Art at Accrington Academy is first and foremost a practical subject. At Key Stage 3 students will be encouraged to work in the style of a variety of artists using everything from mythical creatures to everyday objects as their stimuli. As they progress into Key Stage 4, they will be more confidently finding their own individual style and be able to continue to develop this by exploring contemporary artists whose style is similar or interesting to them; working in a range of mediums they will produce their own work culminating in an exhibition of their personal response as their final exam. The written work they produce alongside this will explain their intentions and inspiration. By Key Stage 5, students will be able to clearly define their individual concepts and themes, translating these into their final portfolio of work and again documenting this journey through sketchbooks and written notes.
How we explore the UL principles:
Entitlement:
Pupils receive one hour of discrete Art teaching each week at Key Stage 3. The curriculum encompasses themes from outside of the classroom and builds pupils’ imaginations and cultural capital.
Coherence:
It is more important for pupils to fully understand the key concepts and skills presented than to cover lots of curriculum content. These become more assured as the curriculum content is sequenced. By working in this way, students gain depth to their skills as well as experiencing a variety of themes and artists.
Mastery:
The curriculum is based on a mastery model, in which the ambition is that all pupils are taught and achieve the essential knowledge and skills in each of the years of the curriculum so that both knowledge and skills can be re-used effectively in future learning to achieve greater depth of artistic learning and outcome. Students should begin to specialise as they progress through their school curriculum, choosing styles and artistic techniques to ‘master’ over time.
Adaptability:
Art in United Learning schools is likely to look different. Our distinctive schools each have a unique offer based on the individual strengths of the teaching staff, the size of the team and the space and resources available alongside other factors. It is important to develop the strengths of each school whilst also recognising the need for a locally determined curriculum that meets student needs.
Representation:
The art curriculum in our school is unlikely to remain static for long periods of time. It needs to respond to the changing nature of the school and society. A curriculum that recognises the art children and young people experience or would benefit from experiencing, building on this prior learning and experience, will resonate with pupils.
Education with character:
Art plays a vital role in delivering a creative education, aiming to:
Give our pupils ambition: to develop skills and artistic pieces over time.
Build confidence: to express themselves visually.
Foster creativity: to develop a piece of art work with skill, building on prior experiences.
Instil respect: for each other in their artistic expression and art from all backgrounds.
Drive enthusiasm: to pursue artistic talent and a passion for art through an engaging curriculum and extra-curricular activities.
Encourage determination: to persevere and strive when refining and improving art work.