Creative Arts

Faculty Leader: Mr Siddell

In The Creative Arts Faculty, we aim to enhance our students’ imagination and creativity to allow them to become creative thinkers.

Students are taught to explore, experiment and develop key skills in art, music and textiles.

Our students aim for the highest possible standards through creative thinking, effective communication, and problem solving.

Arts activities enrich our students’ lives by allowing them to formulate and express ideas and feelings. They enhance thinking skills related to analysing, developing and evaluating as well as practical skills developed through refinement and control.

Involvement in the arts encourages the spirit of cooperation and resilience. Students work independently and in groups to develop ideas and skills that can be applied to other areas of their education.

We foster an ethos of exploration and passion for the Creative Arts where students are happy, engaged and confident in their learning.

FURTHER DETAILS LINK [ Creative Arts Curriculum and Assessment Policy]

Curriculum & Assessment Details

In Art, key skills are taught through projects in Key Stage 3 to build confidence and a solid foundation for GCSE level.

Students are instructed on techniques to develop and enhance a portfolio of work whilst studying important historical and contemporary art movements.

OCR-Art and Design-60% Coursework projects/40% Externally Set Task

Students explore Art using 4 main assessment areas:

Assessment Objective 1-Development of Ideas

Assessment Objective 2-Refine ideas and experimentation with materials and processes.

Assessment Objective 3-Recording from observation

Assessment Objective 4-Present a personal, informed and meaningful response.

Though the key skills are taught at Key Stage 3, it is expected that students have a keen interest in art and are confident in their making skills when starting GCSE. Through experimentation and refinement, students will gain confidence in their abilities to assemble a creative, varied and exciting portfolio of work intended for interviews at college, university or work.

The externally set task culminates in a 10 hour exam where students can realise their ideas and designs in to a final piece to show what they have learned through their course

This course provides our pupils with a more practical and vocational experience of the world of Art. Students develop practical making skills in 2D, 3D and digital media as well as designing and developing outcomes from set briefs.

OCR GCSE Music:

Integrated Portfolio -30% A performance on the learner’s chosen instrument

A composition to a brief set by the learner

Practical Component-30% Ensemble performance

A composition to a brief set by OCR

Listening Exam-40% A 90 minute Listening Paper.

Audio recognition of unheard music from Areas of Study 2,3,4 and 5

Pupils who study music at KS4 build on performance and composition skills developed through projects at KS3

The course comprises of five Areas of Study.

Area of Study 1 allows pupils to explore their own instrument or voice

Area of Study 2 ‘The Concerto Through Time’ Pupils study the development of the concerto from 1650 -1920

Area of Study 3 ‘Rhythms of the World’ Pupils study rhythms that originate from African, India and Punjab, Central America and the Mediterranean and Middle East

Area of study 4 ‘Film and Video Game Music’

Area of Study 5 ‘Conventions of Pop’ Pupils study a range of popular music and its development from the 1950s to the present day

Details of Extra-Curricular Music activities:

Choir

School of Rock

Rehearsals for soloists

Violin ensemble

Orchestra

Opportunities to perform in concerts, assemblies and in the wider community

Textiles:

GCSE Textile Technology is made up of two main assessment opportunities, 50% coursework and 50% externally marked exam.

Students develop and expand upon key practical skills which are introduced at key stage 3, enabling them to be creative and take ownership of their own creations.

The coursework assignment consists of a sketchbook of evidence to support their final outcome, which is a fully functional product made by the student, as well as a formal portfolio containing key documents and specifications.

The sketchbook of evidence explores a range of different areas:

· Gathering research and analysing its suitability to the design brief

· Design development and testing this against their specification showing a clear understanding of the importance of developing ideas

· Sampling and modelling practical techniques both decorative and functional prior to making a full scale mock up replicating their intended final outcome.

· Final product made by the student

· Evaluation of the final product and comparing this to their design brief and specification

All of the above is the requirements in order to gain 50% of the qualification

Knowledge required for the externally marked exam requires learners to have a broad knowledge of the areas within design technology but specialising in one area with in-depth understanding. Areas included are as follows;

· Design technology and our world

· Smart materials, composites and technical textiles

· Electronic systems and programmable components

· Mechanical components and devices

· Materials including, paper and board, natural and manufactured timber, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, plastics and natural and synthetic fibres and their construction into fabrics.

· In depth knowledge and understanding of Natural, synthetic, blended and mixed fibres, and woven, non-woven and knitted textiles

The exam is a 2 hour exam consisting of a range of short and long answer questions. Using the technical knowledge and theory learnt throughout the course.

The course allows pupils to be creative and innovative with the products that they make and the way in which they create them. Students are able to carry out a range of different decorative and functional techniques ranging from tie dye and batik to pleats and sleeve setting.

Students are expected to have an enthusiasm for textiles as a subject and a desire to engage and learn about the theory elements of the subject.

Details of Extra-Curricular & Homework

Homework in Creative Arts are set according to the homework rotation. Key Stage 3 are set project based homework over the course of the half term. Key Stage 4 have continual homework related to their project or coursework.