Art & Design
Our curriculum intent
The focus of Art, craft and design education at RCC is to enable all students to achieve their fullest creative potential in the visual Arts. We are continually revising and improving our curriculum to further develop teaching and learning.
Using a wide range of source material, we will engage and challenge students, scaffolding their learning through exploration with tools and materials, modelling and personal research. We deliver a general curriculum based on high quality drawing, painting and sculpture skills which is enriched further using the varied tools and methods specific to the discreet disciplines within Art, craft and design. Experimentation and risk taking are encouraged for our pupils’ creative development.
Reflection on historical, global, cultural and social issues is developed into personal and meaningful responses. The creative expression of individual ideas is the objective, enhanced by celebrating diversity and understanding human connections. Critical and cultural understanding is key to this and we develop the thinking skills and vocabulary needed to plan and review the learning journey and its practical outcomes.
Our Art, craft and design curriculum will equip our children with the resources to contribute as citizens and future professionals to the culture, creativity, economic success, emotional wellbeing and development of our society.
What this looks like in practice
Our aim is to enable all students to reach their fullest potential in the visual Arts. We ensure that our curriculum enables students to achieve outcomes which reflect their ability and interests and challenge them further. We deliver a general Arts curriculum based on high quality drawing, painting and printmaking skills. Art & Design teachers are specialists in Ceramics, Graphic Design, Fine Art, Illustration and Textiles.
Art and Design is taught to all students in Years 7, 8 and 9. During the course students explore a range of starting points for practical work in order to develop their own ideas. Students increase in confidence with a range of materials and processes and evaluate their own work and that of other artists and designers. Many of our projects link with other subjects and students are encouraged to reflect on and respond to the world around us.
Art and Design is an optional subject in key stage 4. In Year 10, students begin a two year period of study in which they refine practical skills, learn from the work of diverse artists, craftspeople and designers and go on to develop their own creative ideas. The curriculum in Years 10 & 11 is based on the course requirements of the AQA Art & Design GCSE. This general syllabus allows us to deliver a wide range of Art forms including drawing and painting, sculpture, fashion and textiles, printmaking and graphic design.
Curriculum overview
Detailed information about the curriculum for each year group can be found in the document below.