Art and Design

The Art & Design curriculum is vibrant and dynamic, and is designed to provide students with the skills, knowledge and confidence to continue to study the subject at A-Level and beyond.

The curriculum is broad, enabling students to explore different disciplines within Art, Crafts and Design. Students can expect to learn about the formal elements of Art, drawing techniques, science illustration,  wire sculpture, pottery, ceramic clay techniques, print making, portraiture and architecture, as well as how to create a personal response in a sustained project.

Art Department

Overarching Curriculum Intent 2024 – 25 

RFSS Curriculum Vision Statement: 

To build an inclusive curriculum which is aspirational for all and empowers our students to make outstanding academic and personal progress. 

Art Curriculum in Context: 

At Rugby Free Secondary School, our Art curriculum endeavours to deliver a comprehensive and well-rounded educational experience, incorporating a blend of traditional and contemporary activities, culminating in students’ independent and personal artistic outcomes. We firmly acknowledge that art encompasses a journey of exploration, experimentation, inquiry into various sources, and personal interpretation. It encompasses the development of students’ confidence and resilience, enabling them to respond to artistic challenges with imaginative and independent thinking.  

We recognize that students enter secondary school with varying levels of knowledge and skill, and thus, during their initial term in Year 7 at RFSS, we prioritize the cultivation of drawing, painting, and ceramic techniques. Additionally, we focus on enhancing students’ art vocabulary and literacy skills. These foundational skills continue to be nurtured and refined throughout their artistic journey within the comprehensive Art curriculum.  

In line with the findings presented in Ofsted’s report, “Drawing together,” which emphasizes the thriving of boys when given opportunities to engage with three-dimensional artwork, our Art department ensures that all genders can derive fulfilment and flourish in their Art lessons. Complementing the aforementioned core skills, students undertake an assortment of stimulating three-dimensional projects, including clay and wire work.  

Within our Art department, we foster an environment that encourages students to take artistic risks, experiment with diverse techniques, and venture into unfamiliar artistic territories. Thought-provoking assignments, constructive feedback, and engaging projects serve as catalysts for students to surpass their perceived limitations and achieve personal artistic breakthroughs.  

In alignment with our commitment to ensuring that all students feel capable of achieving success in the realm of Art, we have opted for students to study GCSE and A-Level AQA Art, Crafts, and Design rather than Fine Art. This choice reflects our dedication to providing an inclusive and supportive Art curriculum that accommodates diverse talents and aspirations.  

Overall, at Rugby Free Secondary School, our Art department strives to provide a nurturing and inspiring environment where students are empowered to explore their artistic potential, challenge themselves, and cultivate a lifelong appreciation for the transformative power of art.  

Curriculum Aims: 

Our curriculum aims to: 

  • Offer a broad and balanced Art curriculum incorporating traditional and contemporary activities for independent personal outcomes.  

  • Foster students’ holistic artistic journey, promoting discovery, experimentation, investigation, and personal responses.  

  • Develop foundational skills in drawing, painting, and clay, while enhancing art vocabulary and literacy during Year 7.  

  • Create opportunities for all students, including boys, to thrive in three-dimensional artwork through projects like clay and wire work.  

  • Encourage artistic risk-taking, diverse technique exploration, and personal breakthroughs through thought-provoking assignments, constructive feedback, and engaging projects  

Our broad and balanced curriculum concentrates on developing our students’ key knowledge and skills and enhances their understanding of the world around them. 

We do this by: 

  • Providing students with opportunities to engage in meaningful artistic experiences that foster communication skills.  

  • Creating activities that encourage independence, resilience, nurturing students’ character development.  

  • Exposing students to a wide range of artistic traditions, styles, and techniques from various cultures and historical periods.  

  • Creating problem-solving tasks that challenge students to think critically, analyse artistic concepts, and develop innovative solutions.  

  • Creating a supportive learning environment where students feel encouraged to take risks, express themselves freely, and embrace their individuality.  

