils build on the skills and knowledge developed in Part A to complete a personal project in line with their own skills and interests, learning about the different roles and working practices used in the production of art, craft and design in the creative and cultural industries.

Pupils will complete preparatory work in which they develop ideas through researching the work of practitioners, experiment in a range of media and refine their skills. They will develop and refine proposals and complete a personal response in their chosen specialism.

Component 2 Externally Set Stimulus: 40% of GCSE

Pupils develop projects in response to the CCEA set theme and stimulus paper. They complete personal preparatory work to research the work of artists, develop ideas, experiment and refine ideas and skills. Pupils complete a final outcome based on preparatory work in a 10-hour examination.

A ‘Level Specification and summary

This CCEA GCE qualification provides an opportunity for pupils to take the AS course as a final qualification or the AS units plus the A2 units for the full GCE A level qualification. It is designed to continue to build on the knowledge, understanding and skills developed in GCSE Art and Design; and provide a sound basis for progression to higher education courses in Art and Design or study related to other areas of the creative and cultural industries.

AS 1: Experimental Portfolio. 50% of AS, 20% of A level.

Students explore, experiment, develop and record knowledge and ideas to create a visual portfolio in response to the externally set theme. Teacher led tasks provide opportunities for skills development in a wide range of disciplines. Pupils use this time to explore concepts, contexts, techniques, skills and media. They have the opportunity to attend workshop with artists and visit exhibitions. Pupils research relevant contexts, analysing objects and artefacts. They use their knowledge of the work of other practitioners to aid development of personal ideas.

AS 2: Personal Response with 10 hour timed test: 50% of AS, 20% of A level

Pupils develop their experimental portfolio to create preparatory work in their chosen discipline. They consider audience or user and develop ideas for a final outcome which is brought to completion in a 10-hour examination.

A2 1: Personal and Critical Investigation- Written: 20% of A2,12% of A level.

Pupils complete a body of research and produce a 2000 word critical analysis of the work of a artist, designer, craftsperson, theme or movement. This essay links with pupils’ practical investigations informing and reflecting pupils’ learning. This unit is externally marked.

A2 1: Personal and Critical Investigation- Practical: 40% of A2, 24% of A level.

Pupils build on the skills and knowledge developed at AS, they specialise within a particular discipline or adopt a multi-disciplinary approach. They focus on rigorous experimentation withing their chosen area and analyses of contextual sources to aid development.

A2 2: Thematic Outcome. 15 hour timed test: 40% of A2 24% of A level

Pupils develop their personal investigation to create preparatory work in their chosen discipline. They consider audience or user and develop ideas for a final outcome which is brought to completion in a 15-hour examination. This unit should demonstrate pupils’ increased independence and confidence. They should demonstrate rigour in their experimentation in their specialism and extended development of particular themes, ideas or issues.

Independent learning opportunities

Websites / Blogs / Online Magazines

Extracurricular

Pupils are invited to apply for internal and external competitions regularly, such as Bloomfield School Annual Christmas Card Competition and Texaco Children’s Art Competition. Information is posted on Art and Design Teams.