Art

At Rhyddings our Art education is introduced through a three-year journey. We begin in year 7 with the introduction of the 8 Formal Elements of Art. These elements are the foundations of all artworks – Art, Craft or Design. We use this foundation year to encourage experimentation and creativity while developing their ethical learning through exploring our local history and the wider world. During year 8, we build dexterity and accuracy within drawing, painting, and sculpture. Throughout this developmental year pupils are encouraged to carefully observe their work and the work of artists both historical and contemporary. This develops their analytic skills and ethical understanding. The three-year journey culminates in year 9, where we focus on careers, employability skills and why Art, Craft and Design are such a strong part of our culture. The year is divided up into 6 pathways which help our pupils build a sense of where their creative side supports them now and in the future. This year empowers our pupils by demonstrating the skills they have developed throughout the three years and by communicating with other schools and societies, further developing their sense of community.

At GCSE we follow Pearson Edexcel exam board. GCSE Art and Design course consists of the creation of a coursework portfolio taught through year 10 and the first part of year 11, plus an externally set assessment which is conducted during the second part of year 11. At Rhyddings, we currently run 1 project for the portfolio and this counts for 60% of the final GCSE grade. The external assessment counts for 40% of the final grade. To support the course, we offer the purchase of individual art kits and opportunities to experience live artwork. There are also opportunities to explore progression to further education post GCSE. The GCSE course begins with an exploration of techniques and processes through taught workshops and progresses towards each pupil creating independent, highly skilled individual portfolios.
Our Art education at Rhyddings aims to equip our pupils with a wide range of skills so that they can progress towards further education or the workplace with confidence and independency.