At FIC, students and staff highly value Art as part of the broad and balanced curriculum we offer at our school. We follow the National Curriculum guidance which aims that all pupils:

• produce creative work, exploring their ideas and recording their experiences
• become proficient in drawing, painting, sculpture and other art, craft and design techniques
• evaluate and analyse creative works using the language of art, craft and design
• know about great artists, craft makers and designers, and understand the historical and cultural development of their art forms.

Our students explore 2D and 3D media, techniques and processes to communicate ideas and meanings. They work in traditional and contemporary media, developing confidence, competence, imagination and creativity. They learn to appreciate artists, images and objects across times and cultures, understanding the styles and contexts they work within. Students are taught to reflect critically on their own and other’s artwork, discussing opinions, meanings and the process of creating. Students learn to appreciate the visual world and its role in the creative and cultural industries. They are expected to think and act as artists, craftspeople and designers, developing analytical, experimental and recording skills, as they develop ideas and work towards their own personal outcomes.

KS3 Art Units of Work

KS3 and KS4 (GCSE) Assessment Progress Map

All pupils are assessed against the following AQA Assessment Objectives:

GCSE and A Level Art

Exam Board: AQA

Students can choose to specialise in either Art, Craft and Design or Fine Art. As part of the course, they complete both Components 1 and 2.

Component 1 consists of a body of work. At GCSE, this involves making a ‘portfolio’; 2 complete creative projects which cover all of the assessment objectives. One project is guided and one is selected by the students, according to their personal interests. At A-level, students conduct a ‘Personal Investigation’ in which they choose the direction of their own creative project.

In Component 2, students choose their exam title and conduct preparation for the exam. They then take a timed exam in which they produce their final outcomes (10 hrs at GCSE and 15 hrs at A-level). Both components 1 and 2 are internally assessed and then externally assessed by an AQA moderator.

GCSE Art Units of Work and Examinations

A Level Units of Work and Examinations

A Level Art Assessment Progress Map