Term 1: Pencil theory. Pupils produce a pencil drawing without any help in the first lesson to establish their baseline level. They will then spend the first half term learning how to draw and shade using a pencil and studying the work of relevant artists. By the end of this unit all pupils should be able to progress from their base grade.

During the second half term pupils will learn about colour theory. They will learn about the colour wheel and produce a painting using primary and secondary colours.

Term 2: Portrait project. Pupils will learn about proportion and how to draw a face . They will explore and express their identity as part of a Citizen project. Pupils will then study how portraiture has been used by other artists such as Picasso and produce a 3D piece of work reflecting that style.

Term 3: Design and Make art challenge based on a set theme. All Year 7 students will create a 3D object at home using any materials.

* We use the summer term to introduce new materials and techniques, these could be; ceramics, textiles, wire, card construction, screen-printing, printmaking, collage etc.

Year 8

Term 1: During the first half term pupils develop skills and knowledge of Pencil theory that they learnt in year 7. They focus on line, shape, proportion and tone and produce an observational drawing; pupils develop their drawing to create an Abstract design.

In the second half term our year 8 pupils re-visit the colour wheel and extend their knowledge by learning about tertiary colours. They will create a painting incorporating primary, secondary and tertiary colours whilst developing their skills of painting with tone. During both half terms the pupils will be introduced to two different artists and/or art movements to further develop their ideas and understanding.

Term 2: Our spring term is again split up into two different projects; printmaking and Ceramics. Pupils will be exploring a specific theme from which they will create designs that can be used to produce prints and ceramic work. They will learn how to create print backgrounds along with a variety of printmaking techniques such as polyprinting, Collograph, Monoprinting and lino. In ceramics our year 8 pupils will learn basic clay based techniques including slab work, coiling, engraving and decoration. They will use these skills to design and create a final ceramics piece based on the project theme.

Term 3: Design and Make art challenge. In the final term our pupils will design and create work based on the selected theme. In the past students have produced a wide range of 2D and 3D work which is displayed. Previous themes have included Nostalgia, The Circus, Planet Love and various cultures.

Year 9

Year 9 students will produce a complete GCSE project which will involve working to a theme and covering 4 assessment objectives.They will research the theme, study the work of artists, explore different materials, design a final piece and make the final design.

Mini GCSE Project

Pupils will produce a design and make project based on a theme which will introduce them to GCSE project objectives.