Our curriculum is focused on the development of communication, character and cultural capital of each individual student, so they become: 

  • Effective Communicators: Students will develop strong communication skills, utilizing various mediums and forms of expression to convey their ideas and emotions confidently and effectively.  

  • Resilient Individuals of Character: Our curriculum aims to cultivate resilience, perseverance, and discipline, instilling in students the qualities necessary for personal growth, adaptability, and success in their future endeavours.  

  • Culturally Aware and Appreciative: Through the exploration of diverse artistic traditions, students will develop a deep appreciation for different cultures, fostering empathy, respect, and a global perspective.  

  • Creative Problem-Solvers: Our curriculum encourages creative thinking and problem-solving, nurturing students’ ability to think critically, approach challenges with innovation, and seek solutions from multiple angles.  

  • Confident and Self-Expressive: Students will gain self-confidence and a strong sense of self-identity through artistic exploration, empowering them to embrace their uniqueness, take risks, and express themselves authentically  

Curriculum Outcome: 

Upon leaving Rugby Free Secondary, students will emerge as confident and resilient communicators who are culturally aware individuals. They will have diverse artistic experiences, problem-solving abilities, and a strong sense of self-expression. All of these attributes will equip them for success in their future endeavours and personal growth. 

Please view or download our ‘Sequence Overview’ document for Art

RFSS Curriculum Sequencing Overview Art & Design

What are they learning?

Art & Design

In year 7, students will learn about the key skills that they will need for the future projects with KS3. During these key skills lessons students will learn about the formal elements and ceramic health and safety as well as joining techniques.

As the year progresses, students will continue to develop their understanding of the formal elements with a science illustration project and begin to further develop their skills in clay where they will create a clay monster speaker project, where students will create individually unique outcomes.

See our Roadmap here:

Road Map

Students will begin Year 8 with a Mexican Day of the Dead project, allowing them to further develop their skills in ceramics while making a clay mask that they will paint using acrylic paint.

The second project enables students to experiment with wire sculptural techniques where they will make a wire insect.

Finally, the students will be completing a cardboard sculpture project where they will be making cardboard buildings based on Rugby town centre.

Roadmap

The Year 9 curriculum begins with a skull and decay project in which students explore different experimental watercolour techniques. They also investigate the artist Paul Jackson, combined with the watercolour experiments the students produce unique and individual final pieces.

During the second project students focus on expanding their clay skills in a project where they will produce individual ceramic gargoyles.

Once the students choose Art, Craft and Design at GCSE they will undertake portfolio-style projects and set briefs, students will gain a greater understanding of the assessment objectives at GCSE and learn how to produce a personal response, identify and analyse the work of other artists, experiment with a variety of media and materials and analyse and evaluate their own artwork as well as artists work.

Roadmap

Using the support and knowledge gained from KS3, at GCSE within component 1 & 2 students further develop and undertake portfolio-style projects to a set title in which they pick from given titles.

Component 1 forms 60% of the final grade, and component 2 forms the remaining 40%.

Component 2 consists of a 10-hour exam and a supporting portfolio.

Roadmap

Starting 6th Form students will undertake a mini practice project to prepare them for component 1 & 2. During component 1 they will choose a personal investigation. Alongside the investigation they will produce a 1000 – 3000 word essay about their chosen investigation and research.

Component 1 forms 60% of the final grade, and component 2 forms the remaining 40%.

Component 2 consists of a 15-hour exam and a supporting portfolio.

Roadmap

Costume Designer / Graphic Designer / Concept Artist / Illustrator / Art Director / Make Up Artist / Prop Maker / Art and Design Technician / Primary School Teacher / Secondary School Teacher / Fine Artist / Photographer / Curator / Art Therapist / Animator / Illustrator / Fashion Photography/ Art Historian/ Logo brand Designer / Magazine Layout Designer / Fashion Designer / Architect / Interior Designer / Landscape Designer / Stage Design / Jeweller