Courses / Art & Design
Art & Design
This is a Fine Art based specification that would appeal to students who have a passion for being creative but may not yet be certain of what direction they wish to take in the future. Aside from gaining an A Level qualification, the course aims to identify each individual’s personal creative strengths and develop potential avenues for developing those strengths into a future pathway.
If you choose this course you would benefit from:
- Experienced teachers who specialise in Art & Design and have experience in industry
- Studio space to fulfill independent practice
- Guest Artists who work within the creative industry
- Visiting lecturers and students from Universities
- Enrichment activities are organised in the form of trips and visits to destinations such as Oxford, Manchester, London, Prague, and New York
- Having support from students who have successfully achieved their A Level and are now on the Art Foundation course
- Developing work to be exhibited in the end-of-year public exhibition
- Opportunities to enter Competitions and take on Live Briefs
- Actively involved in Exhibiting and setting up for the end of year Art Show
During the two year course you will study:
- Fine Art through a variety of approaches i.e. Drawing, Painting, Illustration, Sculpture, Installation, Photography, Film and Mixed media.
- How to develop observational studies through creative making
- Key elements of Art & Design such as: Line, Colour, Tone, Composition
- Methods of successfully recording ideas, observations and insights through Fine Art
- Experimental Photography and digital Art
- Creative workshops such as printing, painting, collage, mixed media and textiles
- Art appreciation in public settings
- Analytical writing
- Presenting ideas to the public & exhibiting to an audience
- Refining & finalising work of quality working towards deadlines
What will I be taught?
This course is taught through a series of group workshops, interactive experiences and 1-2-1 tutorials. All students will have the opportunity to develop their individual approach and creative journey as they discover a line of enquiry. Students make use of materials on Teams, Pinterest and Blogs to build on their contextual research and investigation.
Studio based and external learning activities will include:
- Teacher & student led practical
- Individual & group research tasks
- Written assignments
- Using blogs, PowerPoint & Teams
- Group critiques and feedback
- Student led sessions
- Working to a project brief
Based on research into how students learn best, each subject will set independent work to allow you to recap what you have done in the past, consolidate understanding for what you are studying in the present and develop the skills and experiences which will help you for the future. You can read more about the college’s approach to independent study here
The Past
Click here for the suggested ongoing revision activities in this subject which research has shown are most likely to boost your achievement
The Present
Each subject will set weekly homework tasks to help you consolidate your understanding and prepare for your next lesson. This work is typically set through Microsoft Teams, so you will have an electronic log of all your work, notes and feedback.
The Future
A key part of your independent work in this subject will be to prepare for a range of potential jobs and higher education courses when you leave us. To get started, look below at the top higher education courses and jobs which previous students of this course have gone on to do.
As part of a wider programme this course provides an excellent basis for progression to many careers or university courses such as Architecture, Fashion, Illustration, Fine Art, Animation, Art Therapy, Theatre and Stage design.
Former students of this college have gone on to study courses ranging from Design at Goldsmiths in London, Games Art at UCA in Farnham and Fine Art at Coventry.
5 x GCSE grades 4-9 (incl. English Language)
Additional Requirements
5 or above in Art (A portfolio and interview will be required if no grade 5 in Art)
Not essential but it will help your success…
Dedication to developing visual ideas based on observations of the world around you.
You are prepared to work in a range of creative processes. For example, drawing using different mediums (pencil, pen, digital), using colour (paint, pencils, ink, markers, digital rendering), texture (collage, mixed media, textiles).
Teaching contact time is 4 hours and 20 minutes per subject. Other workshops will be available throughout the year including over some holiday periods. Students are expected to spend a minimum 4 hours of independent study to complete assignments, homework, extra reading and independent research.
60% Coursework. This is in the form of a Personal Investigation to be completed by the end of January in the second year
40% Exam in the form of a Controlled Assignment. Starting points will be provided externally and responded to over a period of approximately 9 weeks completing around Easter in the second year